The Essentials Of Sewer And Drain Cleaning

If you are like most people, you don’t really think about where your wastewater goes, so you may not think about sewer and drain cleaning. Water goes down the drain and follows the waste pipe out of the house into the municipal sewer or into the septic tank. These lines can give you years of service without any major problems. However, sewer and drain lines do better after a thorough cleaning. It is good to understand why sewer and drain cleaning is important, as well as how a cleaning is done. It is also important to understand how often sewer and drain cleaning should be done.

Why sewer and drain cleaning services are important

Wastewater that flows out of your home can carry a lot of different substances. Some substances are liquid, while others are semi-solid. Other substances within the wastewater are greasy, sticky, fast moving, or slow moving.

All of these substances can coat the inside of plumbing drain lines. While 99 percent of the substances will flow out without any issue, a very small percentage will stay behind. A small amount of grease might coat the sides of the drain line, followed by another greasy substance, causing a small coating to be deposited. Hair or other fine particles can get caught up in the greasy deposits. In time, this combination can start to build-up, gradually decreasing the flow of wastewater through the pipes. If left to build up, the substances can eventually clog the plumbing line.

Tree roots are another challenge with the sewer and drain lines on your property. Roots start out thinner than a human hair and can get into the joints of the plumbing pipes. At the very thin stage, roots do little damage. However, as the fine strands grow, they start to do damage to the pipe. Plus, the growing roots put out more fine strands. This growing mass of roots can capture all sorts of things within the wastewater, causing clogs.

Many homeowners don’t think about their plumbing drains until something starts to back-up or leak. Routine sewer and drain maintenance and cleaning helps to keep these problems from occurring. Cleaning costs less than repairing the damage that flooding or leaks can cause to a plumbing system.

How sewer and drain cleaning is done

In the past, sewer and drain cleaning was difficult. The equipment was primitive and not always effective. Dealing with tree roots was impossible without digging up the entire plumbing line and replacing it. Fortunately, sewer and drain cleaning is made easier by modern technology and methods.

Video cameras help plumbers know where problems are happening within a drain system. The plumber feeds the camera down into the drain line and pushes it forward until a blockage is found. Cameras allow the plumber to observe what is causing the problem, which tells them what needs to be done to repair the problem. The camera also displays any damage that has been done to the plumbing lines.

After damage or blockages have been found, plumbers can use a drain snake auger to clean out the sewer and drain lines. This tool can cut through tree roots and other major obstructions, without the need to dig up the plumbing lines. Once the cleaning is done, the difference will be noticeable. Many homeowners report their drains flow as well as when they first moved into their homes.

How often sewer and drain cleaning should be done

If you have lived in your home ten or more years, and never addressed your sewer and drain lines, you should consider having them cleaned. Drain line inspection, maintenance, and cleaning are especially important in older homes that might have clay or metal drain lines.

Sewer and drain cleaning and maintenance is important, whether your plumbing pipes are clogged or clear. Allen’s Tri-State Mechanical Inc. in Amarillo, Texas, can help you maintain and clean your sewer and drain lines. Our professional plumbers have the expertise and equipment to handle any residential or commercial plumbing job you may have. You can call us at (806) 376-8345 or Contact Us by email to learn more about our residential services. You can also stop by our location at 404 S. Hayden St. in Amarillo, Texas.