How Does an Expert Drain Cleaning Work?

EVER FIND YOURSELF FLUSHING A TOILET, OR RINSING THE DISHES, AND… “UH OH, THE WATER ISN’T MOVING!” WE GOT YOU COVERED.

It all starts with an initial diagnostic, where we figure out exactly where the blockage is, and we come up with a game plan to resolve the clog. This involves a couple of different options.

TYPES OF DRAIN CLEANINGS

Firstly, augering. Also known as snaking, or cabling, this involves using the Cadillac of drain machines, made by Spartan. A cable, anywhere between 100-200ft long is pushed down the line with a spearhead tip on the end of it. The cable rotates quickly, chewing up the blockage and clearing the line. A “U-Blade” is then sent down. This scrapes the walls of the sewer line, pulling and chewing any residual, (Roots, grease, etc) that is left on the sides of the pipe. This does a pretty good job of clearing the line, but there are better solutions. Augering tends to be the most cost-effective, but it is no permanent resolution.

Secondly, hydro jetting. This involves putting a small hose down the pipe, that is hooked up to a machine that pushes extremely pressurized water through the hose. These small, and very powerful streams of water blast forward, and to the sides. This violently clears out any blockage and rips apart any roots or debris on the side of the pipe. This is the most thorough way to clear blocked sewer lines, but understand — this still does not kill roots, or fix damaged lines. The primary goal of this is to clean the pipe out as much as possible.

POST-CLEANING ANALYSIS

After the initial cleaning is done, the technician may make a recommendation to have the sewer line inspected from the inside using a camera. This will tell us why this happened. Because no sewer line should ever back up. It means something is wrong somewhere in the drain line. For more information about what causes of drain line issues, feel free to have a quick look at this short article. It details the several types of issues that could be happening with your drain lines, and how we can go about fixing them. We can even locate the depth, and exact location of where the issue is with the camera, using sonar technology. This camera can also record our findings, and send it to your email directly.

It is important to understand one simple truth: Drain cleanings can actually damage the sewer line itself. Pulling on roots and scraping the inside of pipes can lead to further damage, so it is a good idea to look into resolving the issue permanently before it gets worse. It’s common for homeowners to get a damaged sewer line cabled once a year. This is actually advised against. If this is a frequent occurrence, it could actually save you hundreds to have the issue resolved by Expert Services- Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical.

For more information feel free to give us a call, or you can even book online.