Drain Services

Finding the right pro for your drain emergency

Normally so dependable that we never need to think about how many different things can actually go wrong with it, when a plumbing problem does arise, like a burst or frozen pipe, or a slow or stopped drain, or a backed up basement, or a clogged toilet—it is not always clear just who should be called for help.

Modifications and repairs to water delivery systems should always be performed by a plumber or other contacted professional. When troubles arise in the other plumbing network in the home--the system of drains flowing to the lateral service line, then from the building to the utility main--there exist more options available, both for do-it-yourselfers and those ready to bring in the pros.

A drain servicing professional should be consulted when their expertise and powerful tools and equipment are required to either identify or to solve a plumbing problem. On the other hand, many drain issues are quite straightforward and with the proper tools, such as a plunger and a drain snake, they can frequently be taken care of by the homeowner. Other drain duties which do not require a service call include basic upkeep and maintenance tasks.

For example, drains subject to build up from grease, such as kitchen sink drains, can be kept in working order with enzymatic drain cleaners. These bacteria cultures are much safer than caustic liquid drain cleaners, and can be used to keep up free flow in certain situations. Other routine tasks a resident may expect to encounter include maintenance treatments for a septic tank or the clearing of minor clogs.

A drain service professional will use diagnostic tools and techniques to determine the cause of your trouble. More sophisticated operations may even have remote operated cameras, which they can thread through the drain and plumbing, getting a view of everything along the way.More complicated maintenance, including intrusive tree root removal, or more intricate repair or investigation, will require the help of a rooter service. Rooter businesses and personnel will be equipped and eager to figure out whatever is causing any problem with drains and wastewater draining.

Other more traditional tools include mechanized and handheld augers: stiff cables able to snake down into pipes and around corners, clearing a path along the way. Some more powerful gasoline and electrically powered motorized augers have mechanized head at the cable tip, which can chew through tree roots and other obstructions.

Drain and sewer jetting is a service being offered by more and more rooter professionals, but it is also becoming popular among homeowners who prefer to do their own upkeep and drain maintenance. Water is forced by a home pressure-washer or more robust professional’s setup under extreme pressures down reinforced hoses to specialized nozzles, which spray the water at such cutting force that it can clear even the most solid of mineral deposits.

There are many other options a drain service business may offer. Certain types of clogs can be cleared and flushed away using air pressure instead of pressure from the force of water. A variety of devices and implements have been invented for delivering enough air at high enough pressures in plumbing to have an effect, and they are being improved every day.

  • Who to Call First
    Plumber, Rooter Service, Handyman, or Utility Company?
    Which household drain problems can be handled without calling a pro?

    Every plumber, drain service, rooter business, and handyman will be happy to come to homes to clear clogs in toilets, sinks, showers, or floor drains. Depending on the day and hour, and who is called in, up to several hundred dollars could be spent for the service.

    That is why every homeowner and renter should have at least a plunger available for handling the everyday minor clogs that can arise. Compared to the hundreds of dollars a single visit from a plumber may cost, active families or households can save the cost of a new drain snake or closet auger with their first use.

  • Electric and Gas Powered Drain Rooting
    Using powerful motorized drain snakes to grind and extract intrusive tree roots or other obstructions

    Motorized drain augers are the "rooters" used by rooter businesses. Also commonly called plumber's snakes, these powerful tools clear blocked plumbing by sending a flexibly stiff metal cable down drains and around the bends in the pipes—frequently extending hundreds of feet down the line from the access point.

    The equipment used by the pros is a burlier and more powerful version of common household handheld drain spinners (for sinks and floor drains) and closet augers (specially designed snakes for use on toilets). While these tools for use in the home are frequently worth their weight in saved money after their first use, some blockages are just too tough for them or out of their reach.

  • Drain & Sewer Jetters
    Water is sprayed under extremely high pressure, clearing and cleaning drains and pipes

    Hydro jetting is a modern and extremely effective drain and sewer line cleaning technique. The insides of all sorts of pipes can be washed thoroughly clean of build up and blockages, with the debris rinsed away by a large volume of water.

    Professional drain servicing businesses will have industrial sized units capable of delivering hundreds of gallons of water quickly at several thousand pounds of pressure per square inch. These are extremely versatile tools, with applications beyond just clearing home plumbing. Like the home-use pressure washer, there is no limit to the new uses that are being found, which include demolition, HVAC conduit cleanout, blast cleaning, the clearing of paths for the laying of fiber-optic cable, and the breaking of new ground for remote-operated camera exploration.

  • Video Inspection and Exploration
    Sending cameras down drains and plumbing to get a view inside pipes and lines

     Stubborn, persistent, or recurrent drain problems can be difficult to diagnose. Tracking down the exact location of damage or blockage once pipes leave the home can mean money, time, and property damage saved in the end.

    One modern tool many rooter and drain services will use is a remote video camera, capable of inspecting the pipes from within and transmitting the image back to the camera operator.

    Video inspection of plumbing, piping, and drains allows the homeowner and drain professional to know exactly which tools to bring in to solve the problem. Mineral build up from hard water, grease or oil build up around kitchen & bath drains, clogs in the traps, damage to the plumbing and fixtures, and intrusion or other obstruction by tree roots will all have different options available for remedying the problem.

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