Drain Cleaning

While cleaning clogged drains sounds like a horrible job to tackle, it is not that bad if you have the proper tools and protective gear (rubber gloves) on hand. Having a clogged drain in your house is very annoying and ignore it if you like but sooner or later you will have to deal with it because water will take forever to leave the sink, tub or floor of your garage or basement. To avoid these steps, call us!

Tub Draining Slowly

Question: My bathtub is not draining. I’ve tried the plunger and it doesn’t seem to help. HELP!

Bathtubs are often the victim of soap residue, hair and even skin cell debris. More often than not it is a combination of all these items stuck in your drain. It is a process you can do yourself and if the plunger didn’t work, there are a few other things you can try.

To eliminate the slow bathtub drain first try removing the stopper from the drain and removing any hair or soap that may be stuck on it. If your drain system does not have a stopper that can be easily pulled out, remove the screw that holds the drain cover and use your finger or an old coat hanger to remove any hair that is caught in the drain. Additionally you can remove the entire stopper linkage from the drain by removing the screw and overflow face plate cover that sits up above the drain hole. Once the screw has been removed from the overflow face plate, the entire stopper linkage can be pulled out and cleaned. If the clog still persists, again slide the coat hanger into the drain while the stopper linkage is out of the drain system. If this doesn’t work, Call Us!

Low Water Pressure from Faucets

Question: Several weeks ago our washing machine water pressure and volume dropped to half while I was filling the machine with water. The pressure and volume slowly returned to normal. At the same time, our kitchen faucet pressure and volume dropped even more than 50 percent. It has not returned to normal and gets worse each day.

After reading your question, it would seem to be that the pressure at the two faucets was caused by small pieces of sediment or some other debris that clogged a passageway within the valve cartridge and/or the tiny orifices within the aerator and or a flow restrictor. This is an extremely common problem for many homeowners. The sediment can form within a faucet or its parts depending upon the hardness of your water. Sediment also forms as a scale on the inside of municipal water supply pipes and the water lines inside your home. Pieces of this sediment can break off and be transported through the water lines as water moves towards a faucet. Small pieces of sand or rocks can enter a water system, especially those of people who use a private well. These can block the pathways within your faucets. If you are unable to locate the sediment contact us!

Preventing Clogged Drains

Question: I admit it, I constantly clog my kitchen drain. I would like to begin a process to prevent this situation. Do you have any tips?

Good habits and basic maintenance can help prevent those dreaded clogs. First, don’t tempt fate by dumping food in the sink or pouring grease down the drain. Put food and coffee grounds in the trash, and let grease cool and then put it in a container and throw it away. Keep sink strainers in place — they’re there for a reason — and clean them frequently. If you have a garbage disposal, be sure to run cold water while you’re grinding up food scraps. If you don’t use enough water, you may encourage food particles to build up in the drain. Bob Oates Sewer and Rooter also can provide you with an enzyme cleaner for your drains to keep up the healthy drain system. Call us for more details.