As previously stated, clogged pipes are exceedingly common but also highly preventable. The main cause of blocked pipes comes down to putting things down the drain that should be thrown into the garbage instead. Common culprits include:
- Cooking oil and grease
- Eggshells
- Coffee grounds
- Foreign objects
- Feminine hygiene products
- ‘Flushable’ wipes
- Soap scum from traditional bar soap
- Paper towels
- Overuse of toilet paper
The only things that should ever go down your drains are household cleaning products (such as dish soap and hand soap), a moderate amount of toilet paper and wastewater.
Older homes are also susceptible to another cause of sewer clogs—tree roots. As building codes and standards for practice have changed over the decades, so too have the materials used in commercial and residential plumbing. Because sewer lines are buried deep beneath the ground and your home’s foundation, it is not feasible to replace your entire plumbing system with new materials. Instead, homeowners of older homes tend to replace pipes piecemeal as they deteriorate.
The first sign of a deteriorating pipe is the presence of tree roots, which naturally seek out nutrients and moisture within the soil. A cracked or corroded leaky pipe provides both of these. If a crack is present, you can bet that tree roots will find it and infiltrate the pipe. As they grow, they’ll block the line and prevent wastewater from accessing the main line, resulting in a blockage. Tree roots, therefore, indicate that not just clog removal is needed but that broken pipes will need repairing or replacement as well.
Something many homeowners don’t realize is that clogged bathroom drains or kitchen sinks can cause a sewer backup. All the drains in your home lead to your home’s lateral sewer lines, which are located deep beneath your property. Your lateral line drains into the main sanitary sewer line, where it is transported to a wastewater treatment facility. That means that your toilet drain and kitchen drain all lead to the same place.
When a large blockage develops in this lateral line, the wastewater is unable to travel down to the main line. With nowhere else to go, it will remain in the drain and eventually flow backward. If you’re experiencing issues with your kitchen sink, you may have a blockage higher up, or you may have a blockage in the lateral line. Don’t risk the latter—get one of our professional plumbing experts in for drain cleaning in Hamptons, NY as soon as possible.
Our Expert Hamptons Drain Cleaning Services
There's no single cause of clogged drains, so why should drain cleaning be identical for every blockage? Our professional plumbers are licensed, insured, and highly experienced. Upon diagnosing the problem you're experiencing; they'll choose the most effective course of action to get your lines flowing freely again.
Before beginning your Hamptons drain cleaning appointment, your plumber may conduct a series of tests to identify the nature and extent of the problem. One way in which they may do this is with a video inspection. Inserting a camera at the end of a long, flexible cable into your pipes, they'll be able to use live footage to see what's happening in real time.
There are two main methods to clean your lines that your plumber may use: drain snaking and pressure sewer jetting. Snaking your drains involves using a professional-grade auger (also known as a drain snake) to break up any blockages that may be present. There is a wide array of snake machines, including both manual and electric snake machines. Your plumber will choose the right machine for your project. Augers are generally inserted into your toilet, sink, bathtub or floor drains, but they may also be inserted into your sewer cleanout, which is a capped pipe that provides direct access to your sewer lines.
The second method, and generally the favorite method of homeowners and plumbers, is our HydroScrub® Jetting technology. Though augers can effectively get your wastewater flowing again, it's impossible to remove the blockage entirely, especially if the blockage is compacted or sticky. Augers essentially poke a hole in the center of the clog, but the perimeter remains. In contrast, HydroScrub® Jetting uses high-pressure water to clean your pipes out entirely. This plumbing service, therefore, not only removes any existing blockages but prevents them and others from developing and returning. HydroScrub® Jetting is, therefore, really what our Hamptons drain cleaning service is all about.
