Clogged drains are a common problem. It doesn’t matter so much what caused them (although the most amusing cause is when your baby flushes unwanted items down the toilet); the challenge is reaching the clog to remove it. The interesting part comes when the clog has gone too far to reach from the inside. Your Park Ridge plumbing expert will then locate the drainage cleanout and attack the problem from outdoors. What’s a cleanout, and what does it do?
How Plumbing Works
To understand why buildings need a cleanout, it’s necessary to understand a little about plumbing. Plumbing consists of two systems: one to bring clean, fresh water into the building and one to carry wastewater and sewage out of the building. Clogs only happen in the outgoing system. They can be reached from the drains, toilets, tubs, and other places indoors. If the blockage isn’t reachable, then it will have to be approached from outside.
The Cleanout
In many homes, the drainage cleanout is located either somewhere on the plumbing stack (check the basement water pipes or the basement floor) or in the grounds outdoors. It’s usually a white PVC pipe no taller than 6 inches with a screw top and a small square atop the cap. In some older homes, the cleanout might be located beside a toilet, or it might not exist.
How Plumbers Clean Drain Lines
When Park Ridge plumbing professionals must jet the drain lines clean, they do it outside through the cleanout. They also run cameras down the lines to film the blockage before removal. If there are holes or other types of splits in the pipes, then they can insert liners to complete the drainage properly.
At North Coast Sewer & Drainage, a family-owned company in business for 35 years, we can tell you more about cleanouts when you contact us for repairs or information for more information.
