What is storm sewer jetting? Jetting is a system that uses high-speed and high-pressure water to clear blockages and to clean pipes. Water is pumped through a high-PSI hose with heavy-duty tips attached. A gallon of water is pumped through per minute at a tremendous pressure.
Jetting can be used on sewer lines, septic lines, storm drains, drain fields, and pretty much any line that may be blocked. This is also very useful for restaurants and grease traps. Jetting will cut through grease, roots, and sand and provide a good flow. Jetting helps keep the lines clean and extends the life of the pipes by preventing buildup, which causes corrosion and breaks. This system also helps property owners avoid the need to have lines excavated and pumped out or replaced due to breakage.
Pumping a storm drain, sewer, or other lines involves a more intensive process. Lines must first be excavated, then a pump is brought in, connected to the lines, and operated. The pump is used to clear the blockage, get rid of excess water, or clean out the septic system or sewer. Numerous types of pumps are available, each suited to different jobs.
One of more common pumps is the sump pump, which is used to remove water from basements or areas where gravity isn’t sufficient to ease water flow. These are commonly used after a place has flooded or during mining, to keep water out of the pit. A sewer pumps is another type, which is brought in when a sewer backs up or needs to be emptied.
Both systems work and both have pros and cons, but if a person is trying to decide which system to use on a regular basis to keep the lines in shape and clean, Drain King recommends the jetting system. Although a jetting system may seem like a large investment for an hour of labor, it is preferable to having the yard excavated to get to the pipes and the need to bring in heavy equipment. The choice ultimately comes down to the needs of the job. Contact the professionals at Drain King to discuss these options and let us make dealing with your drain service issues a little easier.
Sewers and drains are important parts of a building structure. While drains are easier to maintain and clean, sewers require more time and money when they clog. Sewers are installed deep underground, so most likely, you will not think of them unless they have become a problem.
What are the Signs of a Clogged Sewer?
Toilets –Typically, toilets are designed to flow into the most direct path to the sewer, so if there is a problem in your sewer pipes, you will probably encounter difficulties in flushing them. Water backing up when flushing is a sure sign of a sewer problem. The flushed water cannot go down the drain when the sewer pipes are clogged.
Kitchen Sink/Tub Drain–If you run water in the sink or bathtub and can see bubbles or the water is draining slowly, chances are your drains or sewers are clogged.
Nasty Smell–Collected water from overflowing, hidden drains emits a foul odor. Sometimes, you will first notice the odor before you even realize you have a sewer problem.
Common Causes of Clogged Sewers and Drains
Collapsed/Broken Sewer Lines
Collapsed or broken sewer lines can cause blockage. Sewer lines break due to old age, presence of large roots, structural settings, and soil movement. Our drain service professionals can discover the cause by inserting a rodding machine or inspection camera along the sewer lines.
Grease/Oil Deposits
Grease and oil deposits are the most common cause of blocked sewer lines. Some people believe that it is okay to pour greasy substance down the sink or toilet as long as you follow it up with hot water. While grease flows into the sewer lines as liquid, it will solidify as it cools down, causing blockage over time.
Hair
Blocked drains in the bathroom or tub are usually caused by fallen hairs. Hairs sit in the pipes and accumulate over time, blocking the flow of water. As preventive maintenance, you can use a filter that will trap fallen hair particles before they enter the drain system.
Bath Salts
Bath salts have become popular and are widely used, but these products do not dissolve. When they go down the drain, they will accumulate and cause problems.
Improper Wastes
Sanitary sewer lines are specifically fabricated to accept human wastes. Other items such as paper towels, feminine sanitary pads, condoms, diapers, baby wipes, dental floss, and solid food particles can cause blockage when flushed down the toilet or sink. Foods such as rice and pasta expand as they absorb water from the pipes and may cause blockage.
As a property owner, you will experience clogs or sewer blockage at some point in time. When this happens, it is recommended that you call on experts like Drain King who have the skills and experience to solve the worst drainage and sewer problems. You might be tempted to fix the problem yourself, but improper handling of store-bought cleaning products may cause more harm than good. Some can even damage your esophagus when inhaled.
It's a terrible feeling to hop into the shower, turn the water on, and see a slow trickle dribble out of the shower head. It's even worse when you try to rinse the soap from your body or shampoo from your hair and have to scrub vigorously to get it all out. Drain technicians refer to this phenomenon as low flow; homeowners might call it low water pressure or a major inconvenience. There are several ways to fix this problem. While most require the aid of a technician, all of them will guarantee an invigorating shower and a strong torrent of water from every faucet.
If you notice low pressure from only one faucet or shower, the problem is most likely mineral buildup in the aerator-- that little screen covering the end of the faucet. It's easy to remove. Once you've unscrewed it, check to see if the water pressure improves. If it does, all you need to do is give the aerator a thorough cleaning and put it back on. If the pressure is still low, the problem is farther down the pipes.
If the problem lies with multiple faucets, there may be mineral buildup in the pipes that restricts the flow of water. Over time, those deposits can collect to the point that only a trickle of water can flow through the pipes. This is where a professional Drain King technicians can help you. If it's just mineral buildup, the pipes can be water-jetted and easily cleared. If the pipes are rusty or have rusted through in spots, they will likely have to be replaced. This is especially true in older homes. If the flow problem is not caused by buildup of pipe gunk, there may be a leak or an obstruction farther down the line that is preventing maximum water flow. This is also a job for a licensed technician.
Some pressure issues can cause low water flow indoors. The city may be delivering water at a pressure lower than 40 psi or, if you've recently done some drain service repairs, the shutoff valves may not have been fully reopened. Both of these situations can be tested by checking the water pressure with a pressure gauge, sold at most hardware stores. Reopening a shutoff valve is easy; convincing the city to boost water pressure is not. You may need to install a pressure booster inside your house, but this can require city permits and inspections, so it's best left to a professional technician.
Another common pressure issue lies with the pressure regulator. When a pressure regulator fails, it can either send huge amounts of water indoors or decrease the flow to practically nothing. Luckily, it is easy for a technician to replace, and in no time, you'll be back to the perfect water pressure and rate of flow that makes for the happiest (and cleanest!) of showers.
If you are involved in a food business such as a restaurant, café, or hotel, you are probably aware that you have to prevent grease from entering the sewer system after exiting your establishment’s sink and drainage. By law, all commercial kitchen areas in the U.S. are required to have grease traps installed to prevent this from happening.
A grease trap, also known as a grease interceptor, is part of the drain service structure designed to prevent grease and other food-waste materials from entering a septic system or sewer. Without it, grease and oily substances will congeal, form a solid mass, and cause blockage, which may lead to burst pipes. Damages caused by grease blockage can be very costly and taxing. That is why law requires installations of grease traps in establishments where a huge amount of grease is used.
Different types of grease traps are available, depending on how your business operates. These include single-tank traps, double-walled tanks, solid interceptors, oil-water separators, and above-ground interceptors. There are slight differences in how each type works, but they all perform the same basic function, to separate fat, oil and grease from water and solid-food waste. Imagine taking a pail of cold water and pouring in oil. The oil will float to the top of the pail and solidify.
This is how a grease trap works. From the drain, it captures the untreated water (water with grease, oil and other solid-food wastes) and deposits it into the grease-trap tank. This tank acts as a reservoir and holds the wastewater and food that passes through the trap. Solid-food wastes, being the heaviest, drop to the bottom. As the greasy substances harden, they float to the top of the tank, displacing the liquid at the middle. A tube fitting is attached to the tank, allowing the liquid to flow into the sewer or sanitary system. Some grease traps are designed to have a second tank to trap additional grease that may have escaped through the first tank, and the same process is repeated.
Like any other equipment, grease traps need to be properly cleaned out so they work as intended. Over time, it is possible to develop clogs in the flowing line (both ingoing and outgoing) and crossover tube, even if the grease-trap tank is not full.
If you have any technical issues with your grease interceptor, contact the manufacturer or hire a Drain King professional to test for and repair any malfunctions. Alternatively, a full grease trap is no longer capable of filtering any grease or solid food. You can either call the manufacturer or hire us to empty the contents of the tank and restore its operative capacity.
Common grease-trap maintenance expenses include drain snaking, power jetting, and line jetting. Maintenance is needed when drain service between the drain, grease traps, or sewer gets blocked with grease deposits. These deposits are removed by forcing water down the pipes with high pressure to push the grease out with power-jetting or line-jetting procedures.
Let's talk about inflammable waste traps. They are a part of your sewer septic system, designed to intercept and trap inflammable materials so they don't flow into sewer lines, creating a dangerous, explosive mixture. These materials are held in a large, leak-proof steel basin. Sediment settles, and inflammable waste rises, so the leftover wastewater can be safely discharged to a sewer-treatment facility. From time to time, the inflammable waste buildup needs to be safely removed and disposed of, and that's when Drain King can help.
So what is inflammable waste? Since inflammable means "capable of being set on fire," it could be matter in any of its forms ‑ solid, liquid, or gas (vapor). It can be the by-product of a manufacturing process or a discarded commercial product. Examples include, but are not limited to: waste ethanol, methanol, hexane, acetic acid, acetone, motor oil, paints and solvents, aerosols, and cleaning agents. Inflammable waste is characterized by its flash point (the lowest temperature at which a particular organic compound gives off sufficient vapor to ignite in air) of less than 60 C (140 F).
Great care needs to be taken when handling such volatile compounds, to prevent the risk of explosion and/or environmental contamination. In the early 1900s, long before such contaminants were regulated, serious explosions were a regular problem for industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Boston, and New York. In a single year, these three cities suffered six explosions caused by gasoline vapor, resulting in many deaths and severe injuries, as well as physical damage to the sewer lines, buildings, and streets.
Inflammable waste traps may be installed above or below ground. While tanks should be constructed of a leak-proof material, it is important to have them regularly inspected to make sure the waste is fully contained. It is imperative that underground tanks be accessible at ground level for waste removal and inspection. Consider installing an audio and visual alarm that will detect waste levels and alert you when the tank reaches 75 percent of its total capacity. If you choose not to install an alarm, we can manually measure your liquid levels on a monthly basis to gauge the rate of fill. Inflammable waste traps that are not cleaned regularly may allow oils and other chemicals to leak into a septic or sewer system, contaminating wastewater and causing costly cleanup and disposal.
The professionals at Drain King have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to safely and correctly dispose of all types of inflammable waste. Trust us to do your job right the first time.
Does your home or office suffer from noisy pipes? While different noises can come from your drain service system, and no system will ever be completely silent, if you mainly hear the sound when you turn on the water, the pipes are probably loose somewhere and hitting against something.
Banging pipes are much easier to fix when they are visible, but in most cases pipes are located in the walls. To find the source of the noise, you should follow these steps.
Go to each faucet, turn on the water and look for any movement or shaking. If you find movement, place padding or foam insulation at each end where the pipe comes out of the wall or goes under the home or business. This added insulation should stop the noise.
Unfortunately, the noise may continue, and you may need to go under the house or access pipes behind walls. You may need to examine them to make sure the U-clamp, or strap holding the pipe, is not loose, allowing the pipe to hit the wall.
To eliminate the noise, you will need to strap the pipe back down and add some insulation between the wall and the pipe. This can include a piece of rubber, foam, or anything that will not wear down with the movement of the pipe when the water is turned on.
As you anchor or strap your pipes down, it is important to remember to allow for some movement. Pressure and temperature changes will cause pipes to expand and contract, and you do not want to cause a pipe to break because it is secured too tightly.
Should the knocking sound only happen when you turn on the hot water, then you only need to turn down your hot water heater, as it is set too high.
Additionally, if the banging sound is happening at an older home or business, check to make sure you have a water-pressure regulator and make sure your water pressure is not set too high. High water pressure is wasteful and can also cause damage to your appliances, including dishwashers, icemakers, washing machines, and other water-supplied appliances.
If problems persist after you’ve taken these steps, contact Drain King for assistance.
