Have you found that the drains in your home are getting clogged all the time—more than what’s normal for your bathroom and kitchen? If you’re dealing with backed-up drains more than you should, or if your water and waste are going down slower than you expect, maybe it’s time you call Reckon & Reckon for drain cleaning & repair and rooter service in Los Angeles.
To get more information on drain cleaning & repair and rooter service in Los Angeles, call us at 877-473-2566 or Contact Us for a free quote on getting your drains fixed today.
How do drains work?
Your home’s drainage works by the simple force of gravity. When you flush water and waste down your sink or shower (and your toilets as well) it’s not really the flow of water pushing them down your pipes. Instead, once they go down your drain, gravity takes over as the pipes under the ground are pitched at a downward angle to the sewer line. When something blocks the pipes, anything you pour down there won’t go through.
It’s really easy to tell when your drain is clogged. You probably already know that it’s clogged without even having to read this list. But sometimes, there are other symptoms of a clogged drain:
- The water in your sink, shower, or toilet drains slowly – This is the most common sign that you’ve got a drain stoppage. While slow draining means the drain isn’t completely clogged, there’s still enough buildup inside it to stop water and waste from going down easy.
- Anything that goes down comes back up again – This is the second most common sign that your drains are clogged. When you notice that the water you send down goes back up after a while, it means your drains are completely blocked, and the water is looking for another way out. This is a sure sign that you need drain repair or rooter service in Los Angeles.
- There’s a nasty smell coming from your drains – You may not notice this right away, but foul odors mean whatever is stuck in your drains—likely food waste—is rotting in there. If you can smell it, it’s time to unclog.
- You can hear your drains gurgle – This symptom usually comes with backed-up water and waste. A churning, gurgling noise that occurs when you flush something down the drain means trapped air in your pipes is being pushed out.
Call 877-473-2566 or Send us a Message for Your Free Quote Today
How do I fix a clogged drain?
Now that you know you need to do something about your drain stoppage, it’s time to figure out a plan. First, you’ll have to distinguish where the clog is. There are different solutions for different areas of the house because your kitchen is different from your bathroom. The best universal tip for clogged drains is preventative maintenance. If you’ve already got a clogged drain, you probably don’t care to hear this, but it’s important to make sure only things that are supposed to go down the drain are going down the drain. Avoid putting hair, food (unless you have a capable garbage disposal), etc. down the drain as it’ll lead to a lot of problems later on down the road.
Kitchen drain clogs
It isn’t hard to unclog kitchen sink drains, whether it’s a single or a double sink. Oftentimes, for simple clogs you’ll just need to either use a plunger or a metal hanger to break the blockage or pour down liquids and acids and sometimes even drain cleaner chemicals, to get rid of it. A common remedy to try is baking soda and vinegar. However, if the blockage is too far down the pipe, you may need to call a professional to clean it out for you with a rooter service, and possibly repair or replace the drain pipe if they deem it necessary. Sewer line repair or trenchless sewer repair may even be necessary in some circumstances.
Bathroom drain clogs
As with kitchen sink drains, a bathroom drain (whether it’s your sink, shower, or bathtub) can be remedied easily if the blockage is simple and shallow. For most clogs you’ll just need a plunger, and sometimes some chemicals, but if this doesn’t solve the problem then you may also have to call in a drain specialist like Reckon & Reckon to help. As a bathroom drain is also harder to repair and replace than a kitchen sink drain, it’s more likely that you’ll need a professional plumber’s services.
While these drain blockages can be resolved quickly and easily if the problem isn’t too bad, if you feel you need to resort to liquid chemicals to eliminate the blockage then it’s best to call in a plumber. They can diagnose and formulate the best way to unclog your drain while protecting your pipes and plumbing.
Doing it yourself may save you money in the short-term, but it may also end up costing you more in the long run if it backfires.
The Best Solution Is Prevention
The best way to prevent drain clogs is to watch what you flush.
Avoid flushing things such as:
- facial tissue
- cotton balls
- feminine products
- baby wipes
- condoms
- dish soap
- glue
- medications
The list can go on forever. Use your better judgment when flushing things down the drains. If it isn’t human waste or toilet paper, it probably shouldn’t be going down the toilet.
What Is a Rooter Service and What Does It Involve?
The rooter service process is not one that needs to be difficult or complicated. Essentially it’s a series of processes to clear out drain pipes. The name, while maybe confusing today, made sense when it was coined – tree roots used to cause most clogged drains, hence the name ROOTer. Our professionals will give you a free quote for the work you need. When you are ready, you can schedule an appointment and we will arrive on time to do the work. The rooter process can vary greatly in time, depending on the actual issues you are facing with your home or business plumbing. The efficiency of our plumbers means we will be done as soon as possible, so you can go back to enjoying your home or business.
Whether you’re experiencing tree roots wreaking havoc on your current drain pipes and want to be proactive in the future, or if you’re a wary homeowner, there are steps you can take to avoid tree roots from causing problems with your drain pipes. If you want to plant trees in your yard safely, you should take into consideration:
Know Where You’re Planting
First and foremost, never plant anything up against your house, in front of windows, nor close to your lateral. (Your lateral is the major line from your house to the city line.) If you have had plumbing service prior to planting, you may have an idea of where your lateral is located. If you do not know, spend the minimal cost to have a professional plumber locate the lateral for you so that you do not make the error of planting over, to close, or even dig into and break the line. If you are hiring someone to plant for you, make sure to mark the area of the line with non-toxic gardening chalk or garden safe paint so that he or she will also know the areas to avoid. If you have a clean-out, your line will be easy to identify.
Know How Trees Grow
Remember, tree roots grow out and down. They can wrap, crack, and invade with skill. Trees, as well as shrubs, are living things and will do whatever it takes to survive. They will locate water purely on instinct. If they sense water and there is even a hairline crack, they will find their way in and keep moving and growing. Once they are in, the pipe will have to be replaced and the offending tree or shrub, removed.
Remove Problematic Trees
If you have an existing tree close to your main sewer line and are worried about the roots causing clogs, you might want to consider removing the problematic roots. Unfortunately, this will mean removing the tree, but the burden of constant rooter treatment to keep the pipes clear is a huge one.
Planning ahead and planting correctly can accomplish your goal: yard beautification while keeping your plumbing system safe.
If you live in the Los Angeles and Southern California areas and you’ve got a drain or two that needs unclogging or if you even need drain repair in Los Angeles, it’s best to call Reckon & Reckon Plumbing. We’ve got almost a hundred years and four generations’ worth of experience as plumbers, so there’s no doubt that we’re the best at what we do and you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. Also, business owners – we’ve got you covered! We also service commercial plumbing needs.
When you call us in for any and all plumbing issues, we will not leave until you are satisfied with our work.
For almost a century, we’ve been serving the various neighborhoods of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Valencia, Sherman Oaks, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Castaic, among others. We’re the best plumbers you can call in SoCal and the LA area—so if you need help with drain repair, drain cleaning & rooter service, give Reckon & Reckon a call today! We can give you a free estimate when you do, and we handle emergencies at no extra charge!
