HANDYMAN General Contractor 206-664-1945 all home repairs!

Snaking a Drain, Cleaning Blockages & Maintenance
Chris D'orr 206-664-1945

Always run hot water into the drain daily, (this keeps your pipes semi washed) if you find slow draining, use the plunger,
and/or pour vinegar and baking soda 50/50 mixture into the drain, if all this fails then it's best to call me, Chris 206-664-1945.

You may try removing the P-Trap (if you can handle the gooey mess), you may discover the clog is in the bend of that pipe
(P-Trap), in which case you can easily remove it with washing. If the P-Trap is clear, then the clog is further into the drain pipe,
call me!

WARNING: If you've been using any sort of chemical liquid draino cleaner, you shouldn't remove the P-Trap, and you shouldn't
use any plumbing snake either, because the acids in the liquid drain openers can give you serious burns or blind you if they
splash onto you. If you have resorted to the usual course of pouring a liquid drain cleaner into the sink, tub or toilet, call a
professional and let that person know what you've used to try to clear the clog so they can wear protective apparel.

If the clog has formed some way down the drain, it may be impossible to loosen it with hot water or mild chemical solutions
such as vinegar or baking soda. Either the clog contains some large object that cannot be broken down by the means you've
tried, or the walls of the pipe itself have gotten covered with material that's hardened on, forming a near concrete hardened
setiment substance that makes it impossible to drain water properly.

Kitchen, bathroom, laundry room drains become clogged, is because a combination of soap, hair, lint and grease. In the
kitchen, food particles may combine with hardened grease to form a nearly impenetrable barrier. Kitchen stop ups are often
among the worst to solve because grease from meats cools before it gets all the way into the sewer line, trapping little bits of
food, coffee grounds and eggshells along with it. The deposits can over time form a sort of concrete that can't be removed with
hot water.

A plumbing snake or auger is a long, flexible metal cable that's pushed/threaded through the drain pipe until it reaches the clog,
drilling through whatever is jamming the pipe. You can buy or rent plumbing snakes for do-it-yourself unclogging. Some snakes
can be attached to electric drills to give them more power; others are manual. The snake is pushed into the drain from the sink,
tub, toilet or other fixture, until it reaches the clog. The end of the augur will either push through the obstruction, tear it up with
its twisting action, or become attached to it so it can be pulled retrieved back up through the drain.

Large plumbing snakes aren't usually part of the homeowner's tool kit, they are expensive specialized pieces of equipment.
Snakes are different size for different size pipes, there are different size heads for different size clogs, i.e. tree roots verses
grease, toys, etc.

Don't call just any "Plumbing" company, i.e. Fischer Plumbing, Best Plumbing, Beacon, (Seattle) etc, etc, they're much more
expensive than "drain cleaning" company like PipeSnaking.com because "Plumbers" are trained to do everything from installing
new plumbing to doing technical repair work on leaks. PipeSnaking.com is trained to use the snake - you pay a lot less for my
drain cleaning services. Hiring a plumber to snake a line is like hiring a heart specialist to check your pulse—overkill.

Plumbing is a "Black Art", plumbing drain pipes are tricky, old pipes can be punched through with a toothpick; you need
someone who understands what can go wrong with them. Also, running a snake requires a certain amount of finesse, as drains
invariably contain turns and angles, weak spots, rises and falls that determine which way the pipe goes as it makes its way from
your home to the street sewer or septic tank.

For more information, Chris 206-664-1945

WARNING:
DO NOT USE LIQUID DRAIN CLEANERS!
They are made of dangerous acid chemicals that
will eat through rubber gloves, skin, certain kinds
of pipe, wood and anything else they touch. If
their fumes are inhaled, they can cause damage
to the lungs, nose and mouth. If they are eaten,
they will kill, even in small amounts. Even when
they are used "properly", they can ruin septic
systems, pollute groundwater, and destroy
pipes.