Drain Cleaning
Clogged drains are easy to clear if you know a couple of tricks. First if the
drain is completely clogged please don't use any chemical drain cleaners.
Most chemical drain cleaners are corrosive and if you have to plunge or snake
the drain the acid will destroy everything it touches. I have had clothes ruined
and seen the enamel eaten off of cast iron sinks & tubs. If you must use a
chemical use a natural emulsifier such as Bio-Clean.
A backup is a clog in a main branch drain or main drain. What
actually comes up in the fixture depends on what type of drain it is and what
other fixtures are on the branches up until the clog.
Example: A duplex apartment has both kitchens on one pipe but no other plumbing
fixtures. The drain clogs at the bottom just below the first floor apartment.
When the second floor uses their kitchen sink the water comes up in the first
floor kitchen sink. This would only be kitchen sink waste water, not sanitary
sewage. If there are bathrooms on the same branch as the kitchens the backup
would then be sanitary.
  Most of the time when the main house drain becomes
clogged it is a problem with the pipe. If it is just a small crack and shifted
piece just cleaning the drain can work for years. If it is a crack that roots
are getting into or if it is badly shifted the drain might need to be excavated
and replaced. If roots are a problem it is best to keep the roots from growing
by treating the drain with a good root destroyer such as RootX. Allowing the
roots to grow will cause further damage to the pipe and require excavation much
sooner.
- Plunging Drains
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- Two main things to remember are to plug any overflows and use the plunger to draw the clog back not to push
it. Trying to push the clog out usually only makes whatever it is get stuck
even worse. Bathtubs, Lavatory Sinks, Laundry Tubs, and some other fixtures
might have an overflow pipe or tube of some sort. If you use a curb box
plunger be sure to check for any fixtures that are close and plug them. Also
beware that a rotting drain pipe can be very thin and could burst when you
plunge it.
This is the types of plungers I use. The
black plunger is great for kitchen sinks and toilets and the red plunger is
great for lavatory sinks and bathtubs.
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- Snaking Drains
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- In many cases the only way to properly clean a drain is to
run a cable or snake with either a cutter or retriever on the end through the
pipe. If the pipe is broken it is easy to get the cable stuck in the pipe. If
you use a rental drain cleaning machine they charge for any damage to the
machine or to the cable. The bigger cables cost several hundred dollars each.
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- These are similar to the drain cleaning machines that I
use. I will probably buy these when I need to replace mine.
- Video Drain Inspection
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If
there is a problem with an underground drain the best thing to do is have it
Video Inspected. The drain must not be clogged to be able to see any
problems. The drain must be clear and draining. The video camera can record
the inspection and the head of the camera can have a radio transmitter for
locating the approximate location of any mechanical problems.
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I only have one camera for inspecting main drains but will
probably be purchasing new cameras of different sizes in the near future.
Plumbing Books
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