Frequently Asked Sewer & Drain Questions
We asked our drain technicians for some of the most common questions homeowners ask -- oh yeah, we asked them to answer them too. Click on the questions below to reveal their answers.
Your plumbing system is designed to work without issue. You should not have to clear your drains unless it is backing up. If you are having to clear your drains often, and you are not sending a foreign object down the line, you probably have a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.
If your floor drain in the basement is backing up whenever you use any of the other drains in the house, you most likely have a blockage in your sewer main line. All of the drains in your home are gravity fed and all lead to one main line that connects to the City. This could explain why the back up occurs, regardless of which drain you send water down.
First step would be to rooter your mainline and get the water flowing again. If needed, after the water is flowing, you can send a camera down the sewer main line and see what is causing the blockage.
There are a few places the smell may be coming from. If you have a drain that isn't used very often, the trap under the sink may gone dry, allowing odors to come up the drain. Try pouring water down the drain and see if it helps with the smell.
If you have sewer smells in a bathroom it's possible the wax seal under your toilet had broken and sewer gases are leaking into the room. You can pull the toilet, replace the wax ring and rest the toilet.
If the smell comes and goes, may have some kind of venting issue. If you try to have a drain tech diagnose the smell, try to get them there when the smell is occurring. Otherwise is it pretty difficult to diagnose.
Before you spend the money to have your drains cleaned, you can try drain treatment product, like BioClean. These products have natural enzymes that feed on the organic materials that are clogging your drains. We recommend you do not use a bottle of chemicals to get the drains flowing again, especially on a regular basis.
If you constantly have issues with slow running drains, you may want to have them professionally cleaned, jetting is a great option. Once you have your drains cleaned, it is best to make sure and treat them with a natural enzymes that will keep your drains open and running smooth.
Kitchen drains --
Avoid putting greasy, oily things down the drain. These can collect on the walls of your drains over time and cause a blockage.
Bathtubs --
A tub strainer is a great way to keep hair and other objects from going down the drain and causing a clog.
Toilets --
Only send water an toilet paper down the toilet. Don't flush wipes, hair, floss, paper towels, or feminine products down the drain.
NOTE: Many clogs can be fixed with just a plunger. So be sure to have a couple around the house so you can try fixing it yourself. Just might save you a visit from a plumber or drain technician.
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or see above for questions others have already asked.
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