drain clog Archives

Drain Clogs & Home Remedies

Posted on May 22, 2012 | by Drainiacs

If you haven’t heard us say it before, the number one thing you should know when it comes to clogged drains: IS TO STAY AWAY FROM CHEMICAL DRAIN CLEANERS! That doesn’t mean you need to give your plumber a call every time you get a clog though. There are actually quite a few home remedies that work well, none of which involve harsh chemicals, yet most of which will work just as good as any retail chemical drain cleaner. These are our top 3…

A good ole’ handy dandy plunger: It’s not just for toilets!

When our customers think of a toilet clog, they automatically grab a plunger, which is actually the right thing to do! However, when a bathroom sink, shower, or tub drain gets clogged we suddenly lose control and instead of calling a plumber, are quick to grab some chemical pollutants to try and make it right. Wrong! Just grab your plunger! 4 out of 5 times a plunger works great at pulling hair and scum out of a bathroom drain. Try it out!

Baking soda and vinegar: Making volcanoes in the bathroom!

Similar to chemical drain cleaners, mixing baking soda and vinegar causes a chemical reaction, which we have all seen in old childhood experiments of exploding volcanos. Unlike chemical drain cleaners, however, baking soda and vinegar are not harsh chemicals, and instead of eating away at the hair and scum in your drains, together they help loosen the particles that are stuck in the drain, in order to help clear them away. This process often has to be repeated a few times, but try it! Pour 1 tablespoon of baking soda down the drain, followed by about 2 cups of vinegar. Let it set for about 5 minutes and then follow it with 1 quart of boiling hot water.

Dish soap and hot water: It says degreaser for a reason!

Everyday liquid dish soap is a great way to cut through kitchen drain clogs often caused by grease buildup. The best dish soap is one that contains a “DEGREASER” which it will usually say on the bottle. Our favorite is the blue Dawn dish soap. Approximately 2 tablespoons of Dawn followed by 1 quart of boiling hot water repeated 2-3 times will usually do the trick. Try it out!

If none of these recommendations work, or if more than one drain is clogged in your home at the same time, you might be facing a bit of a deeper issue and we recommend that you stop all water usage in your home and give us a call immediately! We’re always here to help!

Is a Main Line Sewer Stoppage Backing Up Your Home?

Posted on February 16, 2012 | 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!

Got A Clogged Drain?

Posted on January 19, 2012 | 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!