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 plumbing 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.
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 plumbing 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 plumbing 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.
Fat, oil, and grease can clog treatment systems, wastewater collection, septic tanks, holding tanks, and grease traps. Blockages cause water to overflow from holding tanks, leading to sewage spills. This can result in serious problems like property damage, environmental pollution, and health hazards. Restaurants that dispose of animal- and vegetable-based oil and grease wastes also contribute to this problem.
Institutions producing grease should ensure maximum control in order to evade these problems. In addition to damaging wastewater treatment, hazardous materials like mold and bacteria can enter the environment through the air and may lead to health problems once inhaled.
Winds transport untreated fat, oil and grease (FOG) materials to the environment. Untreated FOG materials can also attract pests like cockroaches, mice, and rats.
Disposal of FOG materials without treatment leads to their accumulation in pipelines. This makes it difficult to transport wastes to drainage lines, as they tamper with the smooth flow. Companies that dispose of large amounts of waste may be forced to stop their activities if blockage by FOG materials is not attended to urgently.
Grease causes serious problems, thus it needs serious attention. Below are some methods of effective grease control.
Establishment of Grease Arrestors
Arrestors are compact and lightweight and can be installed in existing or new facilities. They can be placed anywhere to help reduce disposal. They have an advantage over concrete ones because they are portable. Also, they are built with polythene and thermal plastics, which are anticorrosive. Devices like these are used in grease-cleaning facilities and to trap other chemical pollutants. Contact us for information to on the use of arrestors and how they can help your business.
Establishment of Dosing Systems
This method is widely used in companies that deal with water treatment or use disinfected water. It makes sense for companies to invest in their own dosing systems. This device is easy to handle and install. Its maintenance cost is also low, which adds to its appeal.
Oil Grease Separator Device
This device prevents oil and other greasy wastes from mixing with sewer and stormwater. These machines help reduce problems that may arise due to contamination. Drain King advises companies to purchase these machines online to ensure they receive correct pricing and find the best dealers in the market.
Cleaning Sewers
Sewer cleaning is also another effective grease-control method. This helps to restore and maintain hydraulic capacity, thus preventing blockage or spills. Blockage can also occur after the sewers are cleaned, due to the nature of residential, industrial, or commercial discharges. Most cities keep records of performance at high-problem areas to ensure close supervision.
Cleaning of sewers is costly and resource-intensive. Therefore, if not performed consistently, it may not prevent all grease in these areas. In areas where cleaning is done at short intervals, extra effort might be needed to control the source of the problems. These efforts may include replacement of broken sections of sewer pipes or inspecting grease-removing equipment.
Today, let’s talk about proactive drain care maintenance. I know—it’s not the most glamorous topic, and you might be thinking, “I’ve run my business for years without a single drain issue. Why worry now?” If that’s the case, it’s easy to see why proactive drain maintenance might not feel like a priority.
But here’s the truth: the aftermath of a full-scale sewer backup can be devastating for a business—and it’s entirely preventable.
When a plumbing issue arises, the costs go far beyond the price of repairs. A backed-up drain or burst pipe doesn’t just damage furniture and drywall—it can seriously tarnish your reputation. Customers might wonder if your sudden closure was due to a health violation or something equally alarming. Worse, if they find out it was a sewer backup, will they trust you enough to return?
Even loyal customers don’t always come back immediately. Habits change, and your business could face weeks—or months—of slower revenue as you try to rebuild trust. Add to that the potential loss of employee morale, salaries paid for downtime, and the struggle to retain staff, and the ripple effects of a plumbing failure can feel endless.
The reality is that plumbing failures are a leading cause of business downtime, especially in industries like hospitality. Studies show that 25% of downtime in this sector is caused by plumbing issues—and these problems take the longest to repair. Without a proper maintenance plan, minor issues can escalate into emergencies that require significant time, money, and effort to resolve.
This is why proactive maintenance matters. With Drain King, you can avoid the chaos and expense of unexpected shutdowns. Our professional maintenance services are designed to keep your plumbing system in top condition, identifying and addressing potential problems before they spiral out of control.
We work on your schedule, inspecting and cleaning drains during non-business hours to minimize disruption. This proactive approach saves money, reduces repair costs, protects your reputation, and keeps your business running smoothly.
You wouldn’t drive on bald tires or ignore a flickering light in your store—so why take chances with your plumbing system? Drain King ensures your drains are clean, your systems are functioning, and your business is protected from costly interruptions.
Take the proactive step today and save money by preventing tomorrow’s emergencies. With Drain King, you’ll operate with confidence, knowing your business is safeguarded against the unexpected.
