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Thanksgiving creates more drain clogs than any other day

November 23rd, 2011 by

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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Diagnosing a Toilet Problem

September 23rd, 2011 by

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

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 Never pour grease or oil down the drainyour 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 dirKeep peelings out of the garbage disposalty 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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