Clogged Pipes

A plumbing emergency or worse, a plumbing disaster, is every homeowner’s nightmare. An overflowing toilet, a flooded basement, a leaking hot water heater, or a leaky pipe that causes significant water damage in your flooring and ceilings are all bad news. Issues with hot water and cold water sides of your faucet, fresh water line issues, drainage system issues, sewer gas odors, or problems with your vent system. Back ups in your sewer line, broken water meters, or plumbing issues or blockages with your drain system – such problems can cause thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and destroy expensive flooring and furnishings. If you are in the dark about plumbing or know little about it, learning a few beginners basic plumbing tips and how plumbing works can go a long way in preventing plumbing and water system emergencies before they begin, and the need to call a professional plumber

Most of us can agree that trees, especially large mature trees, are beautiful. A yard filled with lush trees can make all the difference in the way a property looks, but unfortunately, big trees can spell disaster for a home’s sewer pipes, and when it comes to your sewer line, the last thing you want to hear are the words “blockage” and “tree roots”! Tree roots have many functions for the tree itself, and one of the major functions tree roots serve is to find water, wherever it can, and that includes drain pipes and sewer pipes. As new roots develop and seek water, the root invasion may begin.  Tendrils that resemble spider webs will creep into the tiny cracks from corrosion in the clay pipes, or loose joints, and once they find the source of the moisture, the root system will send tree roots, which after consistent liquid nourishment,

Modern-day plumbing is arguably one of the greatest inventions of mankind, next to the Internet and the smartphone. It’s also something that we don’t think much about until we see dirty water backing up in our kitchen or bathroom sink, or our bathtub. If you have water backing up in one of your drains, you want to get down to the bottom of the problem and you want it fixed right away. What could be causing the problem? It probably comes down to one of these three common problems. 1. A Blocked Drain Perhaps the most common cause of a sewer problem is a blockage located in the drain. If your toilet is backed up, or if your bathtub or sink isn’t draining properly, you probably have a clogged drain. If all of the other drains in the house are working fine and the problem is isolated to one individual

If you’re like many people, you have childhood memories of your father or grandfather trying to unclog a sink or bathtub drain with a harsh chemical drain cleaner, hot water, baking soda, or bleach to get that blockage cleared. Should you do the same now that you are a homeowner if you encounter a clog in your plumbing system and need drain cleaning? If you experience a stubborn clog, should you run out to the nearest grocery store or superstore for a bottle of liquid drain cleaner or chemical drain cleaners like Drano or Liquid Plumber to get rid of that build-up or clear out the garbage disposal? Not so fast. According to Consumer Reports, “chemical drain cleaners are among the most dangerous household products,” which isn’t surprising since they are made out of lye and manufactured for chemical reactions to cut through grease, soap scum, hair, and other sludge

Most people take one, if not two showers a day, and there’s a few things they expect when they take a shower or bath: hot water, clean towels and a tub drain that doesn’t suffer from a blockage.   When it comes to addressing a slow-draining bathtub drain, there are many commercial and home remedies homeowners can try to free up a clogged drain, all of them aimed at removing the blockage causing the clog.    Some may use baking soda and boiling water, or a cup of white vinegar, to drain cleaner and chemical drain cleaners to remove the buildup of gunk and soap scum, to a drain snake or even needle nose pliers to get clumps of hair out of the bathtub drain stopper and cure the standing water in their shower drain – with the last resort of course being to call a professional plumber to come

You’re watching TV in your family room or checking your email on your laptop and you hear your child call, “Mom, Dad, there’s something wrong with the toilet!” with urgency in their voice. “Come quick!” your child exclaims. You get up and quickly run into the bathroom only to see dirty soiled toilet water pouring out from the toilet bowl and all over the bathroom floor, what do you do? Other than getting in a time machine to prevent the clog and overflowing toilet from happening in the first place, there are steps you can take to clear a clogged toilet and prevent further damage Steps to Fix an Overflowing Toilet The first thing you want to do is STOP the flow of water to the toilet by turning the water supply line shutoff valve. This is located at the base of the toilet, near the ground and on the

Big, mature trees are often welcomed with open arms by homeowners. They provide shade, they improve the aesthetics of a yard, and they make a neighborhood look splendid. Unfortunately, while they beautify our front and back yards, they can also wreak havoc on our indoor plumbing system. In order for trees to grow, they must have water. So, tree roots naturally seek water and they gravitate towards sewer lines. Roots have never found a plumbing leak they didn’t like! Whenever a tree root does find a leak, it won’t take long before the roots grow into the pipe, inhibiting the flow of waste. When tree roots grow into pipes in their continuous search of water, the roots cause broken pipes, blockages, and other plumbing problems for homeowners, especially problems involving sewage. As you can imagine, a sewage leak is not only messy, it’s unsanitary, and people are not supposed to

When you are the homeowner and you live in your own home, you should have a good understanding of how your plumbing system has been maintained over the years. After all, you and your family are the ones living in the house. As the homeowner, hopefully, you have taught your family, guests or roommates how to properly take care of the plumbing. For example, you don’t flush cat litter or paper towels down the toilet, and you don’t pour grease down the kitchen drain. But what if you rent your property out? Or, what if you’re renting your home? Whether you rent your home out to tenants, or if you’re a new tenant, you don’t exactly know how well the plumbing has been maintained while it’s been rented out. Plumbing Concerns for Tenants If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to understand how to properly maintain a home’s plumbing system.

Every homeowner will deal with a clogged drain at some point, it’s inevitable. Sometimes people can’t always control what gets flushed down the toilet drain and on to the sewer line, or ground up in the garbage disposal that leads to a buildup which results in a blockage. If you have toddlers or house guests that don’t understand how plumbing systems work, you get this one. If you get a clogged drain in your shower, bathtub, bathroom or kitchen sink, your first line of defense should be a plunger. Simple clogs can usually be resolved with a plunger, such as too much toilet paper, or drain clogs that are caused by something other than mineral build up or fragile pipes. But if no amount of plunging will do the trick for that stubborn clog, you’re going to need something more powerful (or someone with the right tools, such as our

Plumbing is one of those modern-day conveniences that we rarely think about until we have a problem. But, as we all know nothing says pain in the neck more than a clogged toilet, loss of water pressure, or broken garbage disposal. Or worse, a burst sewer line that has sewage spilling into your home instead of the septic tank or sewer system! If you’re not the DIY type, you may not understand your home’s plumbing system all that well, but it’s really not that complicated. The trick is to gain a basic understanding of how everything works so you can maintain your system and prevent major problems before they start. Here’s a basic plumbing checklist to help you get started with maintaining your home plumbing. Review this inspection checklist and ask yourself whether any aspects of your plumbing system may be in need of attention, inspection, or repairs. 1. Do