As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. This is especially true in the world of plumbing. Plumbing issues can quickly translate to costly repairs and unimaginable disruptions if you don’t prevent or address them promptly. Here are some tips to help homeowners prevent common plumbing problems before they happen. Safeguard Pipes from Read more
drain cleaning
As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. This is especially true in the world of plumbing. Plumbing issues can quickly translate to costly repairs and unimaginable disruptions if you don’t prevent or address them promptly. Here are some tips to help homeowners prevent common plumbing problems before they happen.
Safeguard Pipes from Freezing
After installing a plumbing system, you expect it to function optimally in all seasons. However, that’s not always the case in winter, as frigid temperatures cause the water in pipes to freeze. Sometimes, the frozen pipes burst, leading to costly plumbing damage.
Fortunately, you can avoid this by insulating the pipes. Pay more attention to those in unheated areas, like garages, attics, basement, and crawl spaces. You can use heating tape or pipe insulation sleeves to shield them from the dropping temperatures. Other options include sealing any air leaks, allowing your faucets to drip a little bit, and using a thermostat to maintain a consistent temperature.
Keep Drains Clear
A clogged drain and pipe is a common and avoidable plumbing problem. Hair and other debris can ball up into huge clogs in drains, restricting water flow. You can avoid this by simply cleaning your drains daily.
Grease and cooking oils are other culprits for drain clogs. Cooking oil can solidify in your drain pipes, causing blockage while grease attaches to pipes like glue, coating their inside to make them bumpy and sticky.
These bumps capture food particles, slowly reducing the pipe’s diameter. This eventually leads to slowed water pressure and flow. Find better ways to dispose of cooking oil and grease, like transferring them to another container and putting in the trash instead of pouring them down your drain.
Monitor Water Pressure
Extremely high water pressure can excessively strain your plumbing system, resulting in leaks and costly bursts. Consider using a water pressure gauge to keep an eye on your home’s water pressure. Experts recommend a water pressure of about 40 to 60 psi for a home. If yours exceeds these, install a pressure regulator to maintain a safe range.
Pay More Attention to What You Flush
Toilet drains are specifically established to handle toilet paper and human waste. Flushing items, like wet wipes, paper towels, cotton balls, and sanitary products, can be a recipe for blockage.
Even those labeled as flushable, especially wipes, can clog your drains and even the septic tank. A septic tank clog can facilitate the growth of bacteria that can ruin the septic tank itself and its pipes. So, always dispose of such items in the trash rather than flushing them.
Carefully Use Plumbing Cleaners
Avoid overusing DIY plumbing cleaners, as they can wear down your plumbing system’s walls over time. While they do a better job of clearing any unwanted materials from your plumbing system, most of them start to work on the inner lining of the systems themselves if they do not find any dirt or debris to remove.
Make Plans for Regular Plumbing Inspections
Let a professional plumber perform regular plumbing checks to highlight plumbing issues before they become unmanageable. Your routine inspection can include checking for visible signs of wear and tear, corrosion, leaks, and cracks. Your plumber can also inspect the pipes, appliances, and fixtures to ensure they are in good condition and functioning properly.
Plumbing problems cost homeowners a lot of money, yet they are preventable. Consider implementing these proactive steps discussed above and embracing regular maintenance to keep your plumbing system in perfect shape.
The lightweight, compact JM-1000 Mini-Jet gives you 1500 psi of cleaning power, yet weighs just 23 lbs. Clear grease, sand, and ice from 1-1/2″ to 3″ lines. The pump and motor assembly are safely contained in a rugged metal diamond plate case that can handle abuse in the field. The portable package takes little space in your Read more
The lightweight, compact JM-1000 Mini-Jet gives you 1500 psi of cleaning power, yet weighs just 23 lbs. Clear grease, sand, and ice from 1-1/2″ to 3″ lines. The pump and motor assembly are safely contained in a rugged metal diamond plate case that can handle abuse in the field. The portable package takes little space in your truck – It’s only 24″ x 10-1/2″ x 11″.
Water jets use a stream of high-pressure water that hits the stoppage and flushes it away. The thrust of the nozzle drives the hose down the line and gives you wall to wall cleaning action.
Vibration helps the hose slide around tight bends and farther down the line. This is what separates General’s Jet-Set from ordinary pressure washers. It breaks the initial tension between the surface of the hose and the walls of the pipe, increasing cleaning power.
The JM-1000 Mini-Jet generates 1500 psi at 1.4 gpm, yet pulls only 13 amps. The pump and motor are enclosed in a metal housing and protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter.
A Water Sensor detects the moving water and automatically shuts off the motor if water isn’t flowing through the pump to protect the unit from damage.
Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, the Mini-Jet is a great (and small) investment.
With plenty of raw power for long, tough jobs, field-proven Speedrooter 92® from General Pipe Cleaners clears tree roots and other stubborn stoppages in 3” to 10” lines up to 100 feet long. Plumbing, drain cleaning, and maintenance experts agree: General’s durable design offers rugged reliability with optimal control, ease-of-use, and maneuverability. Power Cable Feed drives Read more
With plenty of raw power for long, tough jobs, field-proven Speedrooter 92® from General Pipe Cleaners clears tree roots and other stubborn stoppages in 3” to 10” lines up to 100 feet long.
Plumbing, drain cleaning, and maintenance experts agree: General’s durable design offers rugged reliability with optimal control, ease-of-use, and maneuverability.
Power Cable Feed drives and retracts cables up to 20 feet per minute – making clog clearing fast and easy. And a guide tube boosts cable efficiency and operator safety by reducing tangling, whipping, and drag.
Adjusting Speedrooter 92 to different cable sizes is simple. Just turn the knob atop the feed – no screwdriver or special tool required.
It transports and handles easily, too. General’s muscular machine rides on 10” ball bearing tires. The adjustable height, swept-back handle provides maximum maneuvering leverage. And one worker can easily load it onto a truck.
Speedrooter 92 features a braced frame at key stress points, heavy-duty 1/2 hp motor, tool box, and 100 ft. of 3/4” or 5/8” Flexicore® cable.
Flexicore cable offers superior kinking resistance and unequalled strength with the right amount of flexibility. General’s tough, industry-leading design carries a one-year warranty against breakage – the industry’s best.
For details, contact the Drain Brains® at General Pipe Cleaners at 800-245-6200 or 412-771-6300, or visit https://drainbrain.com/en/products/speedrooter-92/
Contractors out in the field are always looking for one tool that does it all. Our ClogChopper® is a great tool that can be connected to almost any drum, flexible shaft or sectional style machine, and cuts through obstructions in the pipe. Our ClogChopper has four features that make it the “all-star” attachment – it is Read more
Contractors out in the field are always looking for one tool that does it all. Our ClogChopper® is a great tool that can be connected to almost any drum, flexible shaft or sectional style machine, and cuts through obstructions in the pipe.
Our ClogChopper has four features that make it the “all-star” attachment – it is maneuverable, efficient, versatile and economical. In this blog post, we talk more about these features and how they make the ClogChopper stand out.
Maneuverable
The perfectly balanced ClogChopper automatically negotiates multiple, tricky bends – maintaining a central line position and minimizing pipe wall, elbow, connection and joint damage. The ClogChopper essentially “bounces” around the pipe to get to where the user needs it to go.
Efficient
With “all surface” cutting edges, the ClogChopper clears clogs and scrapes encrusted debris from inner walls – all in one operation. The six inverted cutting edges run smoothly, without rattling or jumping. The spherical design helps to maneuver around tight bends and traps, thoroughly and safely cleaning metal, plastic and clay pipes to make it more efficient while going through the pipe.
Economical
The ClogChopper is durable enough to handle years of demanding use in residential and commercial applications, and self-sharpens while working, making it the perfect tool for handling multiple jobs and lasting a long time for the user.
Versatile
General offers ClogChopper connectors in a variety of sizes for several brands of drain cleaning machines.
The ClogChopper has six self-sharpening blades that dig into encrusted debris and root masses, easily grinding up stoppages, scale and crystallized urine without risking pipe damage. It works in both directions, in and out lines, all in one operation. As it spins, it also self-sharpens as it scrapes along the pipe walls.
It’s available in one-inch, one-and-a-half-inch, two-inch, two-and-a-half-inch, three-inch and four-inch sizes. This drain clearing tool is also excellent for clearing stacks, downspouts and mains, as well as for pipe lining jobs to reinstate the pipe.
For more information, call the Drain Brains at 800-245-6200, or visit www.drainbrain.com/clogchopper.
As a plumber, you will want to be as effective and efficient at the job as possible, so you can keep your customers happy and maximize your profits, right? Well, in order to do that, there are a few tools that you must be able to wield with confidence and precision, including the following: The Read more
As a plumber, you will want to be as effective and efficient at the job as possible, so you can keep your customers happy and maximize your profits, right? Well, in order to do that, there are a few tools that you must be able to wield with confidence and precision, including the following:
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The Almighty Wrench
No plumber’s toolkit is complete without a wrench—or several, because size and type do matter here, folks. From adjustable wrenches to pipe wrenches, these are the bread and butter of plumbing. They twist, turn, tighten, and occasionally serve as an impromptu hammer (though we didn’t officially tell you that). Treat your wrenches like a knight treats his swords; keep them clean, dry, and ready for battle.
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Plunger: The Suction Cup of Destiny
The humble plunger. Often underestimated, never overvalued. This tool is your first line of defense in the war against clogs. Be it a rebellious toilet or a slow-draining sink, a good old-fashioned plunger usually puts things right. Plus, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as that ‘pop’ when the clog clears. Ah, the sweet sound of success!
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Pressure Washing Equipment: The Power Player
Sometimes, a job requires pulling out the big guns—or in this case, the big hoses. Pressure washing equipment isn’t just for cleaning driveways or stripping paint; it’s a game-changer for blasting through tough clogs in main sewer lines. It’s like the pressure washer is saying, “I find your lack of flow disturbing,” before restoring order to the galaxy… or at least to your pipes.
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Hacksaw: The Rough Rider
When you need to cut through metal or plastic pipes, screws, nuts, or bolts, a sturdy hacksaw is your go-to. It’s not the prettiest tool in the shed, but when you need to make a cut, it’s your best friend. Just remember to keep extra blades on hand because nothing dulls the mood quite like a dull blade.
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Pliers: Grip It Good
Pliers are like your hand’s stronger, tougher older brother. They twist, pull, pinch, hold, and occasionally rescue smaller tools that have fallen into the abyss behind the sink. Locking pliers, especially, are indispensable for those moments when you need an extra hand.
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Torch: Light It Up
Not just for late-night horror stories, a good torch (or soldering torch, if we’re being technical) is essential for any plumbing work involving copper pipes. Whether you’re sweating a joint or just trying to see in the dark confines of an under-sink cabinet, a torch brings light and heat to the job.
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Toilet Auger: Go Deeper
Sometimes a plunger just won’t cut it. That’s when the toilet auger, aka the plumber’s snake, slithers in. Designed specifically for toilets, this tool lets you reach deeper into the drain to clear out those particularly awkward clogs that lie beyond the reach of traditional tools.
Equip yourself with these tools, and you’ll be ready to tackle just about any plumbing problem that flows your way, and that means your business will be all the better for it!