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Do You Know Where Your Sewer Clean Out is Located?

Posted on | by Drainiacs

Do you know where your sewer clean-out is located?  Do you know if you even have one?  Knowing the location and the presence of your sewer clean-out is extremely important to the well-being of your home and your family in the case of a plumbing emergency.  When you suspect a mainline sewer stoppage or sewer drain clog, the easiest place to verify this, and an easy point of access to help clear the clog, is through a sewer clean-out pipe.

Sewer clean-out pipes are normally located on the exterior of a home, although in some cases they may be found inside.  Generally, they are located along the lateral sewer line, which is the line that connects your home plumbing to the municipal sewer system, and often there is more than just one located on a property.  A sewer clean-out pipe is about a 3-4 inch pipe protruding from the ground and has a visible cap.  Often these pipes are overgrown by landscaping or built over through renovations, so you might have to search very carefully for them.

Once you find your sewer cleanout, it is a good idea to make note of its location and inform any property renters or residents of its location as well in case of an emergency.  You can then remove the cap, either by unscrewing it or popping it off. If you notice any water in the pipe, flowing, overflowing, or standing, you know you have a problem.  The best part about a sewer cleanout though, is that they give you easy access to clear the problem, if it is a clog, with the use of a drain snake or auger.  Plumbers can also get a closer look at your lateral drain pipes through these sewer clean-outs, through the use of a sewer line camera.  This will help you find out where exactly the clog is located and what it is caused by.

What if your home does not have a sewer clean-out?  No need to panic!  Sewer cleanouts can easily be installed by a professional plumber.  They are a simple fix that could eventually save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in costly repairs and restoration of your home.  This is often needed after a mainline sewer stoppage causes severe back-ups and water damage, but can easily be prevented or minimized.  So don’t let it be you!  Find out where your sewer clean-out is located (if you can’t locate it, we are always here to help!) or have one installed as soon as possible!  It’s a must!

Is a Main Line Sewer Stoppage Backing Up Your Home?

Posted on | by Drainiacs

Do you suspect a mainline sewer stoppage?    A mainline sewer stoppage, or sewer drain clog as it’s also called, is a serious issue.  It is considered a top plumbing emergency!  A mainline stoppage occurs in the main sewer line that connects your home plumbing to either a septic tank or your city’s municipal sewer system.  If this line becomes clogged, gray, or used water from your home drain system begins to back up and will eventually start to seep back through your drains in any way possible, and yes, this is often quite a gross site to see!  It can also be extremely hazardous to you and your family for a multitude of reasons, such as bacteria and water damage (which leads to mold and other harmful bacteria).  So if you suspect a sewer drain clog, you need to get it cleared immediately!

FIRST THING TO NOTE:

IF YOU SUSPECT A SEWER DRAIN CLOG, STOP ANY USAGE OF YOUR HOME PLUMBING UNTIL THE CLOG IS REMOVED!  THIS CAN MAKE THE PROBLEM MUCH WORSE!

 

The following are a few ways to confirm that you do in fact have a mainline sewer stoppage, as well as a list of some of the most common causes of mainline sewer clogs and a few options you have to help solve your problem and clear the clog before it gets worse!

CONFIRMING A MAINLINE SEWER CLOG

  • The most common sign of a sewer clog is the backup of multiple fixtures in your home at the same time.  Normally you will notice it first with your toilets, since they have a direct path to the sewer, but also in your tubs and showers since they sit lower than any sinks and other fixtures in your home.
  • Another common sign of sewer stoppages is strange reactions that occur when using certain fixtures in your home.  For example, if you flush the toilet and your tub or shower drain backs up; If you turn on the bathroom sink and you see bubbles in the toilet or the toilet begins to fill; Or if you run your washing machine and when it begins to drain, nearby toilets overflow or you notice a back up in other nearby fixtures.
  • A final way to confirm a sewer stoppage (AND THE BEST WAY TO DETERMINE IF IT IS ACTUALLY A SEWER CLOG AND NOT JUST A SIMPLE DRAIN CLOG) is by checking your sewer clean-out.  A sewer clean-out can most often be found on the exterior of a home; it is a 3-4 inch pipe protruding from the ground with a visible cap.  Once you remove the cap, if water is visible, either flowing, overflowing or standing, you definitely have a problem!

NOTE: A lot of older homes DO NOT have sewer clean-outs, and often in many homes that DO have sewer clean-outs, they are obstructed by landscaping.  Knowing where your sewer clean-out is, is very important, and if you do not have a sewer clean-out, we strongly recommend getting one installed.

MAIN CAUSES OF MAINLINE SEWER STOPPAGES

There are many causes of mainline stoppages, but the following are some of the most common:

  • Years of built-up, sludge, grease, and grime
  • Foreign objects that easily become obstructions
  • Growing tree roots spreading through the pipes
  • Broken or dislocated pipes
  • Or, if your home has a septic tank, an overfilled tank

NOTE: If your home has a septic tank, you probably just need to get it flushed.

SOLUTIONS FOR CLEARING A MAINLINE SEWER STOPPAGE

Often we are asked if it is the city’s responsibility to take care of these types of mainline stoppages, and the not-so-straight-forward answer is, it depends.  If the problem is within the lateral sewer line, it is actually the homeowner’s responsibility.  If you have tried everything, but the clog persists, it might actually be located within the municipal pipe and would then be the city’s issue.   This is something you really wouldn’t know until after a thorough inspection.

 

To clear a sewer drain clog though, you will need a sewer drain snake.  You can either rent one from your local hardware store or call a professional plumber.  I recommend calling a professional plumber, and I promise it’s not just because I am one, but because a professional plumber has the tools not only to unclog your sewer but to also check for the cause and completely clear the pipes so the problem does not persist.  (Just make sure he’s a licensed plumber!)

 

To give you an example as to what I mean, picture a completely blocked pipe.  A drain snake will poke and prod away until it creates a few small holes in the blockage for the water to flow through.  This will often solve your problems of water back-ups in your home, however, depending on the situation, but more often than not, the problem will persist and will frequent often.  The reason for this is because the pipes were not completely cleared.

 

A professional plumber can use their technologies, such as a sewer camera, to inspect your pipes to find the cause of the problem.  If it’s tree roots, they have a tool to cut them.  If its years of built-up sludge, and grease, and grime, they can use a hydro-jetting machine to flush it all away.  If it’s a foreign object they can locate it to remove it.  If it is a broken or dislocated pipe, they can fix it.  I’m sure we all get the picture now.  So next time you suspect a mainline sewer clog, don’t wait until it’s too late!  Now that you know what to look for and what to do, get it fixed quick!

 

 

Beware of Running Toilets!

Posted on | by Drainiacs
beware of running toiles

(And no, we don’t mean down the street)

RUNNING TOILET: When the water is running from the tank to the toilet continuously.

When you hear your toilet running, have you ever wondered how much water and money you’re throwing down the drain?  We have a story that might make you think twice!

We recently had a client call us asking how much water a constantly running toilet leaks?  When we questioned his question, we found out that this particular client had just received a 3-month water bill for $1,063!  His normal 3-month bill was only $143.  The usage on this bill showed 90,000 gallons!  With only two people living in the house, could this even be possible??

The answer is, yes!  It can!  Let us explain…

After talking to this client a little more, they explained that during this 3 month period, they DID have a running toilet for about 3 weeks.  Three weeks, not a big deal right?  Well, let’s see!

We’ll take the WORSE CASE SCENARIO:

In this case, the running would be full force, that is, the flapper valve is open and the tank is constantly draining.

So let’s say we’re dealing with a standard 1.5-gallon toilet.  We’ll assume that it takes approximately 30 seconds for the tank to refill from a standard flush.  So that’s 1.5 gallons per flush or per 30 seconds, or 3 gallons per minute.  Now, let’s do some real calculations!

60 minutes per hour x 24 hours per day = 1,440 minutes per day

1,440 minutes per day x 3 gallons of water per minute = 4,320 gallons of water per day

7 days per week x 3 weeks = 21 days

4,320 gallons of water per day x 21 days = 90,720!

I’d say it’s definitely a possibility!

So let us give you our BIG TIP OF THE MONTH: Check your toilets regularly for any leaks or continuous flowing!  And if you notice a problem, get it fixed quick!  We don’t want you to have to face the same fate this client did with your next water bill, so now you know!

Got A Clogged Drain?

Posted on | by Drainiacs

Got a clogged drain?  Well, you’re not alone!  Every day hundreds of American households are faced with a clogged drain.  Whether it’s their kitchen sink, their bathroom sink, their shower, bath, or even their toilet, a clog is a clog!  The real problem I would like to address here isn’t quite the clog itself, but rather HOW these households (and that includes you!) choose to unclog a clogged drain; Liquid drain cleaners? Bleach? Hot water with dish soap? A wire hanger?  We’ve seen it all, and we know what works, what is most cost-effective, and what will take care of the problem for good (Or at least as long as you keep up with routine maintenance)!  Let us explain…

A clog is most often caused by some type of blockage in your drain pipes.  That’s a no-brainer.  When you notice your sink start to back up, the toilet begins to overflow, or shower water stand still, you know you have a problem.  Most people are quick to turn to chemical alternatives such as bleach and liquid drain cleaners to help cut through the gunk and clear the pipes.  Others turn to more traditional methods such as hot water with dish soap mix or wire hangers to loosen and/or pull out the gunk.  This is what we are often trained to do.  We hear it on TV, we’ve all seen our Dads or Grandfathers do it, and so we do it too!  There are just a few problems with these methods, and some HUGE PRECAUTIONS, so please read on and let me break it down for you.

If the water is somewhat flowing, bleach and liquid drain cleaners will often do the trick, but DO NOT mix the two, and remember that these are harsh chemicals and can easily burn or irritate your skin and your senses if they don’t work, and you, or a plumber, need to get into the drainpipe after.  Not to mention what these types of cleaners do to your pipes after sitting inside them for a while.

The hot water and liquid dish soap mix is a much better remedy, and if repeated 2-3 times will often work out as well, and is much friendlier to the environment and your health.  However, with these remedies, just keep in mind that the water must be somewhat flowing.  If it’s not flowing, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THESE METHODS!

The other well-known home remedy for clearing clogs in pipes is a wire hanger.  For the wire hanger, well, there are two outcomes: you get the immediate clog out OR your hanger gets stuck!  And yes, we’ve seen it hundreds of times, but as long as your hanger doesn’t get stuck, this remedy will often work to remove any immediate clogs.  We still recommend against using it though for the obvious reasons!

So the water is flowing, we’re good right?  Well, not so fast.  Bleach, liquid drain cleaners, hot water, and wire hangers all have their own way of often taking care of the immediate problem, a simple clog, but is that really the problem?  In some cases, yes, and you’re very lucky if it is, but often there lies a deeper problem within your pipes, a type of clog that is simply out of the practical reach of any of these methods, usually caused by years of little to no maintenance.

So then what? If you have standing water, or somewhat-flowing water and the hot water with dish soap mix doesn’t work, or if it does work but the problem continues to occur, YOU NEED TO CALL A LOCAL PLUMBER!  It is as simple as that!  A plumber will be able to clear any immediate clogs the correct way and without the use of any harsh chemicals, and will also be able to inspect deeper into your drains for any further problems such as underground tree roots and piled-up debris.  At this point, a plumber can cut through any roots and completely clear your pipes using simple, non-harmful, yet powerful tools that are designed specifically for this, to efficiently take care of the problem.  The pricing for this is minimal, so do not hesitate to at least call for a free estimate.

Now, once your pipes have been cleaned and completely cleared of all debris, I strongly recommend setting yourself up on a routine maintenance plan or scheduling a yearly drain cleaning, because just like a car, the plumbing in your home is a massive machine that needs care and maintenance to continue to run properly for you and your family to enjoy!  So the next time you have a clog, think twice before you pick up that bottle of liquid drain cleaner!  Call a plumber instead and get it done right and save yourself some money in the long run!