Plumbing Services

Drain Cleaning Services: Sanitary and Stormwater

When the toilet backs up, sink overflows, or tub won’t drain, it means there is a blockage in the line. Most homeowners keep a plunger or small sewer snake available. When those tools won’t do the trick, call us. We have a wide variety and size of drain cleaning equipment made specifically for the hard-to-unstop residential drain clogs and blockages. Ask about our camera and plumbing services as well – a drain blockage may simply be a symptom for a larger issue.

Signs you need a drain cleaning service

Sewer Odors

When you experience a sewer odor, you know right away something is wrong. Odors can be caused by a number of things:

Clogged plumbing riser-vent

These are the PVC (in most cases) pipes sticking out of your roof. Sometimes leaves or other plant material can get stuck in the vent and instead of your plumbing fixtures using fresh outside air to equalize, the air in your sewer is used to fill the vacuum created by the various fixtures around your home.

Sludge build-up in the septic tank

When a septic tank goes years and years without regular tank cleaning and maintenance, sludge builds at the top and bottom of the liquid stored in your tank. This is very bad for your system for a number of reasons. First, the scum layer at the top of the liquid can make its way into your drainfield and solidify along the drainlines. Once this happens, your drainfield stops working and cannot be repaired. Second, the lower scum layer reduces the amount of effluent in your tank, forcing the top layer of scum to rise up and over the outlet tee. This, once again, introduces solids to your drainfield which will eventually cause it to fail. Third, a tank with a thick scum layer can sometimes clog the influent side of the tank, causing a sewage backup into the home and potential water/sewage damage if not noticed immediately.

 

Causes of Blockages

A clogged drain is by far the simplest problem to fix. A clogged septic tank or drain is caused by a number of things:

  • An obstruction in the line caused by a buildup of pressure between the object and the inner circumference of the pipe. An example is a diaper stuck in the sewer drain line. There is simply too much diaper to fit through the line at once!
  • An obstruction caused by a buildup of material at the location of an imperfection in the pipe. The imperfection could fall into a number of different categories.
  • An intrusion (barb, pipe fragment, root) in the pipe which may “catch” debris
  • A “belly” in the pipe, where the slope of the pipe is so little that gravity no longer carries waste debris away.
  • A collapsed or separated sewer line – this may go unnoticed for longer than most people think. Over time, the sewer line may collapse entirely. Learn about our trenchless pipe repair to find out how to reduce your repair costs by thousands of dollars.

 

Drain cleaning as a preventative maintenance service

Cleaning/Jetting

Trailer jetter for drain cleaning
Spartan Warrior Trailer Jetter

Using the right tools. We use a few different sized Spartan trailer jetters, mechanical sewer cable machines, and tapes as the job demands. Considerations include protecting the immediate working area from what can be a messy and unsanitary business. Our people consider this a major factor in their work.

TV/Camera Inspection

 

Emergency Response

Service Areas

Instructions for Placing Emergency Call