Tag Archives: rooter service

Jul '23

How to Choose the Right Sewer Rodding Service for Your Needs

Sewer-rodding is a drain-cleaning method that is highly effective for dealing with stubborn clogs and removing debris from hard-to-reach areas of the home and commercial drains. Sewer-rodding utilizes sets of flexible rods that are guided into the drain to remove the clogs.

How does sewer rodding work?

Sewer-rodding equipment comprises a sewer-rodding machine, a roll of flexible metal rods and a metal cutting head. The cutting head is attached to the end of the rod before it is inserted through a manhole, cleanout, sink opening and any opening from which the drains can be accessed.

The sewer-rodding machine feeds the rod into the drainpipe, while simultaneously spinning the cutting head to cut through any blockages inside the pipes. The size and type of cutting head used depend on the diameter of the pipe being cleaned and the severity of the clog.

Sewer-rodding works for small and large pipes in residential, commercial and industrial drain systems. You can use this method for simple jobs like cleaning a sink or shower drain and for more-complex drain-cleaning operations like clearing blockages from your main sewer line.

What are the signs that you may need a sewer rodding service?

If you are seeing any of the following signs in your home, MTD Management experts advises you should hire a sewer-rodding service:

Several drains in the home are slow at the same time
Frequent backups in your toilets, showers, or tubs
Unexpected reactions in other drains when you use the toilet, shower or dishwasher.
Sewer odors inside or around the home

Given that sewer rodding involves inserting a metal rod into your drainpipes, is it safe? Sewer-rodding is a safe method for cleaning your drains, but a lot depends on the quality of the sewer rodding service you hire. What should you do when hiring a sewer rodding service?

How to choose the appropriate sewer rodding service

How long have they been in business?

You only want to talk to companies that have been active in your locality for a long time. It is hard to remain in business in a locality where everyone knows you unless your services are good. Do your best to avoid new companies.

Licensing and certifications

Is the company licensed by the city? Is their license up-to-date? Are they recognized members of the local chapter of their professional body? What is their relationship with local suppliers and contractors?

References and reviews

One reason to limit yourself to a local service is it is easier to get information about the company. Ask the plumber for a list of recent customers; these should be people who live within the area. Also, check online reviews and ratings. Look out for negative reviews and how the company responds.

Their team and equipment

Who are the owners of the company, and what are their qualifications? How many employees do they have? Do they have more full-time staff than part-time workers, or vice-versa? Do they do background checks for their staff?

Ask about their methods

Will they physically inspect your drains before giving you an estimate for the job, or will they give you an estimate over the phone? When they visit your home, will they do a sewer camera inspection as part of their processes for assessing the problem?

Ask for a transparent estimate

Getting estimates from several companies will give you a basis for comparing different sewer-rodding services. If they are a reputable company, they should have no problems with providing an estimate. Study the estimate to see if it is comprehensive and transparent.

Are they insured and bonded?

A reputable sewer-rodding company will have enough insurance to shield you from personal liability if one of their workers is injured while working in your home. They should also have adequate property insurance to cover possible damage to your home.

Do they offer a Guarantee?

How long can you expect your drains to stay clean after sewer rodding? If there is a problem soon after the drain is cleaned, what will the company do? Will you be required to pay a second time to have the drain cleaned again? How long does the guarantee last?

Request a sample of the contract

Ask if they are willing to give you a written contract. A reputable sewer-rodding service will not have problems with this. They should also be willing to provide a sample of the contract. When you get the sample contract, look for the exit clause and what happens if something goes wrong during the job.

How responsive are they?

Pay close attention to how a sewer-rodding service responds to your questions. Are they abrupt with their answers or unwilling to provide details? Do they reply to emails and chats promptly? Do you feel comfortable talking with them?

Finally, to make it easier to hire the best sewer-rodding service, do the above steps simultaneously with at least three companies.

Dec '22

What is Sewer Line Rodding?

If you have ever heard of sewer rodding and are wondering what it is and if it is what you need for the persistent blockages in your home’s drains, then you are in the right place. This post will tell you everything you need to know about sewer rodding and when to use this drain cleaning method.

What is sewer rodding?

Sewer rodding is one of the most effective methods used by professional plumbers to clear obstructions from blocked or restricted sewer lines. As Five Star Management explains, the superiority of sewer rodding over drain-cleaning methods, like snaking, is that sewer rodding will remove the most stubborn clogs from your drainpipes.

That is because sewer rodding can access blockages deep inside the sewer, unlike some methods that only work for blockages close to the drain opening. Additionally, sewer rodding will clear away all kinds of blockage inside the pipes, whether caused by sludge or tree roots.

How does sewer rodding work?

Sewer rodding is done with a rodding machine which consists of a drum machine with flexible polypropene rods or metal cables attached to it and cutter heads of various sizes connected to the head of those rods. This line is inserted into the sewer line and used to clear blockages from the sewer line.

The drum machine is switched on after the sewer rod is passed into the drain opening. The machine then pushes the rod with the spinning blade at its end into the drainpipe until it reaches the location of the blockage. This rod is flexible enough to go through the pipes yet strong enough to remove debris.

The cutter head’s speed varies according to the kind of debris inside the sewer line. The sharp blades of the cutter head give it enough power to shear away even tree roots. The size of the cutter head used for the operation depends on the size of the pipe and the kind of blockage inside the line. Sometimes different sizes of cutter heads are used during a single operation.

The goal of rodding a sewer line is to break up the debris inside the sewer line. Once rodding is completed and the debris is broken up, water can flow freely inside the pipe and wash the loose debris out into the main sewer line. A video camera inspection is often done before rodding the sewer line.

The sewer video camera inspection allows the professional plumber to see the condition of the sewer line, pinpoint the blockage’s location, and determine what is causing the blockage. Doing a sewer camera inspection before rodding a sewer line makes rodding quicker and produces lasting results.

Advantages of sewer rodding

Sewer rodding is a flexible solution

Sewer rodding is highly versatile. It can be used in virtually any drainpipe size and for all blockages. This method works perfectly for small as well as large pipes. You can clear clogs close to the drain opening or deep inside the sewer. It works for sinks, showers, and mainline sewer pipes.

Sewer rodding is safe

Sewer rodding will not harm your sewer lines. Rodding your drainpipes will not cause any damage to the pipes. If you have fragile old pipes, you may want to use sewer rodding to clear any clogs inside them. Methods like hydro-jetting will only end up damaging already weak pipes from old age.

Sewer rodding is affordable

Sewer rodding is a cost-effective yet highly effective method for keeping drainpipes functional and healthy. Sewer rodding equipment is small enough to be used inside a small room. The procedure is often faster and more affordable than elaborate sewer cleaning methods.

Do you need sewer rodding?

Here is how to know if your home or business needs sewer rodding:

Are you dealing with stubborn drain issues that keep coming back despite your best efforts? For instance, does your home or office experience frequent sink backups or backups in the toilet? A video camera inspection can help to diagnose the problem, and sewer rodding can help you solve it.
If you have a problem with tree roots inside your sewer lines, you can solve the problem by rodding the sewer line. Short of removing the offending trees or plants, the only way to solve this problem is to regularly clean the drainpipes by rodding your sewers.
Sewer rodding is not just a method for correcting problems within the sewer line, it can be used as a preventive measure. Periodic sewer rodding offers an affordable way to keep sewer blockages at bay. Done often enough, sewer rodding can prolong the life of your sewer system.
Do you have older sewer systems, and are you experiencing persistent issues with the sewer line? Old sewer lines are fragile and easily damaged. They do not respond well to vigorous drain-cleaning methods like hydro-jetting. On the other hand, sewer rodding will gently and safely clean your old sewer lines.

Feb '22

Snaking vs Water Jetting: Which Drain Cleaning Should You Choose?

You have probably encountered this situation at least once in your life:

You know that mixture of irritation and dismay when you are standing inside the shower in your home with your feet half-buried in dirty bathwater. You are almost halfway through your usual routine of taking a shower, but this time something about the experience is different. The water washing down your body is collecting around your feet, instead of washing down the drain.

This problem doesn’t only happen in the shower, you can also have the same issue with your kitchen sink. But the worst kind of drain clog to experience in the home is with the toilet. You remember that disgusting feeling of looking into the dirty water swirling inside the toilet bowl, as it slowly increases in volume with revolting human waste floating on its surface.

Clearly, when you have these kinds of problems, you know your toilet or shower drain is clogged but what is the best way to solve the problem? If you are the typical homeowner, you will have a drain snake somewhere in the home. Your initial reaction will be to try to clear the blockage with the snake. Landlords usually do this too when they receive complains from tenants. But before you do that, you may want to read the rest of this post.

When to Use a Drain Snake and Why

A drain snake is one of the simplest tools for unclogging a drain. The beauty of drain snakes is they are easy to use and mostly don’t require a source of power. All that is needed is to pass the snake into the opening of the drain and prod or twist until the water starts flowing again. But in spite of their simplicity, drain snakes have certain flaws.

The problem with using a drain snake

The chief limitation of a drain snake is you can only use this method for clogs that are very close to the drain opening.
Secondly, drain snakes are completely ineffective for removing certain types of drain clogs. For instance, if the material clogging the drain is sludge or some kind of slurry a drain snake will not solve the issue. The most it can do is poke a hole in the blockage.
A drain snake can worsen the clog by pushing the obstruction further into the drain or jamming it tighter, thus making it harder to remove.
Using a drain snake can damage your pipes. If you push too hard with a drain snake you can weaken the joints in your drainpipes or even punch a hole in the pipe.

When should you use a drain snake?

Use a drain snake if:

The clog is not recurring. It is not a problem you encounter often. If the issue happens frequently, it has gone beyond what drain snaking can fix.
The cause of the clog is near the opening of the drain. If you can see the object blocking the drain, using a drain snake is a good way to unclog your drain.
Your pipes are not old. The risk of pipe damage via drain snaking increases with the age of your pipes. Older pipes have thinner walls that are likely to spring leaks after snaking.

You are probably wondering; if you cannot use a drain snake in these situations, what is the recommended method for unclogging a blocked drain?

Water Jetting and Why You Should Use It for Drain Cleaning

Water jetting is a drain cleaning technique that uses pressurized water. A high-pressure hose with a special nozzle at one end is inserted into the drain. The other end is connected to a machine that sends a powerful stream of water into the drain to clear clogs inside the pipes. Water jetting does not have all the shortcomings associated with drain snaking.

Pros of water jetting

Water jetting uses only water. There is no risk of a pointed tip poking a hole in your pipes as is the case with a drain snake.
Water jetting is effective for removing obstructions, no matter how deep inside the drain they are located. Water jetting will make small work of sludge and similar obstructions.
Water jetting will completely shear away tree roots that have invaded the pipes and balled up inside it.
You can use this water jetting for cleaning any size of drain or sewer pipe.
Unlike drain snaking which only clears a section of the pipe (if it helps at all), water jetting will clean the entire drain line.

When should you use water jetting instead of drain snaking?

Water jetting is the preferred method in the following circumstances:

You have a clog that has persisted for a long time.
The clog is located deep inside the drain and snaking the drain has not helped.
You suspect that you may have tree roots obstructing the pipes.
You want to clear your drain and sewer pipes as part of the maintenance schedule for your home’s plumbing systems.