Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Drain Cleaning’

The Pros and Cons of Different Drain Cleaning Methods

Monday, August 7th, 2017

drain-cleaningThere are two things that you need to know about drain cleaning. The first thing is that it’s necessary to keep your drain and sewer system in good condition. You should be scheduling cleaning for your drain and sewer system at least once every year. This prevents clogs from forming, removes any blockages that might already be present in the system, and generally keeps things flowing smoothly.

The second thing that you need to know about drain cleaning is that you should always have a professional handle it for you. Store bought drain cleaners are effective, but the reason they are is because they use lots of corrosive chemicals. Aside from being potentially dangerous to handle, these chemicals corrode the very pipes that they’re supposed to be helping, causing them to require replacement potentially years sooner than they otherwise would have.

Professional plumbers use non-corrosive methods for drain cleaning, which is why it’s a good idea to trust them to take care of yours. If you’re curious about the specific techniques used for professional drain cleaning, take a look below.

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How Often Should I Schedule Drain Cleaning Services?

Monday, June 26th, 2017

lime-scale-buildupIt’s never a bad idea to dedicate some effort to maintaining your drain and sewer system. Many people take an “out of sight, out of mind” approach when it comes to those parts of their homes. Just ignoring it, though, only guarantees that any problems it develops will get worse over time. You don’t want to wait for your drain and sewer system to break down entirely before taking steps to address it. One of the easiest ways to keep your drain system functioning properly is to call for drain cleaning services on a regular basis.

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What You Need to Know About Maintaining Drain Health

Monday, May 15th, 2017

waterThe plumbing system in the average home gets a pretty raw deal, in terms of how much care it gets. Plumbing systems are responsible for all kinds of vital functions, including providing people with fresh drinking water on-demand. Yet, they are all-too-often neglected when it comes to professional services. The drain and sewer portion of a home plumbing system has it even worse, mainly because most of us tend to treat that area with an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. If you want to keep your drains in good health, though, you should have a look at our tips below.

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Signs That You Need to Schedule Drain Cleaning Services

Monday, March 20th, 2017

Your drain and sewer system is one of those things that you probably don’t think about too much, but which is very important for keeping your home operating properly. If you allow your drain and sewer system to degrade, you’re going to have to deal with a lot more issues throughout the home. One of the best ways to keep your drain and sewer system in good condition is to schedule drain cleaning services. There are certain signs that you should look for that indicate that you need to have your drains cleaned. You should know what to look for regarding these signs.

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Problems That Require Drain Cleaning

Monday, October 31st, 2016

You probably don’t think about your drains too much, but it’s still important that you get the right professional services for them on a regular basis. If you don’t maintain your drains, you’re setting yourself up for all kinds of problems in the future. Let’s take a look at some of the more common problems that can need to be dealt with using drain cleaning.

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How to Tell if You Need Drain Cleaning

Monday, April 11th, 2016

Your drains serve a vital role in your plumbing system. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to dispose of wastewater in a convenient and sanitary manner. If you want your home’s plumbing and sewer systems to continue functioning properly, it’s a good idea to make sure that your drains are in good condition. One of the easiest things you can do to keep your drains functioning properly is to schedule drain cleaning services. Read on to find out more about when you need to call for drain cleaning.

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FOG: The Bane of Your Drains

Monday, December 14th, 2015

This is the time of year when you have about five weeks of continual food (if you count Halloween, it’s more). If you are hosting any kind of holiday gathering, you need to be very aware of what is going down your drain, especially if the food going down your drain is a fat, oil or grease (FOG). Nothing clogs a drain faster or more effectively than too much FOG, and we know because the holiday season is one of our busiest for plumbing calls. Why is FOG so bad for your plumbing? Let’s take a look.

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Drains Have an Odor? Call Us for Drain Cleaning!

Monday, October 5th, 2015

No one likes dealing with things that smell, and when your drains are emitting a constant odor, the environment in your home can get really unpleasant. Getting rid of those odors isn’t just a matter of squirting some dish soap down the drain and scrubbing, or putting a chemical, over-the-counter drain cleaner in your drain. You need effective, safe, professional drain cleaning, and the plumbing experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling are here to help.

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When Is It Time to Schedule Drain Cleaning?

Friday, February 27th, 2015

Nope, these aren’t the sounds of a tasty treat, they are the sounds a slow drain makes as it struggles to move your waste water from the drain to your outlet pipe. Many of us wait for these sounds to disappear, but unfortunately, they are usually the harbinger of an imminent clog. So what can you do? You can try some home remedies for the problem that may work if the build-up isn’t too bad: using the combination of white vinegar and baking soda in the drain, plunging or boiling water. But if none of these options work, it may be time to schedule drain cleaning in Montgomery City, PA.

Reasons to Schedule Drain Cleaning

Along with the above-listed sounds and slow drainage, there are some other signs that can indicate it’s time to call an expert to clean your drains:

  • Multiple clogs/slow draining on the same plumbing line – if you are experiencing multiple clogs, or multiple drains that all have slow drainage, it is likely there is a clog deep in the main pipe that all these drains are connected to. Reaching deep problems in your plumbing can be challenging and should always be left to an expert.
  • The same clog keeps happening – do you have one drain that won’t stop developing a clog, even after you’ve unclogged it several times? This is usually indicative of a clogging issue that hasn’t been completely resolved, but can be solved when you hire a trained expert.
  • It’s time for annual plumbing maintenance – drain cleaning is a part of plumbing maintenance, so if you haven’t scheduled your plumbing system for maintenance in the last 12 months, call and schedule a drain cleaning appointment.

Can’t I Clean My Drains Myself?

We hear this question a lot, and the answer is: unless you have the training and expertise to use drain cleaning equipment, no, you shouldn’t clean your own drains. Likewise, using over-the-counter drain cleaners is not considered drain cleaning. For the best results and healthy, undamaged drains, call your plumbing professional for all drain cleaning work.

The plumbing experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling have been helping customers in the Montgomery City, PA area with their plumbing needs since 1976, so if you need drain cleaning or any other plumbing services, call us today!

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3 Methods of Drain Cleaning Used by Professionals

Friday, May 9th, 2014

The term “drain cleaning” has unfortunately developed a link to “drain cleaners,” those plastic bottles of toxic, acidic chemicals that sell for $8.99 on grocery store shelves between the laundry detergent and the insecticides. Using this sort of caustic agent is a bit like trying to clean the leaves off your driveway by blasting the drive with a flamethrower: sure, you’ll get rid of all the unwanted debris, but you can seriously damage the surface and may seriously injure yourself.

Drain cleaning requires professionals who use methods that not only effectively cleanse drains and pipes, but safely cleanse them, leaving behind zero toxic residue and protecting the interior of the plumbing. For this level of expert drain cleaning in North Wales, PA, call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Here are some of the ways that professional drain cleaners handle their job:

I. Motorized drain snakes

Drain snakes, a.k.a. drain augers, are available commercially in manual models. But these cannot do the thorough job of a motorized, pro-grade drain snake. Drain snakes operate like long corkscrews: a coil of wire goes down into a drain pipe, bores into clogs and blockage, and then either draws the clogs up or breaks them apart. A motorized drain snake can handle almost any obstruction with the right technician operating it.

II. Hydro-jetting

A hydro-jetter is a motorized device that sends hot, high-pressure water through a hose and out a small nozzle. When the hose is fed down into a drain, the scalding blasts of water can break through clogs and clear away all contaminants like grease and oil from the interior of a pipe. This is one of the most thorough ways of cleaning drain pipes, and makes it harder for debris to return. Because of the dangers of high-pressure water (most hydro-jetters blast out water at 7,000 psi), only professional should do hydro-jetting.

III. Video Camera Pipe Inspection

Cleaning out pipes often requires plumbers to know exactly what they are up against, and the only way to find that out without the disruption of accessing buried and hidden pipes is with video pipe inspection. This equipment consists of miniaturized camera and LED light mounted on the end of a fiber-optic cable. Once sent down a drain pipe, the camera returns a video feed to a monitor so a plumber can pinpoint areas that need cleaning, and what sort of cleaning will do the job.

Leave the chemicals on the store shelf (the flamethrower as well) when it’s time for drain cleaning in North Wales, PA. Instead, contact Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

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