Scheduled Drain Cleanings Save Money
Nobody wants to spend money on something they can’t see. However, a regularly scheduled cleaning of the sanitary sewer lines helps to keep residents—and city code inspectors—happy and helps owners to budget plumbing dollars. It can also extend the life of sanitary sewer lines.
When the drain is slow or refuses to flow properly, it’s usually the just the tip of the iceberg. Opening the stoppage is merely treating the symptom. A plumber can get the line flowing again with a simple unstopping, but before a guarantee on drain cleanings can be expected, the cause of the problem needs to be identified.
To understand the drain system, first identify the parts. The drain system from the fixtures (toilet, bathtub, sink, etc.) throughout the building is the branch line. There can be several branch lines servicing a building. The branch lines are then connected to the main drain. The main drain can service several buildings or the entire community. The main drain empties into the municipal sanitary sewer line, which is usually located under the street. It then flows to the water treatment plant. An owner’s main concern is from the fixture to the street.
Before an owner can expect a warranty for drain cleaning, he or she must first know what is causing the blockage and what the appropriate solution is. A simple drain cleaning would begin with unclogging the branch line to get the line flowing again, which solves most kitchen sink and many toilet problems and is what’s needed for a first-time stoppage. This process is not effective for removing softer blockages such as grease. Sink cleaners and cable machines will bore holes through the sludge and grease but they won’t clean and push the debris down the line; it’s only a temporarily solution. An inexperienced plumber can return time and again to “clean” the same line when all he or she is really doing is unclogging the branch line.
Sometimes the problem can be as simple as an overloading of the fixtures, but often there could be a problem with the fixtures connected to the branch line. This is the easiest thing to recognize because the problem will usually occur during the morning maximum, when most people are taking showers and using other fixtures. If the fixture has drained down to normal by the time the maintenance technician arrives at the apartment, then this is the possible cause.
When a simple drain cleaning does not work, it is time to bring in bigger and better equipment. Some plumbing companies have trailer-mounted hydrojetters. These cleaning machines produce up to 3,000psi water streams that will dislodge and wash everything in the lines. It is a quick and efficient way to clean slow-draining or obstructed lines. City water departments use the same type of equipment to maintain their lines. The generated water streams are powerful enough to cut through wood.
Other line problems could be related to:
- Earth movement that causes a line to shear or break.
- Pipe bellies that collect larger waste objects that will grow into a stoppage.
- Roots—love the trees, hate the roots. Roots can be cut out and removed with the proper head on a small sewer machine, but they can turn into a maintenance issue.
- Old-fashioned blockages—who knew G.I. Joe couldn’t swim?
- Bottles or rocks thrown into the cleanout openings. Be sure cleanouts are covered.
If drain line problems are ignored, they will get worse. Have a qualified, trustworthy plumber regularly inspect and address the drain system. Regular preventative maintenance will keep the lines flowing, make residents happy and prevent plumbing dollars from going down the drain.
This article was recently published in Units Magazine, the monthly magazine of the National Apartment Association.