Chances are, you’ve had the misfortune to encounter a drain clog at some point in your life. If this happens in the shower, you’re left standing in a pool of dirty water. And if a drain clog occurs in a sink, even a small task like brushing your teeth becomes quite a chore. A lot of the time, homeowners rush out to buy anything that will make the clog disappear, including plungers and drain cleaning liquids.
While plungers are a great way to knock clogs loose from the drain and send them down the pipes, blockage further away from the drain opening may be too far for a household plunger. And chemical drain cleaning solutions are not safe for your pipes and are toxic to humans. Professional drain cleaning is the way to go for a particularly tough clog, using tools that won’t harm your pipes and take care of any type of obstruction. Let’s take a look at some of this equipment.
Small Drain Augers
For some clogs, a plumber will simply insert a drain auger into the drain opening in order to pull out the clog. These are long pieces of metal or plastic with a rigid or coiled end that will latch onto most types of clogs.
Large Motorized or Hand-Cranked Drain Snakes
Drain clogs that are located deep down in the pipes can affect multiple drains. Most plumbers are also equipped with large drain augers (or drain snakes) that can be fed through the pipes either via a crank or automatically with a motor. These may have a coiled end for clog removal, or additional detachable components. A plumber may decide to switch out the coiled end for a sharp tool to try and break up tougher clogs like tree roots and send them down the pipes.
Video Pipe Inspection
One of the most important pieces of equipment that professionals use is video pipe inspection. Before a plumber can begin to decide which type of tool to use, they must know the location and type of blockage. Technicians feed a long wire with a fiber optic camera at the end so they can view a live feed and decide on an appropriate course of action.
Looking for a quality plumber in Olympia? Call Brooks Plumbing for thorough professional drain cleaning services.
