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How Professional Plumbers Clean Your Drains

plumber holding drain snake

The average person has probably dealt with a clogged sink or tub more than once in their life. Sometimes you can fix the problem yourself with a plunger and some elbow grease. However, other times you’ll need to schedule an appointment with plumbing services. Have you ever wondered how plumbers clean your drains? It’s all about the tools of the trade. Your plumber probably carries the following:

Drain Augers

If the unclogging is simple, it can often be done with something you may have used yourself, such as a drain auger (aka drain snake). However, professional plumbers don’t just rely on standard manual drain augers that anyone can buy at hardware stores — they actually have special motorized ones. Motorized drain augers can take care of just about any size drain clog and are often a plumber’s first step when cleaning drains.

Pipe Cameras

Something you might not know about how plumbers clean your drains is how they know what’s “wrong” in the case of main drain clogs, slow drains, or other sewer line problems. One of the ways plumbers can diagnose a problem, especially after an initial test with a drain auger has failed to unclog your drains, is by using pipe cameras. These are flexible and high-definition cameras that are inserted inside your backed-up pipe or clogged drain. Then, the image is fed back to a computer or phone. Being able to tell what’s going on, especially if the pipe is broken.

Hydro Jets

Hydro jets, also called hydro jetters or power jetters, are high-pressure water sprayers that plumbers use to scour the insides of your drains. Hydro jetting might seem deceptively simple for anyone with access to a power washer, but beware. Your pipes are very sensitive, and you can do more harm than good by water jetting your drains if you don’t know what you’re doing.  Schedule an appointment with plumbing services instead.

Cable Cleaners

If you’ve ever seen a lineman working in or around the cable boxes in your neighborhood, you’ve probably witnessed the use of a cable cleaner without even knowing it. A cable cleaner doesn’t clean cables — it uses cables to clean. The cables are wrapped around a motorized spinning base and are spun fast enough to scour dirt or cut through tough surfaces. So how do plumbers clean your drains with such a tool? Cable cleaners are often used to cut through stubborn tree roots, rocky clumps of soil, and other clogs that could be damaging your pipes.

Now that you know how plumbers clean your drains, you probably have a lot more appreciation for the job! While keeping your own plunger and drain snake around the house is never a bad idea, we recommend regular drain cleaning services for customers who want to make sure their plumbing is as efficient and effective as possible. 

Seeking a plumber in Bethlehem, PA, or nearby? Our reliable, professional team offers expert plumbing and drain cleaning in Lehigh Valley, PA, and the surrounding areas. Call Curtis Total Service today! We’ve got the tools to get the job done promptly and precisely.