Common Causes of Clogged Drains
There are two types of blockage that cause nasty clogged drains in Fort Worth: soft and hard. Hard blockage includes larger debris such as toys, rocks, and roots that end up inside lines and bring flow to a standstill until you hire Fort Worth drain cleaning services.
Soft blockage grows over time. This waste accumulation is created by soap scum, minerals, and other scummy materials. Stopping soft blockage altogether is impossible, but you can reduce its effects by keeping other harmful materials out of your system. Dumping hot oils and dirty mop water down your kitchen sink will create problems for you down the line.
Common causes of Fort Worth clogged drains include:
- Congealed fats, oils, and grease that coat the inside of pipes and solidify, leaving a sticky coating that accumulates debris
- Big clumps of hair
- Paper towel, tissues, feminine hygiene products, and baby wipes—even “flushable” wipes, which are not actually flushable
- Food scraps—waste that can turn into a sand-like texture or create snags for more blockage, such as coffee grounds and eggshells, are a particular problem
- Dirt, gravel, and soil
- Dental floss and personal hygiene products
- Tree roots—even trees that aren't on your property can have far-reaching roots that wrap themselves around your pipes, cracking them open and then growing inside
- Shifting soil near buried pipes, caused by landscaping changes, heavy construction nearby, earth tremors, or soil erosion
What To Expect From Expert Drain Cleaning in Fort Worth, TX
Thorough cleaning services performed by an experienced plumber are comprehensive and restorative. There are two key objectives of this routine maintenance. The first is completely clearing your pipes and eradicating any build-up, so your plumbing works flawlessly. The second is protecting you against future problems by removing and repairing large obstructions or damage. Plumbers use specialized equipment to accomplish these objectives successfully. Before any cleaning services take place, it’s important to thoroughly inspect your drains for age, material and condition.
Plumbing Diagnosis and Inspection
This is the key first step for most cleaning services. Fort Worth drain cleaning technicians will spend time evaluating the state of your existing plumbing and looking for hidden issues or potential drain problems before starting any work. This involves the use of a high-tech sewer video camera and other advanced inspection and leak detection methods.
With camera video inspections, a small camera with an LED light is attached to a flexible cable and lowered into your pipe. Your plumber then maneuvers the camera through the pipe, recording footage of the interior, so you can see what is happening inside your sewer drain. This technology avoids the need to cause damage by digging a trench in the lawn or cutting your walls open.
When the footage is played back, your plumber will interpret it to uncover the nature and location of the problem, or to confirm that the cleaning was successful and your sewer lines are now in good condition. If you’re thinking of selling your house in the near future, having proof of clean wastewater pipes can be an excellent selling point to convince prospective buyers.
Professional Drain Cleaning Tools
If you have stubborn clogs and other foreign objects that need to be cleared, plumbers will use tools like powered augers that have been specifically designed to deal with difficult plumbing problems without causing any damage. They are particularly effective for clearing blockages formed by clumps of hair and similar material. Our plumbing experts also have access to advanced equipment for other tasks that may become a priority during a drain cleaning appointment or plumbing inspection, including slab leak detection, trenchless sewer line repair, and many more dependable plumbing services in Fort Worth.
HydroScrub® Jetting
Hydro jetting equipment blasts debris off pipe walls and pushes it out of your system with pressurized water jets that unclog drains and leave nothing in their wake. With at least 1,500 psi (pound-force per square inch) of pressure, they're strong enough to cut away tree roots! For comparison, a typical faucet delivers pressures of about 40 to 60 psi.
As an added bonus, hydro jetting services don’t just get rid of clogs. Because it scours the inside of your pipes clean, it makes it a lot more difficult for clogs to form up again right away because they have nothing to cling to. That means you avoid experiencing issues with your drain pipes for years to come. This tool also extends the lifespan of your sewer lines, so you don't need pipe repair or replacement any time soon.