Everyone is familiar with commercial chemical drain cleaners sold in any supermarket or hardware store, designed to get rid of stubborn clogs and backups. Those cleaners tend to be universal and adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, which actually doesn’t work very well for any but the mildest clogs. For plumbers here in Irvine, drain cleaning solutions can treat a wide variety of problems, and not all of those solutions involve chemical cleansers. Indeed, most plumbers prefer to use alternate methods of cleaning the drains that are less overtly caustic. Here’s a short list of the different types of drain cleaning solutions used by plumbers.
- Snakes. Snakes are also available to the public, but as with chemical cleaners, the store-bought models tend to be one size fits all. Plumbers, on the other hand, often use mechanized snakes that bring power to the equation that hand-cranked snakes don’t. They also use snakes with rotating heads that can be adjusted to match the exact nature of the clog.
- Hydro-jetting. Hydro-jetting is a method by which the plumber fires bursts of water under incredibly high pressure down the pipes. It’s a thorough and very efficient means of clearing up the clogs, and has the benefit of affecting the entire length of pipe, not just the spot that’s causing the back-up. Hydro-jetting requires professional training to use correctly, but it’s safe and effective.
- Video inspection. This isn’t strictly a solution, but it definitely helps the plumber get a better sense of the problem. He or she sends a tiny video camera down the pipe, attached to a flexible rod. It allows him or her to ascertain the exact nature of the clog, and then choose the solution that fits it the best.
Here at Saddleback Plumbing, we’re well versed in drain cleaning solutions used by plumbers, and we know how to deploy them with skill and care. If you live in Irvine, drain cleaning solutions need to do the job right, not just adopt a single tactic to what can be a surprisingly complex problem. Give us a call today to make an appointment with our plumbers in Irvine, CA and let us get rid of that clog for good!