Tips for Dealing With Emergency Plumbing Problems

September 21st, 2012 Posted in Choosing a Reputable Plumber
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There is never a good time to have plumbing problems, but when a plumbing emergency pops up, knowing what to do can help keep an ordinary emergency plumbing repair from turning into a plumbing disaster.  Water flowing out of control in your home can quickly cause a lot of damage to your property including walls, ceilings, floors, carpets, furniture, and other personal property.  In addition, if the problem involves untreated sewage you could have a serious health issue on your hands.

One of the most important things you can do is establish a relationship with a reputable local plumber.  When water is gushing out of a broken pipe or sewage is backing up through your drains, you don’t have time to be checking references or calling friends and family for a referral.  You want to have the number of a trusted plumber at your fingertips.

Do all your homework ahead of time and have the plumber come out for a routine job such as replacing a leaky faucet or clearing a clogged drain.  Once you find a plumber you are happy with, program their number into your cell phone or keep it posted somewhere handy such as on the refrigerator.

Before you even call the plumber, contain or control the damage if possible.  If you have an overflowing toilet, turn off the water supply by shutting off the valve located at the wall under the toilet tank.  For broken or leaking pipes or fixtures, you can stop the water flow by turning off all of the water in the house.  Most homes have shutoff valve located near where the water supply line enters the home.  Locate this valve before you need it so you will know where it is when the time comes.

Once your plumber is on the way try to keep the damage to a minimum by mopping up spilled water with a mop or some towels. This will help prevent damage and make it easier for your plumber to get to work.

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Call A Plumber To Clear Clogged Drains

May 3rd, 2012 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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It’s tempting to try to clear a clogged or slow moving drain yourself, but your best move is to call a professional plumber.  Clogged drains are sometimes little more than a build-up of hair, soap, and other debris, but they can be an indication of a much more serious problem.

Homeowners often make the mistake of trying to clear the clog themselves and end up doing more harm than good.  Their efforts are well intentioned, but they end up causing damage to the pipes or just pushing the clog further into the drain lines where it is harder to remove.

Using a chemical drain cleaner runs the risk of damaging the walls of the drain pipes and if it doesn’t work, then you have a drain line and sink full of dangerous chemicals to deal with in addition to the clogged drain.  A good plumber has the experience and equipment to assess the situation and determine the best method for clearing the clog.

For clogs deep in the drain lines they have high tech video cameras that can be inserted into the drain to inspect the inside of the pipe. Once the problem has been identified, they can choose the best method to clear the clog.  There are different methods for clearing clogs depending on where the clog is located, the size and type of pipe, and what caused the clog.

In some cases traditional rootering with a drain cleaning snake is the best solution.  In other cases, high pressure hydro jetting may be the right answer.  Only an experienced plumber can choose the best method to safely and effectively clear the clog.

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Clearing A Clogged Sink Drain

December 22nd, 2011 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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If your sink drain is clogged, you may be able to clear the clog with few simple tools and about an hour of effort.  If you still can’t clear the clog, no harm done other than spending about an hour of your time trying.  Then you can call the plumber and relax while they handle the drain cleaning.

First, here are a couple of don’ts: Don’t try to clear the clog by pouring caustic chemicals down the drain.  If you already have, stop now and call a plumber.  You don’t want to try any of these clog clearing techniques on a sink full of hazardous chemicals.  Also, don’t try to clear the clog using compressed air or a pressure washer.  You will probably make a big mess and you can damage the pipes and end up needing a very expensive repair.

Now, to clear the clog start by removing the P trap under the sink.  This is the P shaped pipe attached to the sink drain.  Put a bucket under the trap and carefully remove the slip nuts with a pair of pliers.  If the clog is in the trap, clean it out and put it back together.  If not, you can either call it a day and let your plumber take care of it, or you can try using a plumber’s snake to clear the pipe.  Plumber’s snakes for home use are available at your home improvement center.

Leave the P trap off and feed the plumber’s snake into the drain pipe. Continue feeding and cranking the snake until it stops.  Then, tighten the set screw, apply some pressure and continue cranking until you feel the obstruction give way.  Carefully remove the snake, cleaning it as you go.

Reassemble the P trap and run hot water through the drain to flush away loose debris.

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What Not to Flush Down Your Drain

December 22nd, 2011 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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Your kitchen and bathtub drains seem like a convenient way to dispose of liquids and other flushable materials, but you can save yourself a lot of trouble and some expensive plumbing repairs by being careful what you put down the drain.  This goes double for homes that are on septic systems.  These systems are meant to treat and dispose of household wastewaters, sewage, and small amounts of paper.  Anything else can cause clogged drains that will require drain cleaning.

Avoid pouring any type of caustic chemicals down the drain.  Small amounts of cleaning fluids are acceptable, pesticides, caustic chemicals, and chemical drain cleaners should be avoided.  Also, don’t pour anything down the drain that can harden on the walls of the pipes.  Over time, these materials will lead to clogs that can be particularly difficult to remove.

These fluids include paint, oil, grease, lard, butter or margine.  In addition, some homeowners make a habit of flushing all sorts of solid materials down the drain.  If you have a garbage disposal, this isn’t such a  problem, but even with a garbage disposal solid materials will adhere to grease, oils, and other hardened fluids lining the walls of the pipe.

Even if you have a garbage disposal, it is good practice to avoid dumping coffee grounds and eggshells down the drain.  These are notorious for adhering to pipe walls and forming clogs.

Finally, your toilets were designed to flush human waste and moderate amounts of toilet paper.  Don’t use them to dispose of cat litter, feminine personal products, contraceptives, or diapers.  All of these items can cause an expensive and messy clog.

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Rootering vs. Hydro-Jetting

December 30th, 2010 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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Clogged drains have been around since shortly after the invention of closed plumbing systems and techniques for clearing clogged drains have developed ever since.  One of the most common methods for clearing clogged drains these days is rootering.

Rootering is done by inserting a flexible spring-like metal cable into the drain pipe and spinning it rapidly.  As it spins, cutting heads attached to the leading end of the metal cable scrape the inside of the pipe knocking looses any debris.  The cutting head can also cut through most clogs including paper, tree roots, sludge, grease, and the like.

Rootering is effective for clearing clogs, but it tends to leave some debris behind.  In particular, some grease and sludge is usually left behind on the pipe walls.  Also, although rootering can cut through tree roots and allow the drain to flow, it leaves part of the tree roots inside the pipe.  The grease, sludge, and tree roots left behind will usually start collecting new gunk that will form another clog in the future.

High pressure hydro-jetting is much more effective at removing all of the foreign material from inside the drain pipe.  Hydro-jetting uses high pressure hoses that are dragged or pushed through the drain line.  Nozzles at the end of the hose spray the inside of the pipe with water at three to four thousand psi.  This high pressure water thoroughly removes grease, sludge, and other foreign material from the inside of the pipe.  It also cuts through and washes away all of the tree roots that were intruding into the pipe.

With both rootering and hydro-jetting, if your clog was caused by tree roots, you will need to address the issue or the clog will return as soon as the tree roots grow back.

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