How to Prevent Common Plumbing Emergencies

November 6th, 2018 Posted in Emergency Plumbing
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No one wants to call a plumber for an emergency repair. Clogged drains, busted pipes and water heater leaks can cause extensive problems and damage in your home. Yet, many of these issues can be prevented with proper plumbing maintenance. Here are a few tips to prevent these common plumbing emergencies.

  • Clogged drains. Clogs are caused by items that go down the drain that adhere to the inside of your pipes. Not allowing these items to go down your drains is the best way to prevent clogs. In the kitchen, avoid putting grease, fibrous peels, egg shells and coffee grounds down the drain. In the bathroom, use drain strainers and avoid flushing non-biodegradable items.
  • Busted pipes. You may not be able to prevent all busted pipes, but those that burst due to freezing temperatures can be prevented. Insulating pipes in garages, crawl spaces and outdoor faucets can help prevent freezing in unexpected cold weather that can lead to a plumbing emergency.
  • Water heaters. Tank water heaters have been the source of many plumbing emergencies. Leaking tanks can cause extensive water damage in homes. Keeping your water heater maintained to prevent tank corrosion and leaks can help prevent these issues. Another option is investing in a tankless water heater that doesn’t hold hundreds of gallons of water that can flood your home.

Using preventive measures can help reduce the chance of a plumbing emergency. But when a leak or clogged pipe occurs, make sure to get the help you need as quickly as possible to avoid more damage to your home by calling a professional plumber for your emergency.

Posted on behalf of:
Bynum & Sons Plumbing, Inc.
2120 McDaniels Bridge Rd SW
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 884-4678

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Top 3 Things That Clog Your Drains

November 6th, 2018 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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Clogged drains are the most common plumbing problem that occur. While many clogs can be quickly removed with a plunger or snake device, not all are so simple to release. Even if most of a clog is cleared, residue can be left to start building a new barrier in your pipes. Knowing the common items that cause clogs and keeping them out of your drains can help prevent these annoying plumbing problems. Here are the top three things that can clog your drains.

  1. Fats and grease. The leftover fat in a pan after cooking may be in liquid form when you pour it down the drain, but it doesn’t stay that way. The grease coats the inside of your pipes and congeals as it become colder. This thick lard grabs food debris and other items that go down the drain, creating a solid clog. Avoid allowing grease to go down your drains by wiping out oil and fat from pans and dishes before you rinse them in the sink.
  2. Hair. In the shower, bathtub and bathroom sink, hair combined with soap is a major cause of clogs in drains. This is easily remedied; a good drain strainer will catch hair and can be cleaned out and thrown away to avoid clogs.
  3. Coffee grounds and hard food items. Even if you have a garbage disposal, hard food items can get lodged in your pipes and make a formative clog. Coffee grounds should not be dumped down the drain; they can create a solid wall in your pipes. Also avoid hard food items like egg shells and tough produce peels.

Some other common culprits of clogged drains are feminine hygiene products, cotton balls/swabs and “flushable” wipes. If you have a tough clog that won’t let go or keeps recurring, call your local plumber. They can completely clear a clog and the leftover residue.

Posted on behalf of:
Metro Septic LLC
1210 N Tennessee St
Cartersville, GA 30120
(404) 973-2471

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3 Things You Shouldn’t Dump Down Your Drain

July 31st, 2018 Posted in Drains
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Many plumbing problems could be avoided through simply choosing not to allow certain items to go down your drain. It may convenient to dispose of almost any liquid or food item down your drains, but it may not be the best option. Just because something can go down your drain does not necessarily mean it should. In the long run, it can cost you more in time and money if you dump these three things down your drain.

Grease

It may be easy to rinse those greasy pans out with hot water and watch the fat go down your kitchen sink drain, but it can be a big mistake. Shortening, butter and animal fats congeal when they become colder, often sticking to the inside of your pipes. This fatty substance grabs onto debris and can eventually cause a stubborn clog in your drain.

Chemicals

You should be careful of the chemicals you put down your drain. While some household cleaners are perfectly safe, chemicals like turpentine, paint, solvent-based cleaners and automobile fluids should not be allowed to go down the drain. They can be harmful to the environment and may damage your plumbing or septic system.

Foods

You may have a garbage disposal, but that does not mean all food should go down the drain. Even chopped up, hard produce peels, potatoes, egg shells and coffee grounds can all produce nasty clogs in your drain. Some starches like potatoes like create a glue-like substance that grabs ahold of other debris and makes a solid, stubborn clog in your plumbing.

Avoiding putting these three things down the drain can protect your plumbing. However, if you do get a clog, call your local plumber to help you clear your drain the right way.

Posted on behalf of:
Kiddco Plumbing, Inc.
106-M Oakgrove Road
Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 435-4441

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Tips on How to Prevent Clogged Drains

December 20th, 2012 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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A clogged drain can be extremely problematic and can consume a great deal of time and effort. In severe cases requires the services of a plumber to come out and remove the blockage for you. Clogs are most often caused by the things that residents of the properly allow to go down the drain so monitoring and controlling what goes down the drain can help to prevent the occurrence of clogs and blockages and save you money on drain cleaning.

Food is one of the most common causes of clogged drains as even little pieces are easy to get caught up and stuck within debris that builds up on the side of pipes. Make sure that you scrape as much of the food off of your plates and into the trash before putting them into the sink. A drain strainer should also be used to catch any left over large pieces. Grease from your frying pan can be very problematic in drains as fat can solidify on the walls of the pipes. Collect left over fat and oil to be re-used or dispose as much of it as possible before your rinse and wash it.

We have all seen how hair tends to collect around the drain and removing that collected hair after each shower or bath and disposing of it rather than forcing it down the drain will help to prevent clogs. Soap is another item that is often responsible for clogs and soap and hair mixed together is a deadly combination responsible for difficult to remove clogs. Remember to throw soap in the garbage once it has become too small to use.

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Common Causes for Clogged Drains

October 16th, 2012 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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Clogged drains are a common issue for plumbers who get calls from residential customers.  This problem can be prevented and costly repairs avoided if homeowners know what should never be put down their drains.  While hair is the most easily recognized culprit, other things are the most common causes of clogged drains.

Grease is the worst culprit of drain clogs because it becomes solidified once it cools, effectively blocking the drain.  Even liquid grease such as vegetable oil can cause issues, but solids are the biggest problem.  Grease should be stored in a container such as a metal or glass jar and thrown away once it has cooled.

Another problem for clogged drains is food, especially with a garbage disposal.  Certain foods are thick and do not grind up as fine and can get stuck in the disposal.  Foods such as celery, potato or apple peels should be thrown away instead of tossed down the disposal.  Coffee grounds and eggshells are actually good for a disposal and do not cause problems with the drain.

Soaps and body lotions can cause problems for drains.  The ingredients in these items cause them to stick to the sides of the drain and build up in the pipes.  If you notice the soap scum that accumulates on your shower walls, this is what it does on the inside of the pipes as well.

If you have a clogged drain, you may be thinking about using a chemical product to remove the clog.  However, you should be careful when using these types of  products because they can cause damage to your system over time.  In addition, if they don’t work you will have a sink full of caustic chemicals to deal with.  The better option is to call a professional plumber to unclog the drain and avoid putting things in it to cause problems.

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