Here are some tips for saving some money when you call a Plumber or Drain cleaner.
1. Familiarize your self with your plumbing system.
A. Locate your water shut off valve. Why waste money having the plumber look for it? Know where it is so you can take the plumber right to it.
B. Locate all your clean outs for the drain system. Again why waste time having a plumber looking for your clean outs. I have spent as much as 20 minutes to a half hour looking for an access to some sewer lines. Many plumbers will also charge extra if they have to pull a toilet to access the sewer line. If you do not have outside clean outs you might consider having some installed. This will reduce the risk of having damage done to your home by the plumber having to drag his sewer machine through your house and possibly spilling sewage throughout your home. Most plumbers will put drop cloths or plastic down to prevent this but accidents do happen. Installing outside cleanouts makes it easier for the plumber to access the line and he can get in and out much quicker again saving you money.
C. Know what kind of sewer system you have and how long and deep it is. You might have to call a plumber to do this, but if you do it once and archive the information the next time you call a plumber you can give him all the information on the phone so he doesn't have to play the guessing game when he comes to your house and he will know how much sewer snake to take with him. Most plumbers do carry extra snake cable but some just do not have the extra room on their trucks and have to run back to the shop to get more. This can be very costly to the customers. Here are a few suggestions on what kind of info to give the plumber when you call.
a. How long is the sewer
b. What kind of pipe are you dealing with. (clay, cast iron, schedule 40 pvc. orangeburg ect ect)
c. When was the last time it stopped up and why. Was it roots or a bad spot in the line or did someone flush something they were not suppose to such as paper towels baby wipes or feminine products.
All these suggestions will help the plumber know what kind of head he should have on his snake when he rods out the sewer line or if he should even run a snake in your line. Sometimes it is best to use a jetter rather than a snake.
d. What size line is the plumber going to deal with and what size is the clean out to access the line. Many times I have been called to a job to clear a 4 inch sewer line only to find out the the clean out access was only 3 inches.
2. Clean the area where the plumber is going to work. Nothing aggravates a plumber more than having to move a bunch of household products or equipment to get to his work area and he will charge you more for it. For example if you call the plumber for a leak under the kitchen sink, Clean out under the sink. If you call for a sewer stoppage make sure the area to the clean out is clean. Move any objects such as exercise equipment, storage boxes, plants, your cats litter box etc etc. The less the plumber has to move the faster he can get in an out hence saving him time and you money.
3. Keep a roll of plastic or drop cloths on hand. have it ready for him when the plumber gets there. why pay the plumber to put down plastic or drop cloths when you can do it yourself ? It can take a plumber as long as half an hour to 45 minutes just to prep a job to work in, If it is ready when he gets there that is money you keep in your pocket and out of mine.
4. Keep dogs and children out of the way. Don't get me wrong I love dogs and children but not when I am laying under a kitchen sink trying to fix a leak. Although they do make for funny stories at times they can cost you a lot of money. I was trying to fix a leak under a sink one time and had a 3 yr old toddler jumping on my belly like I was a trampoline while the customer watched and thought it was hilarious. Funny story I agree but it took me twice as long to get the job done
hence costing the customer twice as much. Another time i was working on unclogging a toilet and had a scottish terrier that kept hunching my leg. Yes another funny story but again it took me longer to get the job done.
Follow these instructions and they will save you money.
Tips for Home buyers.....AVOID SURPRISES!! HAVE THAT SEWER LINE INSPECTED BEFORE YOU BUY!!!
Buying a new home? Well what does sewer line look like? You pay to have a home inspector to come in check everything above ground out right? Then why not pay a plumber with a video camera come in and video the sewer line? Let me tell you why.
Many times I have been called to a sewer stoppage at 9 o'clock at night and the homeowner complains they have only been in the house for only 2 weeks and now they have to put up with this. Recently I worked on a house where we had to bust up the whole basement floor to replace the plumbing that was totally rotted out. The people had been in the house less than a month. Another time I was called on a stoppage and come to find out the next door neighbor was also tied into the same sewer line. The customer had no idea that someone else was tied into her sewer. Yet another time I was called in to video a line because the guy wanted to put a garage up and didn't want to build over his sewer line. When I went out to locate the sewer line come to find out the next door neighbor had already built a garage over his sewer line and even busted the line doing it. He had no idea his sewer line ran onto his neighbors property. The result. He had to pay to have his sewer line reran on his own property.He had been in the house less than six months.
All of these scenarios could have been avoided if the buyer had insisted on a sewer line inspection before closing on the house.
Here is a list of reasons why you should have a sewer line inspected before you buy a home.
1. You get to see the condition of the sewer line.
2. You get to know how your sewer line runs and where it ties into the main.
3. You know what kind of pipe you are dealing with.
4. You will know if you have root infestations that could cause problems in a few months.
5. You will know if the line has any low spots or offsetting joints that could cause problems down the line.
6. You will know how long the sewer line is and how deep in case you ever do have to call a plumber to work on it.
7. You can request that you get a video recording of the line to keep in your house records.
8. Most of all you will have peace of mind knowing the condition of the line.
Reasons for sewer line and toilet stoppages...
There are several reasons why you sewer line is stopping up. Most of these can be prevented but some cannot without expensive repairs.
1. Roots...This is the #1 reason that I have encountered for sewer line stoppages. Unfortunately there is no cheap way to take care of this problem. The cheapest would be to go on a preventive maintenance program and have your sewer snaked out at least once a year. Cutting a tree or extracting bushes will not take care of this problem as roots continue to grow after they are cut down. I offer several plans on this subject and you can contact me to see which would be the best for you.
2. Soap and grease... This is the 2nd reason that I encounter when going on sewer stoppages. There are a few way to avoid this and I will list them for you.
A. Garbage disposals and dishwashers are the biggest problem in a home with grease clogs in a kitchen line. Most people think that if you just scrape off your dishes in a garbage disposal and then throw them in the dishwasher you won't have any problems. Ask yourself this question. Where does the grease go? Of course it goes into your drain system and attaches itself to the sides of your drain pipe eventually building up and causing a clog. The simple solution to this is scrape off your dishes into a garbage can and wipe them with a paper towel before washing them. This is the reason I don't like and don't recommend garbage disposals and dishwashers especially if you are on a septic system rather than a city sewer line. If you have a stoppage please do not pour acids into the line. Try a plunger first if that does not work call a plumber. Nine times out of ten the acids will not work and will only upset the plumber when he comes to clear your line possibly charging you more to do the job. A simple solution although not completely effective is to boil some water in the largest pot you have and pour it down the drain at least once or twice a month. This will help melt the grease and wash it down the line. Contact me if you have any questions on this matter.
B. Powdered soaps. This is a common problem especially with the washing machine drain line. What happens is the soap does not completely dissolve and eventually builds up in your drain line and clogs up. My suggestion is to use liquid soaps. Again a simple preventive to this is to fill the washing machine with hot water with no soap and let it run through its entire cycle using only hot water. Do this at least twice a month and although I can't say your line will never stop up it could have you calling the plumber less often. Do this even if you are using liquid soap as liquid soap also does have a tendency to build up just not as quickly as powdered soap.
3. Toilet stoppages. Again there are several reasons for toilets stopping up, the main one being children. My solution to this is don't let them use the bathroom. Keep them on diapers till they are at least 10 yrs old. I am just kidding of course the key to this problem is education. Teach them that the only thing that can go into the toilet bowl is body waste and toilet paper, absolutely nothing else. If g.i. joe wants to go for a swim do it in the bathtub.
Another reason is toilet bowl cleaners that hang on the inside of the bowl. use a cleaner that goes inside the tank instead. Eventually those cleaners will end up inside your toilet bowl causing a stoppage. Yet another reason is feminine products such as tampons and kotex. I don't care what is says on the package DO NOT FLUSH THEM DOWN THE TOILET. The only thing that is to be flushed down the toilet is toilet paper and body waste. This brings up another thing. Avoid using the thick 2 and 3 ply soft tissue paper. I can't name any products by name but those thick toilet tissue do not dissolve quickly especially with the new 1.5 gallon flush toilets that we are required to use by the government these days. Also keep the toilet seat cover down to avoid dropping things such as toothbrushes, aerosol can caps. bars of soap. wash cloths etc ect you get what I am saying.
The last thing I want to mention is hard stools or bowel movements. If you have this problem contact your doctor and have him recommend a stool softener or laxitive. Although some of you might find this funny it is a common problem
4. Broken or defective sewer lines:
This is probably the least but still very common reason for sewer stoppages. There could be several reasons for this from ground settlement to bad installations. the best way to diagnose this problem is with a video inspection of you sewer line. If you have had a history of sewer problems I recommend getting the line video inspected by a qualified and licensed plumber.
Any questions please free to contact me and I will try to answer any questions you may have.