Toronto Plumbers Blog: drain pipes

Chemical concentrations, food product buildup and grease accumulation are the most common causes of drain clogs in Toronto homes. At their worst, these clogs require professional cleaning, or even repairs, which may not be possible given certain budgets or plumbing systems.

In the best-case scenario, however, you may be able to eliminate these clogs with several at-home methods and tools, before the need to contact a professional Toronto plumber ever arises. In this article, we’ve compiled the most effective, DIY drain cleaning techniques homeowners can use to mitigate the effects of clogs, and return their drain pipes to top performance.

Hot Water Could Do the Trick

Often overlooked due to its simplicity, sometimes a simple hot water cleanse could be all your clogged or dirty drains need to return to peak performance. Flushing your drain pipes with hot water can often dislodge clogged materials and buildup gunk, through a simple combination of water pressure, force and heat.

For the best results, try running hot water through your clogged or dirty drains for about 15 minutes. If all goes accordingly, the bare heat and force of the water will dislodge any buildups affecting your drain, and return your pipes to optimal working condition at no cost to you. As this flush requires nothing other than a working faucet, it’s the simplest potential drain cleaning techniques you can do.

Use Tools You Already Have

Other simple techniques you may not have considered for cleaning your drains can be done with tools you already own; before going out and purchasing DIY drain cleaning tools, or calling a professional Toronto plumber to assess your drains, try using these tools to perform easy, quick drain pipe fixes.

Your plunger; the bathroom plunger you already own may be the perfect solution for your clogged or poorly performing drains. Even more effective for sink drains are specialized sink plungers, which feature optimized designs ideal for sink applications.

Whichever plunger you have on hand, the technique for clearing a drain is essentially the same: just cover the entire drain opening with the plunger, and press back and forth in a continuous, fluid motion for about 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t jam the plunger down with excess force or speed. It’s the steady buildup of pressure from fluid motions that can remove significant pipe clogging.

Also, if the fixture in question is equipped with an overflow vent (such as those on most conventional sinks, which prevent overflows), be sure to cover these vents beforehand; otherwise, all the air and pressure you force into the drain will escape, rendering your efforts meaningless.

One way to get the best seal over a drain opening is by applying petroleum jelly to the rim of the plunger; this jelly temporarily seals your plunger to the fixture, preventing an air from escaping.

Home-made Liquid Cleaners

When the above techniques are impractical, or otherwise don’t work in your unique situation, you may want to try clearing your drains with homemade mixture solutions. Like commercial, chemical cleaners, these solutions can break down and dislodge any drain pipe buildup affecting your pipes; however, unlike commercial cleaners, these solutions do not come with the risk of pipe damage or deterioration after extended use.

The most common of these at-home mixtures is a simple vinegar and baking soda concoction; these products, which you may already have in your home pantry, react when combined to break down loose materials within pipes, and have no effects on the structure of the surrounding pipe walls.

Pour one cup of each down your drain pipes, and follow it after a short, 3 to 5 minute time-span with boiling water. If all goes well, this drain cleaning technique will remove any clogging in your drains, for a fraction of the price and danger risk of commercial chemical cleaners.

Use a Drain Snake for DIY Plumbing Service

One tool you may not have handy yet, but should if clogged drains or gunk accumulation are a common problem in your home, is a plumber’s drain snake. These tools are what professional plumbers typically use to relieve standard clogs and excavate drain pipes, and can be found at your local home improvement store for an affordable price (roughly $25 to $50) that can return on its investment after a single use.

While you may think these tools can only be properly used by the pros, Toronto homeowners have increasingly begun using snaking techniques to clear their own drains. DIY drain snaking techniques are as simple as 1-2-3:

Begin by feeding the snake through your drain pipes, turning the handle clockwise until you encounter resistance
Rotate the snake against the blockage, so the snake latches onto the clogged materials
Pull the snake from your drain slowly, removing the clogged material, and reassemble your drain cover

Just like that, your drains clog problems can be entirely eliminated without the need to contact a Toronto professional for help.

Sugared Sodas and Drain Clogs

This drain cleaning trick is often overlooked just for its strangeness; but it’s so unconventional, it just happens to work. Soft drinks and sugary sodas, such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola products, can resolve common drain clogs much like the home-made solutions featured previously in this blog.

Significantly safer than commercial drain cleaners, like the baking soda and vinegar solutions, soda applications can break through clogged debris thanks to the dissolving agents included in these sodas; most notably, phosphoric acid. These agents, surprisingly, may even be more effective than chemical, commercial cleaners. It just goes to show, when it comes to effective drain cleaning, sometimes the unconventional solutions are the best ones out there.

Prevention Tips to Keep Your Drain Running Well

As you may expect, one of the best ways to eliminate the problems drain clogs cause is by avoiding clogging altogether. Here at Mister Plumber, we suggest performing monthly performance checks on your drains, and having a professional plumbing inspection at least once per year. By taking proactive measures, you can limit these clogs altogether, or catch them in their early stages before they develop into more severe and costly problems.

Beyond regular self- and professional inspections, simply knowing what your drains can and cannot process is one of the best ways to limit clogging. Avoid putting stringy, fibrous foods through your drains and garbage disposal, as well as food wrappers, animal bones, paper products and kitchen grease; these are the most common clog-causing agents.

If you are still looking for trusted plumber, Mister Plumber in Toronto, Etobicoke, Scarborough, North York specializing sewer repair, upgrade waterline, water service upgrade, drain cleaning, backwater valve installation, lead pipe replacement, re-piping and emergency plumbing, Mister Plumber uses the latest technology to effectively troubleshoot and quickly repair any plumbing problem and offers a fast response and free estimates.

More Info: www.misterplumber.ca

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Call a fully-licensed, bonded and insured Toronto plumber at 416 939 1530

A sump pump is like a vigilant, hardworking little robot standing sentry in your basement. When it detects rising groundwater it goes to work until the threat passes. Then it quietly stands down, expecting no thanks, and puts itself back on guard awaiting the next call to duty.

How they work

The word “sump” refers to the lowest point, which in a house is the watery pit in the basement where the pump is placed. The water level you see in the sump well represents the groundwater level around your house. When the level rises to the point set by the sensor, the pump is activated and works until the level drops below the sensor line.

There are two types of sump pumps – pedestal and submersible. A pedestal pump sits on a pedestal outside of the water collection well with a sensor dropped into the water. The submersible sump pump is self-contained and is designed to float in the water pit. A submersible pump can be expected to last anywhere from five to 15 years, while pedestal models may last twice as long.

Sump pump backups

Despite your sump pump’s determination, it is still a mechanical device that will eventually break down. Even more likely, it is dependent on electricity, which could suddenly be unavailable during a storm.

There are several things you can to to protect your pump and your Toronto home in case of emergencies:

Get a battery-powered backup: If there is a power outage or your regular pump malfunctions, the backup sump pump would kick into action – assuming you have kept its batteries charged.

Have your pump checked: Plumbers recommend that sump pumps be inspected and serviced twice a year.

Check your insurance: Talk to your agent about your existing coverage for basement flood damage. Many policies will cover losses if the sump pump fails mechanically but not in the event of a power outage. If you’re willing to pay a slightly higher premium, you can usually increase your coverage.

Where the water goes

Sump pump water is ground water, so it should not be routed into sanitary sewers. However, many homes built as recently as the 1970s do just that. Not only is this wasteful – because it puts more water than necessary into your town’s wastewater treatment plant – but it increases your risk of raw sewage backup into your home.

As your main drain ages, encroaching tree roots and other blockages gradually reduce the volume of water that can travel through the pipe at any given time. You may not notice this just flushing toilets or even running the washing machine, but a sump pump produces a much higher volume of water that rushes into your sewer in a constant flow that lasts as long as the pump’s cycle of activity.

If the sewer drain can’t handle that volume, there’s nowhere else for the excess water to go except up out of your toilets and floor drains – and now the sump water has been mixed in with sewage.

Re-routing the discharge

Disconnecting the sump pump drain from the sanitary sewer drain is an easy task for a plumber, but the greater challenge may be in finding a new direction.

If your home is close to a drainage ditch or storm sewer drain, it’s an easy decision. Don’t assume you can just route the water outside like a downspout and let it soak into the ground. Environmentally, that’s fine, but you’ll be surprised just how much water your sump pump produces each time it kicks on. You could end up creating a swamp in your back yard and make your pump work harder, because the expelled water will just seep back in.

Just as collecting rain water can be an alternative source for garden and lawn water, so too can sump pump water. But at a rate of 30 to 50 gallons per minute, your sump pump could fill up several rain barrels in a very short amount of time. And as with rain barrels, the water is produced when you don’t need it.

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If you are experience problems with your drain pipes, or would like to have a professional inspection of your home plumbing systems, contact us right away. Our service professionals can see to all of your plumbing needs. Mister Plumber in Toronto, Etobicoke, Scarborough, North York specializing sewer repair, upgrade waterline, lead pipe replacement, water service upgrade, drain cleaning, backwater valve installation, lead pipe replacement, re-piping and emergency plumbing, Mister Plumber uses the latest technology to effectively troubleshoot and quickly repair any plumbing problem and offers a fast response and free estimates.