Drain Cleaning: When Is It Time For A Pro?

Your drains have a lot of gunk that goes down them including grease, hair, food and other things that you shouldn't tempt fate by trying to wash down but do anyways. In the end this can lead to clogged or slow moving drains that need to be cleaned. When it comes to drain cleaning there are two different ways to go depending on your needs. You can do it yourself with an over the counter drain de-clogger but if the clog is really extensive these over the counters methods are not always effective and just waste time and money to try.

The other alternative method to drain cleaning is to have a professional plumber come in and do it for you. This might be the better method even if it is more spendy because a professional can catch any other problems with your plumbing and check your drains to make sure the clog is gone.

If you do decide to have a professional drain cleaning service come out there are several different ways they can do the job effectively depending on the type of plumbing you have and how bad the blockage is. One method is to use a chemical cleaner with an acid base to eat through the clog. Consumers are limited to over the counter drain cleaners that are corrosive based. However the disadvantage to these types of methods is the fact that they are not as effective and can't always reach clogs that are in certain parts of the plumbing system such as the toilet. They also won't affect any solid obstructions in the plumbing system.

Other more effective methods of drain cleaning include a hand held drain auger which can be inserted down the drain and twisting the cable down the drain to push or pull the obstruction through. These generally have a limited scope of reach and are not recommended to use in toilets due to the possibility of harming the ceramic surfaces of the toilet.
In the same line as a hand held auger is an electric drain cleaner also known as a plumbers snake. A plumbers snake is run by electricity and can go about 125 feet in and they can remove solid obstructions in the drains including tree roots.
Another effective tool the plumber can use to clean your clogged drains is called a sewer jetter and as the name implies it is a high powered pressure washer that shoots a powerful jet of water into the pipes to push out any obstructions or clogs.

Obviously a plumber is going to be better equipped for the job of drain cleaning and have the tools needed to do the job quickly and correctly. So if your drains are running slow or not at all, or you have a toilet that is always clogging up, it might be time to call in the experts and get your drains flowing again.