How To Maintain Drainage Systems

How To Maintain Drainage Systems

A home’s drainage system is an important part of its structure. Ideally, drainage systems should be installed properly using high-quality materials during the construction period. However, there are times when contractors fall short and instead of using high-quality pipes and coatings, low-standard materials are used to cut down on costs. 

You don’t need to be an expert to know if your drainage system was done perfectly. If it was done shabbily, you’ll notice that over time you will see leaks on your sink, floors, and even walls. If you are experiencing this, then there is no need to panic because there are ways for you to fix it with or without professional help. 

1.      Trace where the leaks are coming from

Before you assume that you have defective pipes or sinks, first know where the leak is coming from. Chances are the leaks can also come from behind the walls because the pipes pass that area. You can also check the cabinet beneath the sink. If the leak comes from the pipe connecting the sink, then you can assume that that pipe needs repairing. 

2.      Replace all defective parts

Now that you know that there’s a leak in a pipe or an O-ring starts to drip, don’t try to repair them. Instead, buy a high-quality replacement so you don’t have to repair it often. Some people think that repairing damaged parts with epoxy or coating is cheaper; however, it could prolong the life of your pipes only for a short amount of time. It’s always better to replace defective parts immediately. 

3.      Insulate pipes

Insulating pipes means covering them with a coating that can keep the warmth inside the pipes. When the winter season arrives and there is no running water passing through them, the pipes can become brittle which makes them break easier. That’s why it’s advisable to have running water whenever the cold season comes. 

4.      Renovate defective drainage systems

When all else fails, you have to resort to renovating your drainage. This sounds easier said than done because a complete renovation of your drainage means that certain structures would be torn down to make way for new pipes hidden behind or in between walls. 

Plumbing Tips for Beginners

While the previous tips often require a professional to do it, you can fix leaks at home with these simple reminders:

•  Use a bucket to hold your tools. This is also a good way to catch water when it flows.
•  Use a plunger for clogs in your toilet or sink. Using plungers is the most common way to remove clogs because it is also the cheapest. 
• Turn on faucets to check for leaks when you’re done repairing. This will help you know if there are still parts that need to be fixed. 

Leaky drainage should not be a big problem because there are DIY methods that you can do when you notice leaks and damages on your pipes and sinks. If there are cases that the problem escalates, you can always contact a plumber or an expert at repairing or renovating damaged drains. 

Guest Contributor, Eva Semon

Coffee Grounds And Drain Clogging: What You Need To Know

Coffee Grounds and Drain Clogging: What You Need to Know

Have you been wondering what has been clogging your drains? Actually, there are several things which can clog your drains and pipes. One of them is coffee grounds. If you let them down the drain, coffee grounds don’t break down like other foods. They usually clump together and over time, they will build up to a level of blocking the drainage system

How to Dispose of Coffee Grounds

Since coffee grounds are one of the main culprits of clogged drains, you should never dispose of them in the sink. There are other ways on how you can dispose of these grounds.

1. Instead of risking your drainage system, you can use coffee grounds in your garden. They are known to repel ants and slugs, hence can be used in your garden to keep away these insects. Also, when mixed with grass clippings and leaves, they can fertilize your garden. They add nitrogen and potassium in the soil thus improving its nutrient content for plant growth.

2. Coffee grounds can also be disposed of in a composed pit. By adding them to the heap, they will attract beneficial worms and also add nitrogen. However, be sure to limit them so as to balance the compost.

3. Coffee grounds can be used in your refrigerator to keep off bad odors. By placing a small open container with your old coffee grounds at the back of the fridge for few weeks, they will absorb any kind of food odor. You can later remove and spread them on your garden to act as fertilizer.

4. They can be used as natural abrasive to scrub off foods stuck on your house counters or even dishes. 

5. Use your old coffee grounds to wash and rinse your hair. They can really help to remove the residue left by hair shampoos and conditioners. This will give your hair and a new look and afterward you will look like a queen! To do this, just massage your hair with a handful of coffee grounds to dissolve the residue. That’s all!

6. Coffee grounds can also be used to exfoliate your skin and make it smooth and healthy. Yes, this isn’t a joke. To do this, simply mix two tablespoons of coffee grounds with your favorite coconut oil or just warm water and apply on your skin. The dead skin cells will be removed and your skin will be smooth just like your old baby face.

7. Did you know that coffee grounds can actually treat cellulite? Yes, this is true. Cellulite is caused by smoking, poor diet, genetic predisposition among other causes. Instead of trying the thousands of cures found online, why not try coffee grounds? Mix your old coffee grounds with warm water and scrub your skin twice per week for few weeks. Then wait for the magic!

When buying a coffee maker, it’s good to choose a coffee maker which will completely extract coffee from the grounds. You don’t want to dispose of partially extracted coffee grounds, do you?

Coffee grounds are the worst enemies of the drainage system. After using them, never let them down your drainage system if you don’t want to incur other expenses of hiring a plumber. Simply use them elsewhere and enjoy their many benefits!

Guest Contributor, Dennies John

Hiring Drain Cleaning Service Experts

Hiring Drain Cleaning Service Experts

A lot of homeowners will suffer from common clogged drains. It is advisable to get all this repaired and cleaned at the earliest convenience. Just from minor trouble to one major nightmare, drain blockages will surely cause too much damage if left unattended. This is the reason you will have to start looking for professional plumbing service provider that can help you clean and repair the blocked drains in your property. Apart from that, you should know the cause of clogged drains. A few items that are mostly known to cause blocked drains are: plastic, garbage, toilet paper, and wet wipes are the biggest problems for blockage in the drainage system. Also, there is a big possibility that your drainage system gets clogged at the exterior part, and it mainly happens due to garden particles and tree roots. Therefore, by hiring a professional drain cleaner, they will identify the exact cause of your blocked drain and resolve the blockage.

Mentioned below are different blocked drain issues which you can get professional assistance for:

1.)    Blocked Sink Drain:

As everything manages their way down the drain, bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks are known to face the clogging problems very often. If you have encountered such a problem before and know that home remedies do not provide an instant solution, then hire an expert plumbing service.  You can also try out some DIY methods to clean the drain, you can pour hot water with cleaning solution into the drain. Or you can use a hanger to plug out the garbage from the drain. However, these are simple solutions for bigger problems, and you cannot fully clear the drain by trying these DIY methods. So, it is best to hire a professional and have them clear your drain.

2.)    Clogged Sewer:

Tree roots are said to be the biggest culprits of blocked drains and clogged sewer lines. One of the issues with tree roots in the line is finding out about the blockage, which, without a video camera inspection it will be very difficult to diagnose. When you hire a professional drain cleaner, you can be sure of the solution. Plumbers and Drain Cleaners have the knowledge and equipment to discover the root cause. Their machines include, rodders, jetters, video cameras, hydraulic root cutters and much more.

3.)    Blocked Toilets:

Managing blockage in toilets is very tricky and might also be difficult at times. Treating this as an emergency issue, is essential that you start looking for plumbing services providers who specialize in blocked drains. An emergency plumber who can pop open a blocked drain with a rod machine right away is always great. They will be able to give you a few pointers on how to keep it open and how to maintain the drain.

How Would You Hire A Professional Drain Cleaning Service Who Specializes In Blocked Drains?

Finding the perfect drain cleaning service provider who specializes in blocked drains will make a big difference. You don’t want a trainee to tackle all your plumbing issues, you want an experienced person. Always hire an experienced blocked drain cleaning service provided who can handle your complicated tasks within a short time.

• If you choose to clean the blocked drain yourself, you might have to take off work of time away from your schedule and it will take you all day. If you don’t have the machines needed, you’ll need to rent them. But, if you hire a professional drain cleaning service provider you can stay relaxed. They will do all the work and will accordingly find a good solution for your needs.

• If you do not know the exact plumbing problem, trying to learn as you go might not work for you. You will end up wasting your efforts and might end up causing damage to your property. With the help from an expert plumbing service provider, it will be easy for you to preserve the beauty of your property.

Looking for an expert blocked drains cleaning service is not a daunting task at all. You can refer to your local classifieds or look up on the internet to find the right service provider for your needs.

Guest Contributor, Adam Wilson

Understanding Blocked Drains and Ways To Prevent Them

Understanding Blocked Drains And Ways To Prevent Them

The familiar sound of gurgling from the drain and overflowing is taxing for everyone, especially for the residents. Blocked drains are frustrating plumbing problems for residents and can occur in various places including toilets, storm water lines, kitchens, and bathrooms. These blocked drains are often caused because of negligence and disposal of waste in the wrong way. However, as they say, old habits die hardly and thus it is a serious concern leading to over clogging, blockage of pipes creating havoc in your bathroom, kitchen and other areas of the house too. So, here is a guide to handle these issues.

Understanding causes of blocked drains

The little things add up to drainage issues rather than short-term problems. Here are some of the most common ones. If your answer checks the yes in most cases, then you are also the victim to this issue-

• Throwing waste right down the drain is perhaps one of the biggest issues that most people face with clogging of drains. In this case, bigger chunks of foods and other particles block your drains.

• Another common cause of these blocked drains would have to be the use of grease or animal fat that goes down the drain. These butter, oil, etc. eventually sticks to the side of the pipes. In such cases it causes other particles to stick there thus clogging the drains more.

• Last, but not the least do remember that hair particles, throwing little plastic things into your drain, etc. too leads to clogging. Another aspect here is that many people do throw sanitary napkins into the drains, which causes clogging. So beware of these.

Managing blocked drains

There are different ways to manage and care your drains. You can manage blocked drains in the following ways. Here, are some ideas that can be helpful.

Think of preventive measures

One of the best thing you can do is, try to prevent the clogging of these drains bystop throwing things into them. So as a rule of thumb, rather than disposing grease directly into the kitchen pipe, use a bin. In addition, for the bathroom use the drain covers that covers properly and allow only water to flow thus, preventing your hair and other such elements from going into the pipe and causing blocked drains.

Do regular cleaning

There is no doubt that regular maintenance is something that will improve the life of your drain and help you to ensure that your drains don’t clog that easily. So, the first step to keep in mind here is that you should opt for simple and regular cleaning methods. There are a few effective methods. Some of them are:

• Draining down hot water every night or every 2-3 days through the drain is known to prevent blocked drains. It helps in getting rid of stubborn fat and other greasy elements.

• You can also make a solution using baking soda, hot water, and vinegar and pour it down the lane. Just make sure that you don’t use the drain for the next few hours or so after doing this.

• Beside these, there are also a lot of regular drain cleaners available in the market. These are simple commercial ones available at grocery markets or departmental stores. Get one of these and use as instructed to prevent the blocked drains.

Do keep in mind that rather than calling a plumber, these measures to fix and prevent clogging of drains are more effective. Not only will you be able to save time and drainage hassles, but also prevent wastage of money, which a plumber would charge for cleaning up your drain.

Guest Contributor, Amelie Lawrence 

Know How to Fix the Impulsive Plumbing Problem

Know How to Fix the Impulsive Plumbing Problem

Plumbing problems are usually impulsive because they can take place at any point of time either in the day or night. Usually, they do provide warnings beforehand; which most of the homeowners tend to ignore or try to fix them on their own. Without knowing the root cause of the problem, one cannot fix the issue, however, can provide a temporary relief. As a result of which after few days from the repairing, the problem tends to come back again and may become much more complicated. This is when people look for the emergency plumbing services.

Usually the reputed plumbing companies offer services of emergency plumber specialist who work round the clock and even on the weekends and national holidays. In fact, they do not charge anything extra from the client for providing services at the mid of the night or early in the morning. The emergency plumber specialist offers a vast range of services such as:

• Drain cleaning

• Clogged toiler repair

• Bathroom sink repair

• Faucet repair

• Frozen pipes

• Dishwasher repair

• Garbage disposal installation

• Main sewer line repair

• Camera Line Inspection

In fact these emergency services include basement plumbing, laundry room plumbing, kitchen plumbing, bathroom plumbing as well as outdoor plumbing.  Apart from providing all these services 24x7, the Emergency plumber specialist companies are reliable companies and are licensed and insured and provide free estimates or quotes for the ease of the customers.

The emergency plumber specialist companies suggest that unpredicted plumbing emergencies can be avoided by checking the plumbing system throughout the year. Many plumbing situations are caused due to the presence of the defective plumbing supply lines. Examining plumbing beneath sinks at least twice in the year; ensure that the water shut-off controller is working and that the connections are checked for twists or erosion on the pipes. These simple procedures can help reduce unanticipated plumbing problems and will ultimately help the customer to save money.

Just like we have to look for a professional electrician, painter, carpenter or handyman; similarly when it comes to plumbing; one should always choose a professional plumber. This is because the professionals are well-trained; they do not guess what needs to be done to fix the problem; rather they confidently do a task to fix the problem. Apart from this; hiring a professional can involve lots of advantages which are mentioned below:

• A professional plumber understands the level of frustration that a customer goes through due to the plumbing related problems. Thus, the plumber provides assurance to the customer and works efficiently so that the problems can be fixed in no time. 

• A professional knows the importance of time; thus they always arrive on time and get the work done within the stipulated time frame.

• Since, the professional plumbers are trained and experienced they provide high quality services so that customers do not need to come back again for the same problem.

• A professional plumber will not hesitate to discuss about the fee before starting with the work whereas an unprofessional plumber will not disclose the fees. Thus, the customer does not need to worry for paying extra charges.

• The professional plumbers always use the advanced tools and techniques for getting the issues fixed. The use of advanced tools and techniques helps in getting the issues fixed quicker and more efficiently.

Apart from all these benefits, a professional emergency plumber specialist will also help you with tips to prevent common plumbing problems. Thus, fix the impulsive plumbing problems by contacting the professional plumbers who offer emergency services throughout the day and night.

Guest Contributor, Jack Louis