If you don't already have a regularly scheduled service appointment for a thorough drain cleaning, Richmond Hill ON plumbing technicians can help! Having a seasonal home maintenance plan is very helpful in keeping your pipework in good condition for the long run. If you ignore your pipes, then that stubborn clog will escalate to a worse drain clog and can even affect your sewer line’s efficiency. Your drains might already be suffering from a common symptom without you knowing it. There are several warning signs that indicate your waste system needs to be cleaned out.
Warning Signs You Need Richmond Hill Drain Cleaning:
- Slow drains
- Standing water/backups
- Gurgling toilets
- Toilet bubbles
- Any unusual noises
- Unpleasant odours (rotting smells are common with kitchen sink drain blockages)
- Sink flies
- Puddles near plumbing fixtures
- Backed-up floor drains
When Do You Need Professional Drain Cleaning in Richmond Hill ON?
Most people are more than capable of dealing with minor obstructions, but some blockage is too deep for standard solutions. Frequent clogs also indicate severe sewer drain issues. Any time you're confronted by plumbing problems you can't solve or see signs of blockage in your system, call in a professional plumber.
Sewer clogs are situations that definitely need immediate attention from professional plumbers. Without prompt service from an experienced plumber, that blockage could lead to major damage that needs total sewer line replacement to fix. Even minor sewer damage is a serious situation. If you've noticed any signs of sewer backup—or any other damage—you should call an expert plumbing company as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the city sewer will not be responsible for any damages that occur on your property.
Signs of Sewer Damage:
- Frequent, reoccurring clogs and backups
- Using one fixture or appliance causes issues with another
- Multiple problems all appearing across different areas at the same time
- Disgusting sewage smells coming from fixtures
- Patches of bright-green grass, foliage
- Isolated flooding, sinkholes in yards
- Insect, rodent infestations
- Sewage backups
- And, cracks in your foundation
What Does Professional Drain Cleaning Service Include?
Competent plumbers do more than just clean clogged bathroom drains by pulling out hair clumps. The services provided by professionals are comprehensive. With regular drain cleaning, Richmond Hill ON plumbers aim to completely clear your waste lines while also protecting you from broken pipes and other potential problems in the future. Our licensed, trustworthy drain experts use a wide variety of equipment to accomplish that objective.
- Full Inspection: Many cleaning appointments start here. This key step is essential not only for evaluating your system's current cleanliness but also for finding any hidden damage and other warning signs of possible problems. Our residential drain cleaning professionals use a variety of tools and methods to complete this inspection, including specialized sewer video inspection cameras.
- Advanced Tools and Techniques: Plumbing industry solutions utilize technology and protective equipment created specifically for clearing tough clogs without causing any additional damage to fixtures. Manual and powered toilet augers are some of the more common options available to expert plumbers, whereas a typical household may keep a small drain snake under their sink.
- HydroScrub® Jetting: Hydro jetting is our modern technology that uses pressurized water jets to blast away debris inside waste lines. This equipment is powerful enough to completely annihilate everything inside your drain pipes without causing any additional damage—it can even cut away tree roots!
These three points offer a quick summary of why a professional drain cleaning service is better for your pipes. And as a side note, a plumbing diagnosis and inspection is so important because not all plumbing lines are in their best shape, and the high-pressure water jet could damage a 30-year-old wastewater line. Our Richmond Hill drain cleaning experts will be able to tell you when you need to replace your drain lines to prevent a potential collapse.
What Causes Clogged Drains?
There are two types of blockage that our local Richmond Hill plumber finds: soft and hard blockage. Hard blockage is large debris—like toys, roots, and jewellery—that gets inside waste lines (often accidentally), preventing anything else from flowing properly.
Soft blockage is created from soap scum, mineral deposits from hard water, and other debris that clings inside pipes. Unfortunately, it's unavoidable, which is one reason why scheduling routine drain cleaning in Richmond Hill ON is so important. There are other harmful materials that also contribute to soft blockage buildup. You can minimize your clog risk by never flushing such materials. Do not flush or wash down:
- Fats, oils, grease (Nicknamed FOG’s)
- Paper towels, tissues, wet wipes—even “flushable” wipes
- Food waste
- Hair
- Excessive amounts of toilet paper
- Personal hygiene products
Of course, there are also natural forces that we cannot control. That said, there are preventive precautions that your Richmond Hill plumber can help you take which will at least keep the severity of any potential damage to a minimum. External forces include:
- Tree root penetration
- Shifting earth/landscaping
The best way to control tree roots from infiltrating your sewer pipe is to get a specialist to inspect your property for large, older trees. They will discuss any necessary measures to ensure the roots won’t invade your underground system. Although most sewer lines are made of high-quality, tree root-resistant PVC materials, the smallest crack could cause sewer drain leaks and attract roots. Your best option is to remove the tree.
On the other hand, soil shifting is a natural phenomenon, similar to house settlement when the corners of your house foundation settle into place. If your plumbing lines and wiring were installed correctly underneath the concrete slab, there shouldn’t be a problem. But unfortunately, you will get the odd incident where such a natural process could wreak havoc on your water line or sewer line and create damage that leads to a sewer backup—which will manifest in a series of clogged drains. In such a situation, you’ll require more than just drain cleaning. Richmond ON plumbers will carefully inspect your sewer lateral and offer repair methods, which typically start with sewer cleaning.
