The Importance of Having Your Drains Inspected

Clogged drains happen to everyone, and they are not fun. If the drain is completely blocked, the bathtub, shower, sink or toilet become full of water. At this point, the offending blockage must be removed through all that built up water and chances are that the homeowner will not be able to clear it using household remedies or drain products. Once you call a professional plumber in, you'll be looking at a hefty expense. The more stubborn the blockage in your drain is, the higher the cost can be. If you have multiple clogged drains in your home at any given time, you will wish you had taken the precaution to preventively have your drains inspected.

How Do Clogged Drains Happen?

Carelessness is the number 1 cause of clogged drains. Kitchen sink drain clogs can take place when you don't use the drain strainer to catch particles of food and rubbish from falling through the drain into the pipes. A buildup of these particles can easily clog the drain. To make matters worse, cooking grease and/or oil can build up in the pipes (or on a developing clog). In the toilet, the flushing of excessive toilet paper is the main culprit. Flushing items not intended for the toilet is also a main cause of clogged toilet drains. Items such as baby wipes, paper towels, and sanitary napkins can singularly or over time cause a stoppage. Bathroom sinks, showers and bathtubs can become clogged when hair gets caught in the pipes and builds up. Items such as shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, hair gel, exacerbate the problem as they produce a build up that further adds to the blockage.

Unfortunately, clogs can occur as a result of problems that have nothing to do with what you put into your drains. Scale, tree roots, deterioration of pipes that are rusted and crushed drain lines have also been known to cause plumbing problems.

Drain Clog Remedies

You can attempt to clear clogged drains yourself by using acids or other chemical products designed for this purpose. These chemicals, however, can actually be harmful to your pipes, your fixtures, your health and the environment. Luckily, there are also natural methods of clearing drain blockages. One such method involves running boiling water through the drains on a regular basis. Another method employs baking soda and vinegar. Simply pour vinegar into the clogged drain, and then sprinkle it liberally with baking soda. Let the mixture sit in the drain for at least 15 minutes, then pour boiling water over it to rinse and hopefully wash the blockage away.

Inspect and Prevent Instead

The plumbing system in your home is just like any automobile, machine, or tool. It is a system that requires routine examination and maintenance. You can be vigilant about what's going on with your drains and pipes and perform part of the inspection yourself, as you are most familiar with how the drains behave. In order to truly avoid the hassle and expense of seriously clogged drains you must have all of your household drains inspected on a regular basis by a qualified plumber. As a preventative measure, you should also have a plumbing technician snake all of your drain lines once a year or so. If you experience drain clogs very often or your pipes are susceptible to blockages, you may wish to have your drain lines snaked more often. The major drain connections should periodically be subjected to video inspections.

It is very important to have your drains inspected on a regular basis to prevent problems that can be not only expensive, but also very annoying!

What to Do With a Clogged Drain

You are brushing your teeth, getting ready to head out for another day of work. You turn on the faucet to wash the toothpaste down the sink, but the sink isn't draining. It's just filling up with dirty water and pooling at the bottom of the sink. Sound familiar? Most of us have experienced a clogged drain before. Some are worse than others, but there are a few tricks to fixing a clogged drain.

The first trick you can try is a plunger. You can use a plunger for more than just a toilet. If you find your sink clogged, give can try to use the plunger to see if that will fix the problem. However, if the clog is located a little further down the drain, your plunger might prove ineffective. The next step might be to try some type of liquid plumbing solution. Just go to your local hardware store and ask for a liquid or gel chemical for unclogging sinks and drains. Check the directions on the back of the bottle to see how long to let the liquid drain down the sink. Once the time is up, rinse with water. In many cases, this will fix your problem. There are also home remedies that might work as well. Try pouring one cup of vinegar down the drain for similar results. Another home solution is to pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by three cups of boiling water. The water will help make the baking soda a more powerful cleaning solution. If these tricks don't working it's probably time to call your local plumber.

Clearing a Clogged Drain

Almost every home develops a clogged drain once in a while. There can be many reasons why this happens, including tree roots, inappropriate items flushed down the toilet, food or grease in the kitchen sink drain, or soap scum and hair clogs in the bathtub and shower drains. In some cases, these clogs can be quite simple for a homeowner to remove on their own. In other cases, the services of a professional plumber may be needed. Here are some of the tools of the trade you may need to clear a clogged drain, along with some tips on how to keep drains running clear.

Get Yourself a Good Plunger

There are several tools that can come in handy when dealing with household drain clogs. The first is a plunger, which is often the first tool you will reach for when trying to unclog any drain. These are quite inexpensive, usually only costing between five and ten dollars. Be sure to buy a well-made and sturdy one, since a cheap flimsy plumber will not be effective. Having one plunger dedicated for the toilets in your home and another for sinks, tubs and showers is the best approach.

Manual Plumber's Snake or Drain Auger

This tool makes it easier to dislodge clogs that are situated further down inside the drain pipe. They consist of a long flexible steel cable, which is contained in a spool mechanism. A crank is used to move the cable in and out of the drain, thus clearing the clog. These come in various lengths, but a twenty-five foot cable is usually sufficient for most home clogs.

Power Auger

For really tough clogs that are located even further away from the fixture, you might need to rent a power auger. These tools work basically the same as a manual plumber's snake, except that they are powered by an electric motor. These devices have a lot of power and can cut through many different kinds of clogs, including tree roots. However, if you feel you need a power auger to deal with your clog, you might just be better off to call a professional plumber. If you do decide to tackle the job on your own, be sure that you have the rental agent explain the proper way to use the power auger, so that you can do the job safely.

Closet Auger

If you have a particularly difficult toilet clog that doesn't respond to a plunger, you might need to use a closet auger. These devices are designed specifically for toilets and use a cable enclosed in a rigid shaft instead of the spool style used by standard plumber's snakes. They are also controlled by a hand crank. The end of the auger is configured in a certain way so that it can fit properly through the toilet trap, in spite of the tight curves.

Keeping Drains Running Clear

After you get your drain running clear again, there are some regular maintenance tips you can use to keep them that way. Running very hot water down the drain for about thirty seconds once a week can do a lot to prevent clog problems. You can also pour a tablespoon of salt into the drain, followed by a quarter cup of white vinegar. Allow it to sit for about an hour then flush with hot water. Pouring a half cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a half cup of vinegar can also be effective.

Sewer and Drain Cleaning Tips

If you are a homeowner the chances are that you will need a plumber or a drain cleaning company at some point in time. Whether you have drain clog or your water heater is broken, hire a plumber with the proper skill set to complete the job professionally. During the bad economic times we've seen many people try to fix complicated plumbing problems themselves, usually this ends up costing you more money at the end of the day. When calling a plumber, however, you should do some basic research on the problem you are having and the potential plumbing companies or drain cleaning companies you might hire. In situations involving broken pipes, water leaks, clogged drains, and discolored water, you may have some basic investigating to do before any plumber is called.

Sometimes basic drain clogs and blockages of drains and sinks may be cleared out fairly easily without calling a plumber, it's a good policy to never attempt to correct an issue unless you feel 100% confident in your ability to fix the problem. First things first, try using your plunger. If the plunger doesn't unclog the blockage, you may find it in your interest to try using an over the counter liquid drain clog product such as Drano or Liquid Plumber. If they don't unclog your drain, the pipes under your sink will need to be taken apart. At this point we would suggest calling a professional plumber or a drain cleaning company, as the skill level requires unscrewing, sealing and caulking the pipe joints.

Most household leaks, if not tended to promptly, can be do serious damage inside a home. Leaking water can cause unhealthy mold growth and significantly damage the surrounding structure among many other things. Depending on the location of the leak, you may need to tear down walls or ceiling. Experienced plumbers and a drain cleaning services are best suited to handle any pipe leakage, most times the water will need to be shut off immediately and new plumbing will also need to be installed. Another good reason to call a plumber is the likely hood of encountering dangerous electrical wiring.

Hiring an experienced, licensed and bonded plumber will increase your chances significantly that the job is finished correctly the first time. A good plumbing company or sewer and drain cleaning service will respond immediately, especially in case of an emergency, the last thing you want is to incur thousands of dollars in unnecessary damages.

Exterior Drain Cleaning Means Good Basement Waterproofing Prevention

Every year during the rainy season, thousands of homeowners across the country suffer flooded basements that destroy personal property and cost a lot of money to clean up. Ironically, the best kind of basement waterproofing you can do to prevent flooding in your home has to do with exterior drain cleaning, not interior work.

Many new homeowners don't realize that basements are actually kept dry and in-tact from a drainage system surrounding the exterior foundation of the home. These "footer drain tiles," as they are called, move excess water away from the foundation and deposit it in a location where it won't harm the basement.

That's why the most effective form of basement waterproofing is actually a form of exterior drain cleaning. Most basement waterproofing problems are caused because the footers tiles become clogged with debris over the years and are not able to move the water away from the home. By performing drain cleaning on the exterior system, water is again able to move through the footers and the basement is protected from future flooding.

Drain cleaning for exterior footer drains, however, can't be performed by the average homeowner. In order to tap into the footer drains, you need to excavate a section of the exterior of your home's foundation. Additionally, the proper way to clean a blocked footer drain involves the use of a high-pressure water jetting system that blasts clogs out of the drains. A regular auger simply won't work on footers.

If you're thinking about repairing your basement waterproofing drainage system, do the smart thing and call a professional to give you a free estimate on costs. While drain cleaning for footers can be a bit pricey, it will save you plenty of money in the long run if it prevents a flood.

Hydro Jetting

Hydro jetting, also known in plumbing speak as water jetting or hydro scrubbing, is a method of scouring and cleaning sewer pipes. A hose shoots water at an extremely high pressure through the pipes. The stream of water cuts through the grime, build up and debris clinging to the sewer pipes and lines.

Hydro jetting is a green plumbing technology. Since no harmful or detrimental chemicals are used, hydro jetting does not harm or pollute the environment in any way. It is similar to the concept of power washing, where streets and driveways are cleaned by a strong force of water being applied to them.

Every plumbing system out there contains a clean out, which is an opening specifically added to the system so that plumbers can remove any back up or debris. Every plumbing system is also designed so that unclean water flows down and out of the system.

Plumbers use a hydro jetter to for this process. A hydro jetter is made up of a water tank, a high pressure nozzle and hose, and water pressurizing machine. Plumbers put the high pressure nozzle in the clean out, so the water goes up against the natural downstream flow of the system. They do this so that the build up being removed will flow downwards, through the pipes that are debris free.

A plumber will typically recommend hydro jetting when a snake line will not be sufficient to fix clogged pipes. If pipes need to be lined, hydro jetting is necessary beforehand so as to remove any debris. Otherwise, the lining might not bond properly to the pipe.

The Importance of Drain Cleaning and How it Affects Your Home

Inside of every home are water drain lines, that carry gray water and sewage out of our homes. Drain cleaning to keep these lines clear and flowing is paramount to a healthy home. Too often, people ignore their drains until something goes wrong. But by then, dirty, bacteria filled water has soaked your floors, perhaps your walls, and the damage is already done.

Check Your Pipes!

As with many areas of home repair, preventing these occurrences through property maintenance, is the best way for residents to keep their home and family healthy, and keep unexpected repairs at bay. Pipes throughout your home take waster water from your home, under the house, through the yard, eventually leading it to your septic system, or the city sewer connection. It is important to keep these plumbing lines clean, and your drains flowing well.

When drain lines are working well, the water flows quickly, straight down the drain. Eventually, though, these drain lines get clogged up with an accumulation of food, grease, soap scum, hair, and even odds and ends that fall down the drain.

At the first sign of slow draining, you should call a drain cleaning specialist. This specialist can use the proper tools and chemicals to keep your drains clear, without damaging the pipes or fittings. Even a simple sink clog can cause serious flooding, which can damage drywall.

Such flooding is usually not covered by homeowners insurance. However, a qualified professional plumber can unclog your drains, and repair any plumbing issues, very quickly.

The Benefits Of Proper Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is even more effective; regular drain cleaning in homes can stop these drains from clogging, breeding bacteria, and eventually flooding homes. For the best prevention homeowners should have their bathtub, shower, and sink drains cleaned by a professional once each year.

Clogs do not happen only in the drains that lead directly from your plumbing fixtures, but also in your larger sewer lines. The plumbing fixture lines connect to larger plumbing sewer lines that run underneath the home, then out into the yard. These lines often become blocked by tree roots, resulting in sewage backing up into the home, usually through floor drains, in the lower level of the home.

This can be a serious problem, particularly for the older, more established neighborhoods where large trees, with established, far reaching root systems, are common.

Fortunately, with this type of blockage drain cleaning professionals can help, sending a rotating blade, called a snake, into your sewer lines, freeing trapped, accumulated debris, and removing tree roots from the lines.

Catch The Clogs Early!

When it comes to the drain lines in home plumbing systems, preventing serious clogs and back-ups is the best strategy, and the proper maintenance can help.

When a clog is caught early, inexpensive plumbing repair can remove the clog, restoring free flow to your waste water system, and ensuring that your home stays free of sewer water, keeping you and your family dry and healthy.

Plumbing maintenance is a very important for keeping your water running properly through your home.

Take the time to perform the proper maintenance to your homes draining system.

If you ever notice something that is not working properly with your home water system, it is always best to call a professional plumbing contractor to take a look at the problem.