Drain Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Los Angeles, CA and Surrounding Areas
How to Prevent a Toilet Clog
When it comes to having little kids around we’ve heard of it all going down there. Keep the lid down is more than just courtesy in a family household. Absolutely do not throw rags, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, or diapers in the toilet.
How Do I Check if I Have a Clogged or Broken Water Pipe Outside?
If you’re seeing an excessive water bill with no above average utilization chances are you’ve got a leak that needs to be addressed ASAP. Whether you hear running water without operating any sinks etc you’ll want to look into calling Piper Plumbing. We’ve got video inspection tools to find and isolate any issues in a timely fashion to stop them before they become a real problem. If you are seeing a random pool of standing water in your yard without rain that’s a glaring red flag. With our advanced high definition pipe video inspection tool we can find the exact spot of the issue and stop if before it goes any further.
How to Tell if My Toilet is Leaking
The bar far easiest way to tell if you’ve got any leaks in your toilet is just to put a couple drops of food coloring in the toilet tank and wait around 30 minutes. If you notice that there’s water coloring in the bowl then it’s time to call Piper Plumbing to avoid excessively high water bills.
Symptoms of a Clogged Drain
If water is draining unusually slow from your tub or sink there’s likely something clogging your home’s pipes. When you flush your sink or toilet and water comes back up it’s almost definitely a drain clog. If you’re hearing a gurgling sound or smelling a bad odor you probably have a drain clog. Our drain cleaning service can clean and inspect your lines for any issues.
Can I Remove Clogged Drains?
For simple drain clogs a plunger, auger, plastic plumbing hook, or shop vac are often adequate to remove clogged drains. We don’t recommend using aggressive commercial cleaners because these can really damage pipes or do further damage in situations where there’s already issues. After removing a clog use hot water and thoroughly rinse to eliminate any odors or debris.
When to Call a Plumber to Clean a Drain?
If the above situations don’t work and you frankly don’t want to waste your time or money then call Piper Plumbing. Our drain cleaning professionals will both clean and inspect your lines with a pipe video camera on a fibre optic cable to isolate any issues. You definitely don’t want to be in a situation with pungent sewer smells, recurring drain clogs or worse yet sewage in your home. If you’ve been regularly pouring aggressive drain cleaning chemicals down your drain with no success you should immediately call us. Chances are there’s a serious clog that needs to be rectified before your plumbing has permanent damage or worse leaks into your home.
How Frequently Should Drains Be Cleaned?
The frequency a home’s drain needs to be cleaned is largely conditional to the prevention of what goes down the drain, number of occupants, volume of use, and if you have persistent drain clogs. If your home is on the older side with dated plumbing, has a high incidence of drain clogs, or is in a high use situation a drain clean with complimentary inspection is warranted. We recommend a drain clean and inspection whenever you buy a new home because it could end up costing you a fortune down the road.
What Is the Best Way to Clean a Drain?
The best way to clean a drain is to prevent issues in the first place which includes drain covers/filters, cleaning off plates before going into the dishwasher, and avoid pouring fat/oil/grease down the drain.
When it comes to hair this is something an auger comes in super handy for or a simple $10 plastic plumbing tool to hook the hair and clear debris clogging the drain lines. High pressure jetting also known as hydro-jetting eliminates and pulverizes drain clogs built up in drains. All the grease, hair, debris, oil, soap, and buildup will get pressured out with hydro jetting services.