by AAA City Plumbing

Spring means a lot of things to a lot of different people. To many home and business owners, springtime equals the yearly and extensive spring cleaning. Vacuuming, dusting, and mopping – the chores can seem never ending sometimes. But what about the things you should be cleaning that you can’t really see?

Your plumbing is often an integral part of your home that many don’t think of until there is a problem. How important is cleaning your drain? How often should you do it? How do you know if you need to have your drain cleaned? How does a drain cleaning work?These are all important things that every homeowner needs to know, and AAA City Plumbing is here to provide the answers.

Problems With Your Drain

Clogs in the drain are a common and frustrating problem for home and business owners, and unfortunately be caused by several factors. If you notice that there is a foul odor coming from your drain, that the water is draining slowly, or if there are gurgling sounds coming from your pipes you may have a clog.

  • Hair – One of the most common reasons is the build up of hair over time. There are many curves in your drain pipes, making it easy for hair to accumulate and make it harder for water to flow past it. Tools such as strainers and drain filters are a great way to prevent clogs, but aren’t failproof. Making a point to regularly give your shower drain a cleaning will be the best preventative action you can take against having to call a plumber.
  • Grease and Food – Another common reason is the buildup of grease or solids. Grease and food that is not dissolvable with soap can cause major backups that prevent the flow of water. Grease and food should always be disposed in the trash as even small amounts can build up over time. Preventive measures can be taken to avoid clogs such as strainers and mesh filters.
  • Small Foreign Objects – Small objects such as toys prove very tempting for kids to try and flush down a toilet. Jewelry and hair accessories can easily fall into a sink drain, and are usually fairly difficult to extract.
  • Toilet Paper – Even though toilet paper is dissolvable and meant to be put down a drain, an excessive use of it can become difficult to flush down the drain. Plungers are a great tool to use to try and help shift some of the paper to create a better water flow.
  • Mineral Buildup – Hard water carries sediments such as calcium and magnesium carbonate that build up in crevices and curves. This can especially become an issue if hard water is a problem for homes in your area. This type of buildup isn’t easily removed after it has become settled in your pipes. This can be remedied by installing a water softener, but existing buildup will need to be descaled.
  • Tree Roots – Leaky or cracked pipes that run under your home can attract roots from trees and bushes in the yard. They make their way into the pipe and grow larger, quickly blocking the flow of water and making the situation worse. Tree roots are difficult to clean out of a drain pipe and can become a very costly mess to deal with. However, this problem should be dealt with sooner than later. Damage from plant roots can grow extensive as well as the cost to repair it.

How Often to Clean Your Drains

We recommend cleaning your drains on a monthly basis, for more than one reason. To start, incorporating a monthly cleaning into your schedule isn’t as much of a hassle for any home or business owner. It’s an easily attainable goal which makes it more likely to happen on a regular basis. Also, cleaning out your drains often helps to prevent clogs that may create expensive damages or repairs.

When You Should Call a Licensed Plumber

There are a lot of times that a little extra effort and a good plunger will get the job done. Most people are experienced enough with the occasional clog to know how to clean a drain or replace a basic part to alleviate any minor problem. There are times when a licensed professional is needed to come and save the day, and AAA City Plumbing has seen our fair share of clog related issues.

If you notice any of these problems, it’s time to schedule an appointment with a technician:

  • Low water pressure
  • Water leaks
  • Slow draining pipes
  • Anything that you can’t easily resolve or repair

Professional Drain Cleaning and Hydro Jetting

There are a number of solutions that can be used to fix a clogged drain. The first step is to call a professional so they can do an evaluation and figure out exactly what the best course of action may be. We use a few different drain cleaning services to efficiently and effectively resolve your plumbing problem.

The most common drain cleaning solution is the use of a tool called a drain snake. This flexible auger is pushed through your pipes and can usually dislodge most clogs or debris. The plumber on site will rotate the drain snake as it moves its way through to maximize the chances of moving or breaking up the obstacle.

Hydro jetting is a service we provide that uses pressurized water to clean out your drain pipes with no harm done to your plumbing. This solution is done through the cleanout, which is available through every plumbing system. This cleanout area allows plumbers to have easy access to clean pipes of clogs and debris. A large tank called a hydro jetter uses a hose and a special nozzle that sprays water that is pressurized to almost 3,500 psi. This system is very effective at giving the clog the extra help it needs to move through the pipes. The pressure of the water is so strong that it may even be able to break down small tree roots that are blocking water flow. Plumbing pipes should be checked before having them hydro jetted using a video inspection. This video inspection done by your plumber will check for weak or damaged pipes that could be damaged further by the force of the Hydro Jet. We would hate to make something that could be an inexpensive fix made worse by not checking the structural integrity of your pipes first.

If you are in need of drain cleaning services, give our office a call. Our friendly and experienced team are here to help with any of your plumbing needs.