Drain Line Cleaning and Maintenance
Although it appears to be just a bunch of pipes connected together, your home’s drain system is actually quite complex. It is designed to remove solid wastes and waste water from your home and to provide a seal to prevent sewer gases from entering your home. You have the ability to clean and maintain this system in many ways before you have to call in one of our professional, licensed, plumbers. But remember, Safety is Your Responsibility* Be careful as you follow the advice below on:
Drain lines inside your home usually clog because grease, hair, soap or food particles slowly build up in them. Then, one day (usually when you have a house full of guests!), the drain stops working, over flows, or starts leaking. You can avoid this scenario by following these steps to keep your drains clean and prevent blockages, or major clogs, from happening
1. Do not put materials that cannot decompose down any drain.
2. Minimize the organic solid wastes (i.e. foods) that are put down the kitchen drain. If you do put organic waste down the drain, run lots of water with it to flush the pipes.
3. Never put grease down your drain. It can solidify and clog the line. Pour cooking grease into an empty coffee can or something similar. When it becomes full, toss it in the trash. Wipe congealed grease from pots and pans with a paper towel that can be dropped in the garbage can.
4. Never put coffee grounds, tea bags, pasta, rice or egg shells down your drain. Toss them in the compost pile or the non- recycling trash.
5. Some things are also not meant for your garbage disposal
a. Don’t put uncooked fibrous fruits and vegetables in your garbage disposal (e.g. carrot and potato peels, broccoli stems, corn cobs or husks, asparagus). These can clog the disposal and are best disposed of in the compost pile or the non-recycling trash.
b. Do not put pasta and rice down the garbage disposal. They are light and swirl around but then settle back in the trap. They are best disposed of in the compost pile or the non-recycling trash.
6. Make sure that all drains (tubs, showers, sinks, etc.) have strainers on them to catch hair, soap chips and other debris. Clean these strainers regularly and dispose of the debris in the trash.
7. It is a good practice to periodically fill the sink with water and then release it to flush your piping.
8. Never use the harsh chemical drain cleaners sold in supermarkets or home fix-it stores. These chemical solutions are poisonous. They give off harmful fumes and can harm skin and eyes. They also destroy the natural population of friendly bacteria in a home’s drains and pipes, and because they are acidic they can even corrode the metal pipes in older homes and cause them to leak.
| 9. Use an environmentally safe product like BioSmart to clean grease and other organic material out of the lines. BioSmart™ is a patented natural solution approved by the EPA as being safe for you, your home, and the environment. Using BioSmart regularly can help clear current clogs and prevent them from recurring in the future. Using BioSmart guarantees you the convenience and peace of mind of living with clog-free drains all year round. Atlanta Plumbing Plus is an approved vendor for the sale of this natural, biological drain cleaner that is safe for both human handling and for the environment. |
Atlanta Plumbing Plus Plumber Using Environmentally-Safe BioSmart |
There is a main sewer line that carries waste material from your home to the city sewer line or to your septic tank. There are also individual lines (lateral lines) to each of your fixtures. The lateral lines connect to your main line like the branches of a tree connect to the trunk.
Georgia Plumbing Code requires that you have a clean-out on the main sewer line outside your home, fairly close to where the main line leaves the house. The code also requires that additional clean-outs be installed every 100 feet along the entire line and also wherever the line has a 45 degree or more change of direction. These clean-outs allow your plumber to use sewer cleaning machines to clear blockages in your lines without digging up your yard.
You should always know where the main line clean-out is and you should ensure that it is accessible at all times. (Don’t plant your favorite shrub or tree right next to the clean out). If you are not sure where your clean-out is, or if you think you may not have one, call Atlanta Plumbing Plus to come and inspect the line.
You should check your lateral drain lines at least once every few months to be sure they are working properly:
1. Make sure that p-traps are not leaking
2. Prevent sewer gases from backing up into your home through drains that are not used often by running water down the drain occasionally to keep the trap seal full.
3. Check to see if toilets or sinks are draining slowly. If they are, you can try to clear the clog yourself with a plunger. But, if the water backs up into your tub, shower, or sink this usually means that your main sewer line is clogged. Don’t use a plunger to try to clear this type of clog. Call Atlanta Plumbing Plus at 770-447-0374 to have a professional plumber bring the right equipment to your home to clear the line for you.
4. Inspect drain pumps (sewage ejector pumps and sump pumps) and pits at least every 3 – 6 months to ensure they are clean and clear of excess materials and are operating properly, or have Atlanta Plumbing Plus do it for you.
5. Apply BioSmart to your septic system regularly to help to maintain the proper balance of anaerobic bacteria that live in the tank and decompose the waste discharged into the tank.
6. Have your septic tank inspected and pumped every three-to-five years to help prevent costly repairs.
7. Inspect the ground outside your home for areas that are wetter than normal and have excessive plant growth. If there is standing water in the yard it might be coming from a leaking sewer line or an overflowing septic tank. This water may contain waste from the home, which could cause a health hazard. If you find standing water, remove children or pets from the area and call Atlanta Plumbing Plus to send a plumber to your home to inspect the situation.
