Plumbing Tips

Drain Clearing Vs Drain Cleaning, What's the difference?

The majority of customers don’t realize that there is a dramatic difference between having your drains cleared VS having them cleaned. When you have a stoppage and you call a plumber, your number one goal is to get that stoppage to disappear so you can get back to your busy life without breaking the bank. Most plumbers know and understand this goal, and will provide you with an effective solution, normally in clearing the stoppage with a drain machine using sewer cables to clear the stoppage. This is one of the quickest ways to get the drain to reopen and is usually fairly inexpensive($250-$450). The problem with drain clearing is all the sewer cable did was pop a hole through the stoppage, it didn’t diagnose why the stoppage occurred in the first place and did not remove that problem so it wouldn’t return. With Drain Cleaning we deep clean the line and remove all of the stoppage while also diagnosing and typically fixing the problem. At Bush Family Plumbing we have a structured process to ensure your line is restored back to new. If the line is actively backing up, we normally start by doing a drain clearing service to remove a portion of the stoppage. Once the water has drained out of the line we then use our sewer camera to inspect and diagnose what is causing the problem. In most cases we will then follow behind with our Cyclone FlexShaft machine, which utilizes chains with specialized tips that expand to the diameter of the pipe, scrubbing the walls of the line, removing Grease, Paper, and even Rust buildup off of Cast Iron piping, restoring the line back to its original size. Depending on how bad the line was we may also utilize a Hydro-Jetter machine that uses high pressure water to wash the inside of the piping and flush any debris from the line. We then run the sewer camera back down the drain to ensure that all of the build up has been removed and that the line is clear and ready for use. By inspecting the line we can also find and locate any future issues such as root intrusions, collapsed sewer lines, bellies(dipping of the sewer line allowing water and solids to collect on the bottom of the pipe), and objects stuck in the line. These services are more costly ($500 to $1500 depending on the size of the job and equipment used) but guarantee that the issue has been fixed and renews your aging sewer line extending its lifespan. Here at Bush Family Plumbing we believe in quality solutions that won’t break the bank, and are always working to increase the effectiveness of our solutions while actively trying to reduce their costs. Give us a call today for any of your drain cleaning needs!