Clogged Drain | Our Plumbing Blog

Thanksgiving creates more drain clogs than any other day

November 23rd, 2011 by pabrams

The day after Thanksgiving is the single busiest of the year for Roto-Rooter, nationwide and for our plumbers here in Atlanta. Why? Big holiday meal preparation and cleanup can lead to clogged kitchen sinks and garbage disposals. Extra guests mean more toilet flushes, extra laundry loads,

Never pour cooking oil or grease down the drain

more showers, etc. But oddly enough, Thanksgiving itself is not such a busy day for Roto-Rooter. It’s the next day, Black Friday, that gets absolutely crazy! The day after Thanksgiving is the single busiest day of the year for Roto-Rooter plumbers. Incoming calls will jump 50% above an average Friday. We’ll be slammed but thanks to good planning, we’ve staffed up here at Roto-Rooter Plumbers of Atlanta (and nationwide). We know what’s coming and we’ll be fully staffed to deal with all the extra calls so we can still get to your problem FAST!

If you want to avoid having the Roto-Rooter man over for Thanksgiving Dinner (or turkey sandwiches the next day), pay attention to these important tips:

Never pour fats or cooking oils down drains. They solidify in pipes. Instead, wipe grease from pots with paper towels and throw them into the trash.
Avoid putting stringy, fibrous or starch waste in the garbage disposal.
Make sure disposal is running when you put food into it. Don’t wait until it’s full to turn it on.
For homes hosting weekend guests, wait 15 minutes between showers so slow drains have time to do their job.
Never flush cotton balls, swabs, hair or facial scrub pads down a toilet. They don’t dissolve and will cause clogs.

Finally, Roto-Rooter of Atlanta does not charge extra for nights, weekends or holidays. It’s true! So if you’re dealing with a big clog and are fearful of a plumber’s holiday bill, don’t worry! Call Roto-Rooter’s experienced Atlanta plumbers and you’ll pay the same rate on Thanksgiving that you would pay on any other day. And we are a 24-hour plumbing company. Give us a call at 404-209-0001 in Atlanta. Nationally, you can call Roto-Rooter at 1-800-ROTO-911.

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What’s clogging that shower drain?

November 11th, 2011 by pabrams

Drains clog, that’s just a fact of life, as any local plumber here in Atlanta will tell you. For kitchen drains, it’s grease and food that cause the clogs but shower drains are usually clogged by hair, soap and shampoo residue. Put these three things together and you can create a pretty tough shower drain clog. We humans seem to shed lots of hair. But those of us with longer hair, particularly women, seem to lose a handful of hair each week, if my shower drain is any indication of what goes on in other households. Honestly, I wonder how it is that women can lose so much hair and not be bald? Fortunately, our drain cover is one that seems to capture a lot of the hair on the drain grate itself and I’m able to gather it and throw it in the waste basket without allowing most of it to go down into the pipe. Or so I thought. About twice a year, the shower drain gets clogged to the point that we get standing water in the shower pan as the drain very slowly does its job. Normally, I just pop off the drain cover, put on some rubber gloves, reach a finger or two down the pipe and pull out a big wad of hair. Sometimes, I’ll reach down with a pair of needle-nose pliers and grab even more. Occasionally, a plunger helps bring more to the surface and the problem goes away for another six months. After many years in the same house, we’ve so far avoided the need to have the shower drain professionally cleaned but one of these days, I think a professional cleaning may be necessary to beat a super clog. I know it’s coming, I just don’t know when. If your shower drain has clogged to the point where you can no longer beat the clog on your own, call Roto-Rooter of Atlanta and we’ll send over a skilled Atlanta plumbing professional to clean the drainpipe good as new. 404-209-0001.

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Roto-Rooter gives its customers choices

November 7th, 2011 by pabrams

Root-infested pipe

When it comes to solving customers’ plumbing problems, there are usually a few options. Sometimes, there’s the quick fix or band-aid that costs less but isn’t always the best long-term solution. But that decision is the customer’s to make, not necessarily the plumber’s. You know what you can afford, we don’t. We know that plumbing problems can be expensive and that’s why Roto-Rooter plumbers here in Atlanta and across the country try to provide our customers with as many options as possible so they can decide for themselves which option is right for them.

Take the case of our core business, sewer and drain cleaning. Our company was founded on the invention of a machine that cuts roots and debris out of underground sewer pipes. We can do that for our customers year after year and

Video inspection of a sewer pipe

sometimes several times a year at hundreds of dollars per service call, without ever offering our customers a permanent solution that will fix the problem once and for all and will probably mean that the customer will never again need to call us to cut roots out of their sewer line. For many years, Roto-Rooter has been providing spot repairs and complete sewer line replacements that often cost thousands of dollars. We call this a permanent fix and wouldn’t we be remiss if we didn’t offer this choice to our customers who have problematic sewer pipes?

Would you want to take your car to a mechanic for the same problem several times a year withous his ever offering you a permanent fix? Probably not. In fact, you would probably be very angry with your mechanic for stringing you along with a problem that never goes away while he continues to profit. So why should it be any different with your plumber? The choice belongs with our customers but we feel it is important to give them that choice. If you want choices from your plumber, call Roto-Rooter of Atlanta at 404-209-0001.

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Is your plumbing ready for Halloween?

October 28th, 2011 by pabrams

Have you heard about the ways Halloween can impact your home’s plumbing? We’re not talking about chocolate or candy corn down the drain. We’re talking about pumpkin guts! Roto-Rooter reminds you never put pumpkin seeds or pulp down the sink or through the garbage disposal. We’ll bet you would be surprised how often we hear from people who just push that pumpkin muck down the sink drain and turn on the disposal! When pumpkin guts dry, they harden like concrete and can createall sorts of trouble in your drains.

Roto-Rooter’s Atlanta plumbing experts suggest instead that you spread out a newspaper and put the gooey guts and seeds on it, then separate the seeds. The newspaper and pulp are beneficial for the compost pile and the seeds are a tasty seasonal snack. You don’t even need to rinse off the good, a lot of people believe it adds to the flavor. And remember, Roto-Rooter is always working. We’re your 24 hour plumbing company so if you don’t get this information in time and your drain is jammed with pumpkin guts, we’ll send a plumber out to any Atlanta location immediately. Or you can reach us by phone at 404-209-0001.

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Halloween pumpkins may scare your garbage disposal to death!

October 21st, 2011 by pabrams

Halloween is a fun time for families, as they gather around the kitchen to carve pumpkins. But Halloween is scary too – for your sink and garbage disposal that is. Your experienced Orlando plumbers at Roto-Rooter want to remind you never put pumpkin seeds or pulp down the sink or through the garbage disposal. You would be surprised how often we hear from people who just push that pumpkin muck down the sink drain and turn on the disposal! When pumpkin guts dry, the harden like concrete and can creat all sorts of havoc in your drains.

Roto-Rooter’s Orlando plumbing experts suggest instead that you spread out a newspaper and put the gooey guts and seeds on it, then separate the seeds. The newspaper and pulp are great for the compost heap and those seeds are best for making a tasty seasonal snack. You don’t even need to rinse off the good, a lot of people believe it adds to the flavor. And remember, Roto-Rooter is a 24 hour plumbing company so if you don’t get this information in time and your drain is plugged with pumpkin guts, we’ll send a plumber out to any Greater Orlando location straight away! You can give us a call any time of day at 407-886-7311.

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Tampa Sewer Backup Caused by Bad City Sewer Line

October 6th, 2011 by Roto Rooter Bloggers

Roto-Rooter, one of the top Tampa plumbing companies, recently investigated a residential sewer back up only to find out that the problem wasn't with the customer's sewer at all. The backup turned out to be caused by a broken city sewer line that affected the customer's sewer. Roto-Rooter alerted the city and made sure the problem was fixed quickly.

But while completing the sewer line inspection with a fiber optic camera, we discovered that there was actually a bad section of pipe in the customer's sewer line that was allowing raw sewage to leach from the pipe and into surrounding soil. Additionally, the pipe was offset and was already catching toilet paper and debris to form a clog. It hadn't yet blocked the line but it was only a matter of time.

The customer opted to fix the line now rather than wait for the problem to manifest itself into a full-blown sewer clog. Our Tampa plumbers did a nice job replacing the bad section of pipe and added a cleanout port that will allow for easy access if future cleanings are required. Great work and the customer couldn't be more satisfied. If you have a sewer backup in the Tampa area, call the Tampa plumbing company that offers complete sewer solutions, Roto-Rooter. We can be reached at 813-980-6000.

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Diagnosing a Toilet Problem

September 23rd, 2011 by pabrams

We asked one of our Atlanta plumbers, Steve, if he could tell us a little about diagnosing a toilet problem or clogged toilet. Steve explains to us several different reasons for why your toilet may not be flushing. “Believe it or not, a toilet is in delicate balance. The level of water in the tank, the speed of the water, the air pressure in the system, and the amount of water in the bowl all have to be perfect for a modern toilet to flush,” said Steve, one of the most experienced plumbers in Atlanta.

To troubleshoot your toilet, pour three gallons of water into the bowl. If the water does not go down within the first couple of seconds, your problem is a clog blocking the flow. This can be fixed by using an auger to break up the blockage. Make sure you auger has a rubber sleeve around its cable so you don’t scratch the porcelain finish in the bowl. If the water returns to normal level, try flushing, three attempts. If it does not work during any of the tries, something is wrong with the pipes below the toilet. If the flush works during every attempt, then the problem may be between the tank and the bowl.

Sometimes if something is blocking the jets that puts the power into the flush, not as much force is going to be exerted to push the objects through the pipes. Finally, if nothing is clogging the jets, something might have flushed down into the rim and is blocking water flow. The fix for this is, unfortunately, a new toilet.

If the fill valve inside of the toilet tank is not filling properly, the toilet will not flush every time. You can tell if this is the problem by “removing the small 1/8 inch plastic tube that goes above the water level from the fill valve on the left side of the toilet tank to the center overflow tube and see if there is a fast stream of water entering the tube and refilling the bowl,” explained Steve.

If your toilet is not holding the two gallons of water that should be idle in the bowl when flushing, the toilet will not flush properly. What you should do is very slowly (so it doesn’t flush) pour about ½ a gallon of water into the bowl so it will rise to its maximum water volume. “If the flapper does not stay floating long enough, the water will only partially leave the tank and the required amount of water to flush the toilet will not enter the bowl,” described Steve. You may buy a new flapper to fix this problem. If you still can’t diagnose the problem, call in the best Atlanta plumbers, Roto-Rooter, for a free estimate. You can reach them at 404-209-0001 or schedule a service call on-line by clicking here.

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5 Ways your Holiday Guests Could Ruin your Thanksgiving

November 16th, 2010 by pabrams

Five ways your guests (or you) could ruin your Thanksgiving holiday. (click here to view video)

1. Pouring fats or cooking oils down kitchen drains. Those turkey juices are loaded with grease that cools and solidifies inside your pipes, coating the walls and building up to cause kitchen sink drain clogs. Use the garbage can to dispose of grease, not the drain.

2. Putting stringy, fibrous or starchy waste down the garbage disposal. Almost every dish in a traditional Thanksgiving meal is a potential drain clogger, especially in quantity: Celery for the stuffing, potato peels, fruit peels, sweet potatoes, turkey skin, rice and pasta. And remember, this stuff finds its way into the drains during meal preparation and while rinsing or washing the dishes.

3. Not running the disposal each time waste is put inside. You should turn on the disposal each time something goes inside then let the water run long enough to push it through the drainpipe. Roto-Rooter plumbers regularly find garbage disposals completely clogged with peelings and other waste. By the time the user thinks about turning it on, it’s often too full and can’t sufficiently grind up the huge amount of waste, leaving a sink full of dirty water that won’t drain.

4. Not allowing a few minutes between showers and baths can cause the drains to back up. Encourage your guests to wait at least 10 minutes between showers and baths to give slow drains a chance to drain out completely. Too many showers or baths in a short space of time could spell disaster and cause a main sewer clog and backup or septic system failure.

5. Flushing cotton balls, cotton swabs, facial scrub pads, makeup remover pads, baby wipes and tampons will cause a major toilet clog. These items do not dissolve in water and should never be flushed. They can create major clogs.

Thanksgiving is hard on your plumbing. All those extra guests can mean more showers, more laundry loads, more toilet flushes and more stuff down the garbage disposal. You may already follow these rules but will your guests? The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service, North America’s largest provider of plumbing repair and sewer and drain services. Most of the time, the homes Roto-Rooter plumbers visit over Thanksgiving weekend already had partially clogged drains that went almost unnoticed until the guests arrived. The kitchen sink and garbage disposal get a lot of use during big meal preparation. And there are lots of extra toilet flushes, laundry loads and showers causing drains to become overwhelmed and blocked. Thanksgiving is the perfect storm for residential plumbing.

The good news is that Roto-Rooter is your 24 hour plumbing company, seven days a week, 365 days a year! Our local offices will be fully staffed to handle all calls quickly so you won’t have to wait long. And many Roto-Rooter locations do not charge extra for nights, weekends or holidays. Just call 1-800-ROTO-911 (1-800-768-6911) or click here to schedule service on-line.

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Pool drains clog but Roto-Rooter unclogs them

September 28th, 2010 by Roto Rooter Bloggers

the seasons are starting to change here in the Mid-South and leaves are about to fall everywhere. Although these leaves are beautiful they can cause huge problems if you have a swimming pool. The Memphis plumbers at Roto-Rooter have the right equipment and experienced plumbers to solve any outside pool drain stoppage you may have. A clogged drain on a pool can stump a lot of companies, but we know how to clear any clog quickly and safely.

Roto-Rooter Plumber, Jermaine Ray, is our "go-to guy" on all pool drains. He has the necessary experience to solve your pool drain problems and help you get your pool prepared for the winter. If you have leaves, dirt or debris blocking your pool drain, call the Memphis plumbing company that is preferred by more people than any other, Roto-Rooter of Memphis. We will take good care of you. You may visit our home page for more information or just give us a call at 901-323-4285.

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To Roto-Rooter’s Cincinnati Plumbers- A picture is worth a 1,000 words, make that $$$$!

June 29th, 2010 by Roto Rooter Bloggers

OK, first let me say I know that spending money on plumbing and drain cleaning is rarely ever fun, however, doing it SMARTLY can SAVE YOU BIG MONEY when it applies to your main sewer line.

Most of us assume the main sewer line connecting our home or business to the city sewer is in good working order until the dreaded day comes when it backs up, leaving disgusting sewage damage. Make no mistake that sewer pipe beneath your property is YOUR responsibility, not the city's.

By taking a proactive approach and calling Roto-Rooter, your Cincinnati plumbing experts, to schedule an inexpensive sewer line camera inspection, a Roto-Rooter of Cincinnati Plumber / video inspection expert will feed a small video camera through your sewer pipe to look for cracks, offset pipes, signs of collapse or any sign of trouble at all. Then he will provide you with a DVD of the inspection for your records. In the event there are any problems, he will give you several options to treat or remedy the situation.

By taking this SMART approach you CAN:

Identify potential problems early, often saving thousands in costly damage repairs and avoid the nasty possibility of a sewer clog and backup.

Schedule any necessary repairs at your convenience instead of requiring an emergency service.
PLAN for and BUDGET any required repairs.

If you are considering BUYING a home in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, this service is a MUST!
If you are considering SELLING a home in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, the DVD with a dated time stamp proving your house has a healthy, reliable main sewer line is a great selling point!
If you are considering REMODELING or FINISHING your BASEMENT in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky it is an absolute MUST to protect your INVESTMENT!

Remember Roto-Rooter the next time you need a trustworthy Cincinnati plumber. Call us at 513-631-2525 or visit our web page for more information.

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