Drain cleaning is an important plumbing process that most plumbers would recommend homeowners have a professional do periodically.

Unfortunately, many homeowners make the mistake of trying to handle chronic clogs themselves and end up doing more harm than good for their plumbing system. If you wonder whether you should schedule drain and sewer cleaning for your home, learn as much as you can about the process and about the benefits it offers.

The following are five things homeowners need to know about why they should choose a professional to do drain cleaning in their home.

1. Regular Chemical Cleaners Can Cause Extensive Damage

If you have frequent clogs in your drains, you should be aware that putting chemical drain cleaner down your drains repeatedly can create a variety of issues. Homeowners often make the mistake of neglecting professional drain cleaning while relying heavily on chemical cleaners.

Most chemical drain cleaners will simply relocate a clog further down in the pipes rather than completely remove it. In addition, chemical cleaners produce heat when they work, and this heat can cause certain pipe materials like PVC to soften. Furthermore, the chemicals in drain cleaners can cause pipes to erode prematurely and develop leaks.

2. Plumbers Reduce or Prevent Drain Clogs

The number one reason why professional drain cleanings are important is that they prevent clogs from occurring in a home’s drains.

Clogs are an annoying problem that can temporarily make a plumbing fixture unusable. Yet clogs are more than just an inconvenience. A severe clog could cause flooding in a plumbing fixture that could lead to catastrophic damage.

3. Plumbers Drain Clean at Effective Times

In the Greater Sacramento Area, a great time to for preventative drain cleanings is in the fall.  With drain cleaning in the fall, clogs and other drain problems are less likely to develop during the rainy season, especially for those yard drains.

4. Plumbers Use Video Inspections to Identify Solutions

Inspecting your sewer with special camera technology has become a routine practice when dealing with backups. Guesswork is a thing of the past thanks to video technology.

Using specialized cameras, our plumbers can efficiently pinpoint the area causing the problem. We can then provide the best option for a long term solution rather than repeated routine cleanings. While we are the best at cleaning a sewer line, once a line has been compromised by roots or damage from other normal forces of nature, it will continue to clog and require repeated cleanings until the damage is fixed

5. Plumbers Use Professional Equipment for Best Results

Homeowners might want to know what equipment the plumbers will bring into their home for drain cleaning. Drain cleaning most commonly uses a drain snake to remove clogs. A drain snake is a long cable that will encounter pipe obstructions to break them apart and wash them down the drain.

In cases where drain clogs are particularly severe, a plumber might resort to using hydro jet equipment to dislodge the clogs. Hydro jet equipment uses pressurized water to free clogs and buildup.

Hydro jetting is often the ideal solution when mineral deposit buildup have clogged pipes. If you have hard water in your home because of mineral deposits, the need for hydro jetting will be more likely.

If you’d like to learn more about drain cleaning or schedule drain cleaning for your home, contact Rapid First Plumbing to learn more.