drain cleaning

Having a proper drainage system is imperative to protecting your home and avoiding expensive water damage, especially during rainstorms. Without quality drainage, water will gather in your home’s yard, ruining its foundation, damaging its foundation, and drawing insects. Here are important strategies for pinpointing and remedying drainage problems before they result in major repair bills.

Improper Grading Within Your Home

The sloping or level of the land surrounding your home is referred to as grading. Incorrect grading can lead to surface craters that could trap water, or even cause it to flow to your home. Damaging your lawn and attracting mold, termites, mosquitoes, and other pests. Re-sloping sections of your home’s yard will aid in redirecting the course of water. However, if doing this doesn’t solve the problem, installing a dry well or French drain will help distribute the water over a vast area.

Downspout Problems

By installing downspouts, you can direct the water flow away from your yard. If you notice water gathering directly underneath any downspout after a storm, then it was either improperly installed or too short. With time, this pooling water will trickle into your foundation, resulting in basement flooding or foundation cracks. If the downspouts in your home drain are close to its foundation, then you should consider installing extensions to aid in preventing soil erosion, tripping hazards, and pooling water. To do this, you’ll need a professional plumber. If you reside in Australia, DCM Plumbing & Drainage is a plumber on the Gold Coast that could get this done.

Incorrect Landscaping

The placement of walkways and patios, the setup of your home’s garden, and other certain DIY home projects can unintentionally result in water drainage problems. In your garden setup, ensure you slope the mulch and topsoil away from the house. Using gravel and rocks to line your garden bed can also aid in diverting the flow of water away from your home and toward a drain. If you are looking to add a patio or anything with a solid surface to your home, contact landscaping professionals for better installation.

Clogged Gutters

Regularly cleaning and clearing your gutters is a fundamental part of ensuring functional water drainage in your home. Blocked gutters can overflow, causing water to flow into your home’s yard and gather close to your home’s foundation. Besides regularly clearing your gutters, installing gutter covers will aid in preventing sticks, leaves, and other debris from gathering up and stopping water from flowing away from the house.

Obstructed or Broken Sewer Pipes

If water is incorrectly routed from your home’s gutters, the resulting soil erosion will affect the stability of your foundation. Concrete slab dislocation or minor sinking can result in contaminated water, broken pipes, and plumbing safety risks. Roots can invade and block pipes, causing more drainage problems. The first step to dealing with this is by identifying the broken pipes. Consider hiring a professional to carry out a sewer scope inspection.

Homeowners often overlook the drainage system, which can cause several major and irreversible issues if left unattended. However, with these strategies, you can avoid drainage problems and save yourself a lot of money.

At 850 pounds and 152 inches long, the 72-120 in. Test-Ball^® Plug features best-in-class design to ensure optimal performance and safety

Cherne Industries, part of the Oatey Co. family of companies, today introduced its 72-120 inch Test-Ball^® Plug. The world’s largest test ball, it blocks flow in the biggest pipes in sanitary and storm sewer systems, up to 120 in. The plug is the latest addition to Cherne’s comprehensive, market-leading catalog of pipe plug, blocking and testing products.

Cherne’s 72-120 in. Test-Ball Plug was carefully developed with an optimized design that offers improved performance and safety. Accommodating a back pressure of up to 6 psi, the plug weighs 850 pounds and is 152 inches long. It is made from tough, tear-resistant natural rubber and features ¾ inch eyebolts that provide superior holding strength. A field-replaceable pressure relief valve prevents over-inflation, and an aluminum end plate minimizes rust and corrosion.

For more information, visit cherneind.com.

M18 FUEL™ High Speed Chain Snake for 1-1/2” – 4” Pipes

Milwaukee Tool is driving innovation by offering the ability to clear clogs in more drain lines at larger capacity with the new M18™ FUEL™ High Speed Chain Snake for 1-½” – 4” Pipes. Featuring a user driven design to provide a portable solution with the power to complete multiple jobs on one charge, the chain snake leverages high speed and chain knocker heads, which are optimized to efficiently clear grease and descale pipes. This tool is the ideal solution for tackling blockages in kitchen sinks, floor drains, toilets and main lines.

Delivering full power at max distance, the M18™ FUEL™ High Speed Chain Snake can descale up to 75-feet out for the easiest, most controlled wall-to-wall clean. The chain snake’s user driven design features a variable speed dial and durable electronic foot pedal for more control in the line, along with a mechanical clutch to protect the cable in the application. The partially enclosed drum allows for mess containment and easy access for cable cleaning and field repair. The telescoping handle paired with the durable wheel base gives users the portability needed for easy transportation on and off the jobsite. With the power to complete multiple jobs on one charge, the high speed chain snake can clear up to 150-feet of scale build-up when paired with the included M18™ REDLITHIUM™ HIGH OUTPUT™ HD 12.0 battery packs.

In addition to the high speed chain snake, Milwaukee is launching 1-½”, 2”, 3”, and 4” Standard Chain Knockers, as well as 1-½”, 2”, 3”, and 4” Carbide Chain Knockers, both for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable. The standard chain knockers are optimized to clear grease and soft blockages and are best used in PVC, clay, or fragile pipes. The carbide chain knockers can tackle scale build-up, hard deposits, grease, and tough blockages and are best used in cast iron and other hard-walled pipes. All the new chain knockers have a rust-guard coating and feature stainless steel set screws for corrosion resistance.

Milwaukee Tool is committed to providing drain cleaning professionals with the most portable and versatile sewer and drain maintenance solutions. The company is dedicated to continuing investment in technology to build solutions from the ground-up that provide drain cleaning professionals an easier way to get on and off the job with less hassle, so they can service more calls. Milwaukee offers the only complete lineup of cordless drain cleaning tools and pipe inspection solutions for fixtures to sewer lateral lines. This high speed chain snake is part of the M18™ System, now offering more than 250 power tool solutions.

*M18 FUEL™ is engineered for the most demanding tradesmen in the world. Delivering unrivaled performance, all M18 FUEL™ products feature three Milwaukee®-exclusive innovations—The POWERSTATE™ Brushless Motor, REDLITHIUM™ Battery Pack and REDLINK PLUS™ Intelligence Hardware and Software—that deliver unmatched power, run-time, and durability on the jobsite. Simply put, M18 FUEL™ tools are the most powerful 18V cordless tools in their class.

LAUNCH DATE
May 2023

MSRP
$2,499.99

Specifications

M18™ FUEL™ High Speed Chain Snake for 1-1/2” – 4” Pipes (2819-22)

• Pipe Capacity: 1-½” – 4”
• Length: 24.5”
• Height: 28”
• Weight w/o Battery: 63 lbs
• Tool Warranty: 5 year

Kit Includes: (1) M18™ FUEL™ High Speed Chain Snake for 1-1/2” – 4” Pipes (2819-22), (2) M18™ REDLITHIUM™ HIGH OUTPUT™ 12.0 Battery Packs (48-11-1812), (1) M18™ & M12™ Rapid Charger (48-59-1808), (1) 5/16” x 75’ Cable (48-53-2819), (1) 1-½” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable (48-53-3020), (1) 2” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable (48-53-2021), (1) 3” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable (48-53-3022), (1) 4” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable (48-53-3023), (1) 250ml Oil Bottle, (20) Stainless Set Screws (2) Cable Replacement Pins (1) Hex Key (1) Extra Sheath Segment

Accessories and Cables

5/16” x 75’ Chain Snake Cable                                                                 48-53-2819
1-½” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                    48-53-3020
2” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                        48-53-2021
3” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                        48-53-3022
4” Standard Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                        48-53-3023
1-½” Carbide Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                      48-53-3024
2” Carbide Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                          48-53-3025
3” Carbide Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                          48-53-3026
4” Carbide Chain Knocker for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                          48-53-3027
Grease Penetrating Head for 5/16” Chain Snake Cable                           48-53-3028

Family is life. Robert Broccolo Jr. (@prodrains), owner/operator of Professional Drain Services of Southern New England, LLC, Westerly, R.I., has much to be thankful for. He’ll be the first to tell you that he has the most amazing fiancée, Tiffani, whom he can’t wait to marry, and he gushes over his beautiful five-year-old daughter Isabella. Oh, and he is expecting a baby boy—Robert Broccolo III—this May.

But that’s what it’s about, right? Hard work and long days to pay the bills to carve more time with family, and to leave them in a better place financially. It’s that work/leisure balance that is so important. “It’s hard to do so but it all depends on your personal goals. My goal is to leave my kids’ grandkids an empire, but that requires tons of hard work and time each day,” says Broccolo. “I try to balance the work day so I’m home by the end of the day before the kids go to bed, spend time on weekends, and plan vacations throughout the year. As much as I’d love to be home more, I want to build for my family and future.”

Getting Started

Broccolo recalls his journey into the industry when he applied for a job with a local plumbing contractor who was hiring workers for a big project. “Also, I had an interest in plumbing as my father is a real estate investor and always had a very good understanding of plumbing and heating. It was one of the skills he mastered over the years so I wanted to learn and make him proud, build some value to myself, and be able to help my him in his real estate ventures. I got the job and shortly thereafter, became an apprentice plumber for that company, learning lot of different aspects of the trade,” says Broccolo.

Growing Exponentially

Broccolo started off with a basic pickup truck and enclosed trailer; he acquired the basics needed to attempt a drain cleaning company. Subsequently, hard work and dedication to customer service has allowed Broccolo to grow his business by utilizing his social and networking skills he believes he gained from the many years— since the age of 10—working as a caddy at a few private golf courses. “It helped me spread the word of who I was and what I offered. I believe networking can be a very valuable tool if used properly.”

Broccolo has been in the plumbing industry for a little more than 10 years now, as he worked as a plumber for a local plumbing and mechanical contractor for years. It was around this time working with other contractors that Broccolo was given an opportunity to show what he could offer. He decided to move forward with starting his company in 2017. Specializing in sewers and septic, underground rehab, excavations and cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) lining, Broccolo’s certifications include CT P7 Plumber, RI Underground Utility Contractor, CT Septic Installer, RI Septic Installer, RI and CT Septic Pumper, and RI Registered Septic Inspector. “From there, the growth hasn’t stopped. We now have the ability to do anything when it comes to sewer and septic,” says Broccolo.

Going into year six with great success, Broccolo continues to expand the underground rehab side of the company. “My love for plumbing has been primarily focused on sewers since the start of my company. I’m constantly learning, going to trainings, trade shows, expos, etc., to gather as much info to continue to grow the company and services we offer,” says Broccolo. “

Looking Up

Broccolo has had a few mentors in his plumbing journey, with his father being his hero and No. 1 mentor. “He’s always guided me in the right direction and given solid advice,” says Broccolo.

There are others, too. “My old boss Mike Loffler and Steve Antoch, and an amazing man I would caddy for each weekend at the golf course,” says Broccolo.

Each person in some way helped guide Broccolo and mentor him in different ways, sometimes not even knowing they were doing so. “So, paying it forward, I try to be my best self to help others in the industry; I believe if we all work together, we can all grow learn and do better, and that in turns makes the industry better,” says Broccolo.

Promote the Trades

According to Broccolo, the trades have been given a negative image for a long time, and that there are great jobs pay and opportunity in all aspects of the trades. His message to those kids thinking of entering the trades would be—give it a chance! “Don’t be fooled with the have-to-go-to-college mentality. I was caught in that mentality when in high school; you were considered a failure if you didn’t go to college. In fact, I went to college and it just wasn’t for me. I wish I had the ability to get my hands in the trades sooner,” says Broccolo.

What message should we be sending then? “The industry could do better by working alongside the schools,” says Broccolo. “Same as a college fair or a military recruit booth, it would be amazing if there was a ‘Trade Day’ where different trades had the ability to be at each school once a year—featuring one-on-one time, the ability to answer and ask questions, and see the reality of the jobs vs. the perception of it,” says Broccolo.

Broccolo says that a local company could sign students for jobs the same as a college signs a student. Companies could then work apprenticeships with students and implement classes to help students see if the trades are for them vs. college. “Just like most things in life, you need to experience it in some way to know if it’s for you,” says Brocoolo.

Listen, some of the most challenging jobs for Broccolo are the underground rehab projects and CIPP installs, but working on pipes without digging and solving problems is very rewarding. “Nothing is more satisfying than getting the job done that most can’t and knowing you did it without being invasive to the property,” says Broccolo.