Renovating an Apartment Building: Tips

Keeping your home's sewer system working properly is an important part of keeping a well-maintained home. When you experience a system failure in your home, such as the sewer, you realize how much you depend upon it working properly. Here are some tips to help you take care of any sewer blockages and damage to repair them for continued use in your home:

Clogged Drain Line

When you first experience a slow-flowing or blocked drain in your home, there are several ways you can remedy it depending on the severity of the problem. A clogged drain line can be cleared by using some materials you have in your home. This method is often used on a regular basis to keep your drains running freely.

First, boil a pot of water, then pour it into the drain you want to clear. Next, scoop several spoonfuls of baking soda and pour them into the drain. Let the baking soda sit for a few minutes, then pour into the line several cups of vinegar. Immediately close the drain by putting the stopper or closing the plug.

If your drain does not have a plug, you can press a rag into the opening to seal it off. This prevents the vinegar and baking soda from escaping and helps them go deeper into the pipe to clean off any soap scum and other residues that are contributing to the clog. After letting this sit for several minutes, boil another pot of water and remove the drain plug and pour it into the drain.

A majority of drain clogs occur as hair collects inside the pipe. Prevent this from occurring by placing a hair trap over the drain whenever you use it for washer or rinsing, then clean off the hair trap as it collects debris.

Clogged Sewer Line

A clogged sewer line can occur when a clog forms deeper within your home's sewer line, preventing you from clearing it on your own. You can rent or buy a pipe cleaning snake, which usually attaches onto an electric drill. Feed the snake into your sewer line and run the drill to rotate the end of the sewer snake to clear the clog.

If this type of cleaning cannot reach the clog or is unable to dislodge the clog, you can call a professional plumber to clear the line. Professional plumbers have longer, industrial-sized sewer snakes that reach further into your sewer line. They also have video equipment they can run down your sewer line to view the blockage and determine if your sewer pipe has begun to deteriorate or collapse and add to the clog.

In the event of a sewer pipe deterioration, you will need to replace your sewer line. Contact sewer repair services for more information and assistance.