When people call Pilot Plumbing in Vancouver, WA for drain services, our plumbers have to be prepared for just about anything. Drain systems are complex and between aging pipes, false flushes, clog accumulations, and mother nature playing tricks, there are a lot of potential causes for even what seems to be the simplest of slow drains. That’s why our plumbers come prepared with a variety of tools and techniques and count on their experience and training to invent new ways to unclog drains when they need to. Fortunately, we have many new technological resources that make some of the biggest drain disasters much less trouble and usually less costly to repair as well. Don’t wait until we’re your last resort — we can save you a lot in drain recovery and overflow clean up when we get to a drain issue early.
One Big Advantage Our Plumbers Have: We Can See Inside the Pipe
Video inspection equipment has made a big change in the practice of plumbing. We can now take a look inside many pipes and inspect to find the source of a clog, nearby or further down the pipe, and check the condition of the pipe inside to see if it’s corroded or otherwise worn out. This helps a lot in locating leaks, also, and in determining whether pipe replacement or even repiping is something we suggest to avoid further leaks and clogs. Video inspection also helps determine whether the pipe is sound enough to withstand the powerful spray of hydro jetting that’s a great resource for drain cleaning. Down in your sewer line, video inspection now allows us to locate problems such as pipe damage from crushing or tree root intrusion, large sewer line clogs, and pipe degradation. In many cases, when we can see and locate the sewer line issue, our plumbers can use that information to recommend solutions such as patching instead of total pipe replacement, a big improvement over the days before the video. Modern patching and relining of sewer pipes are designed to last about as long as replacement pipes, too.
Beating the Tree Roots Below and the Bird’s Nests Above
Steadily growing tree roots are known enemies of sewer lines, breaking into the sewer pipe and causing leaks, backups, and extensive damage. At the other end of your plumbing system are the plumbing vents, which allow air in so that your drains can flow down to the sewer naturally. When they get blocked by nests and other material, flow tends to stop or become irregular. Blocked vent pipe problems can look like drain clogs, which makes solving toilet flushing issues more complicated. Since the problem may not be downstream, plungers and augers may not be the solution. It takes a professional plumber to figure these things out and solve them correctly. Blocked vents can also prevent the venting of sewer gas, which you’ll definitely notice indoors, and which should be handled by your plumbing company as soon as possible. Many homeowners aren’t aware of their home’s plumbing vents and how critical they are for proper drain function.
To Minimize the Battles Fought, Consider a Whole-House Drain Cleaning Service Each Year
One of the problems with a typical home’s plumbing is that there are various bits of material clinging to pipe walls, forming clogs, gathering at pipe bends or in the middle of horizontal pipe runs, and when wastewater doesn’t flow freely, things get complicated and clogs begin to grow. A drain cleaning service by one of our plumbers clears out the pipes so you’re back to free-flowing, and even if you have material that would like to cling somewhere and start to form a clog, there are no good candidates for that adhesion and so they keep on moving down the line. This, of course, makes it much simpler to handle toilets that aren’t flushing right and sinks not draining, since it’s very likely the problem is not too far down the pipe, knowing that the rest of the way is pretty clear. That means you’re more likely to get blockages from objects and hair accumulation, not backups from way down the line. This will also help avoid backups that appear in multiple places since the lines between floors should be clear now.
Dishwashers and Garbage Disposals
Your garbage disposal has a connection for the dishwasher to drain through, and backups in their common drain can be somewhat strange. There’s a vent device that helps avoid problems, but sometimes you’ll experience sink material popping up in the dishwasher if the lines and vent are not clear. We can help sort it out and make sure that your drain line and P-trap are flowing well since a lot of material goes down this drain. From the garbage disposal, in addition to materials like slippery vegetable peels and hard or crunchy material that damages the blades, certain materials like rice and pasta that continue to be absorbent even when they’re ground up can swell and block the P-trap. Using lots of water and small amounts of material can help avoid this problem, but composting or putting them in the trash is a good idea. It’s also important to avoid sending large amounts of fats or grease down, both for the sake of the garbage disposal’s operation and to avoid creating fat-based clogs in the drain.
Count on Pilot Plumbing in Vancouver, WA
If you need help with complex drain problems and other plumbing challenges, we’re the ones to call. Our team of professional plumbers serves the Vancouver, WA area with expert drain cleaning, pipe repairing, appliance installing, and other plumbing skills, perfect for the project or emergency you have in mind. With over 15 years in business, we’re the licensed plumbers area homeowners count on for reliable repairs and promises fulfilled, time after time. Give us at Pilot Plumbing & Drain a call for emergency service or to schedule a visit from one of our expert plumbers.
