The Pros And Cons Of Drain Cleaning Tools

When your plumbing professional arrives to clear out your stubborn clogged drains, he or she will use one or more drain cleaning tools that are best suited to the job. Here are some of the pros and cons of drain cleaning tools that are typically used to remove clogs and clear drain pipes.

• Drain-cleaning machines: Drain-cleaning machines are motorized devices that use a large, sturdy cable to clean and clear your drains. They’re effective on drain pipes three to four inches in diameter. The cables usually have a sharp cutting head that’s designed to bore through clogs. The plumber feeds the cable down the drain as the motor runs. The motor turns the cable, creating a drilling action that physically cuts and breaks up drain clogs. These machines work well, but smaller cables may not be strong enough to cut through tougher clogs such as tree roots.

• Cameras: Specially designed cameras are available that can be fed into your drain pipes to let your plumber see the condition of your pipes and the location of the clog. Cameras take the guesswork out of finding plumbing problems. If the camera locates a broken or collapsed drain or a significant clog, there’s no doubt what the problem is. Drain cameras are expensive and smaller plumbing companies may not use them. They are also ineffective in murky water where visibility is limited.

• Locators: Locators are electronic transmitters that indicate exactly where in the drain system the problem can be found. When a clog or broken pipe is found, the plumber puts a transmitter on the end of the cable and feeds it back into the pipe. He then uses a device to pick up the signals from the transmitter, which shows him exactly where to dig to find the problem.

Contact us today for more information on our drain cleaning services. We have the drain cleaning tools that will effectively and thoroughly clear your pipes and keep the wastewater flowing away like it should.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wilmington, Delaware and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

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