A Blog About Clogs in Oklahoma City
Clogged drains are a common Oklahoma City home plumbing issue, occurring when hair, waste, or food products-depending on the use of the drain-get stuck in the pipe, stopping water or waste from draining. You can deal with some clogs on your own, but for serious issues, you may need to call in a professional Oklahoma City plumber.
One day, your shower, toilet, or kitchen sink is working just fine. The next, you take a shower, use the restroom, or wash the dishes and you’re left with dirty water that just won’t drain - or worse, is overflowing from the basin. What happened? Most likely, the drain is clogged with solid material-hair in the shower, waste and paper in the toilet, or food in the kitchen sink. Clogs start small but can get nasty fast, especially if you don’t deal with them in a timely fashion. There are a number of DIY fixes for minor drain clogs, but if you’ve exhausted your options or the problem is severe, you’ll need to call a professional Oklahoma City plumber.
DIY Fixes
You can attack a clogged drain head-on using a standard plunger. Fill the basin with enough water to cover the plunger head, and then place the plunger over the affected drain so that it creates a seal. Pump the plunger up and down rapidly, forcing water in and out of the drain, and then pop it off to break the seal. Repeat, if necessary. This should loosen and flush away minor clogs. If plunging several times fails to loosen the blockage, purchase a chemical drain opener and use it as directed on the package. Be aware, however, that the caustic agents in chemical drain openers can actually harm some fixtures. If a plunger and a full container of drain opener don’t do the trick, it might be time to bring in an expert.
What the Pros Do
Professional Oklahoma City plumbers have an array of tools in their arsenal to fight clogs. One of the most basic is the drain snake, also known as a drain auger. Plumbers spiral this long, flexible cable down into the pipe until it reaches the clog, displacing it. A more modern piece of plumbing technology is the hydro-jet, which is designed to blast through and eradicate pipe blockages. While a drain snake is generally effective on basic clogs, hydro-jetting can get rid of years of accumulated sludge inside your pipes.
Preventative Measures
Most Oklahoma City plumbing systems will need occasional maintenance and professional drain cleaning, but you can take steps to decrease the frequency of clogged drains. In the kitchen, avoid pouring cooking grease down the drain, as it can accumulate and harden inside the pipe. If you have a garbage disposal, always flush it with water to keep food from sticking to the pipe. In the bathroom sink and shower, use drain stoppers or strainers to keep hair and other materials from going down the drain. Only flush items down the toilet that are labeled “flushable.” Anything else may clog the plumbing. And finally, always address minor clogs before they become complete blockages. When you notice your water draining more slowly than usual, especially if it gets a little worse each day, it’s time to take action.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Penny_Q_Jones
If you are looking for a professional Oklahoma City plumbing company, then please call us today at 405-802-7769 or complete our online request form.
Drain Training in Oklahoma City
While setting up a bathtub in your Oklahoma City home, one of the crucial steps that need to be undertaken is to set up a bathtub drain. There are three types of tubs available in the market and installation of a bathtub drain is common to all of them. These are tubs set on legs, tubs set on a base and a built-in tub. The bathtub drain kit comes in a variety of finishes, chrome, bronze, nickel and brass. You will need to do some preparation. If you have an existing bath tub, remove the plaster and drywall. For a new bathtub setup, you will need to assemble the following tools.
- Glue
- Plumber’s putty
- Drain assembly
- Trap pipe
- Swivel connector with washers
- Screwdriver
- Pliers
Step 1: Bathtub
The bathtub should be installed and put in place in your Oklahoma City bathroom.
Step 2: Fix Drain
Take the drain assembly, remove nuts and washers from it and put the plumber’s putty under the rim of the drain. After doing this, the drain rim should be put under the drain hole. It should be held firmly for some time.
Step 3: Fix Gasket and Nuts
The rubber gasket on the bathtub should be put on the part that hooks to the tub. Slide the nut and washer onto the overflow pipe as well as the drain shoe. A drain T-fitting needs to be put on the overflow pipe. Connect the drain and overflow pipes to the drain T-fitting. Tighten the nuts with pliers. While doing this, care should be taken that too much pressure is not applied.
Step 4: Connect the Trap
A drain T-fitting needs to be put on the overflow pipe. The drain and overflow pipes need to be connected with the drain T-fitting and the nuts need to be tightened with pliers. The trap on the plastic pipe needs to be pulled down far enough so that the tailpiece can be fitted onto the bottom of the T-fitting. During this process, ensure that the connections are made evenly and fittings are not used in the wrong position. The pipes should also have been measured to the correct size.
Step 5: Tailpiece
A thin coat of pipe joint compound needs to be applied to the threads on the tailpiece. This needs to be fitted into the T-fitting on the trap pipe.
Step 6: Nuts and Washers
Slip the nut and washer onto the tailpiece. These need to be tightened appropriately.
Step 7: Trip Waste and Stopper
Connect the trip waste by feeding the linkage into the overflow tube opening in the tub. In case of a pop-up plug, the trip lever should be left open. In case of a plunger, the drain screen should be put over the drain.
Step 8: Check and Test
There should be no loose connections. All the connections should be reinforced with glue. There should be no leakages. Check and test by filling the bathtub with water and then draining it.
Should you encounter any difficulties, call your Oklahoma City plumber to complete the job easily and efficiently.
Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/bathtub-drain-installation#ixzz1ur9z9FZ3
If you are looking for a professional Oklahoma City plumbing company, then please call us today at 405-802-7769 or complete our online request form.
How Often Should You Have Your Oklahoma City Drains Professionally Cleaned?
If you want to keep your drains clean and working, regular drain cleaning is a must. For sewer lines and basement drains and other bigger drains, your Oklahoma City professional plumber recommends regular inspections approximately once every two to three years depending on the proximity of typical clogging culprits like roots and the age of the system. It will greatly help you to ensure the longevity of your drains and drain pipes.
Drains can become clogged for many reasons most often due to an accumulation of things like grease, hair, scale and dirt.
The most common remedy used by Oklahoma City homeowners for attempting to unclog drains is the chemical drain cleaners. Most homeowners see it as the most convenient way to relieve clogged pipes. This method just requires that you pour a solution down the drain and leave it alone for a while. Please be advised this method poses many health risks for anyone who uses it. Chemical drain openers are very corrosive by nature and present the risk of damage to any part of the skin or the body that will come in contact with it. The fumes from these chemicals are very potent and can cause severe damage to the respiratory tract. This damage to the respiratory tract can be permanent and can happen easily without you realizing it.
An emergency drain cleaning situation is a nightmare for most Oklahoma City homeowners. Your main sewer line can also become clogged from debris the other household drains wash into it and also by tree roots that penetrate pipe joints from the surrounding soil. Of course, if there is a recurring issue with one of the smaller drains in the house, like a toilet or a garbage disposal, this could be a sign of a more troublesome blockage in the sewer line that needs immediate professional attention.
Like many other things today, drain cleaning technology has also become state-of-the-art and highly efficient. High pressure water jetting equipment sometimes is needed for your home, but more often for commercial businesses and municipalities and isn’t owned by many drain cleaning businesses. Because the equipment is so expensive and potentially dangerous to use, it’s important to find a professional OklahomaCity plumber that has a good reputation, professional workers, and fair prices.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sybil_Richardson
