The clogging of drains in a home is pretty common. Your drains can be clogged by toys, hygiene products and tree roots if they enter your pipes and cause wastewater to back up. If your home has drain cleanouts, a plumbing drain cleaning will have an easier time clearing out your drain and restoring your plumbing system to normalcy. If you don’t have drain cleanouts, contact Classic Cleanouts to have your home fitted with them. But first, here’s everything you need to know about drain cleanouts and their significance in your home.
What Are Drain Cleanouts?
Drain cleanouts grant access to your home’s main sewer line which is located outdoors in your front or backyard. Most homeowners don’t notice drain cleanouts until there’s a plumbing problem. If you are looking for them, they appear like capped pipes sticking out a few inches from the ground.
If you have a clogged drain, a professional plumber can use a drain cleanout to run a camera into your main sewer line. The camera makes it easy to locate the problem if the blockage proves problematic to clear or you experience blockages frequently.
Once the plumber has determined the type of clog you are experiencing and where it’s located, they can get the right equipment to remove the blockage. They will run the camera through your sewer line again after the blockage has been fixed to ensure the clog is gone for good.
Advantages of Drain Cleanouts
- Prevent Frequent Drain Issues
Preventing drain clogs is way better than resolving the problem when it’s gotten out of hand. A drain cleanout affords a plumber access to your plumbing system so they can determine the cause of the problem and recommend solutions to prevent the problem from recurring. Also, drain cleanouts allow the plumber to spot plumbing problems early enough before they turn into emergencies.
- Drain-Specific Cleanouts
Professional plumbers recommend installing a drain-specific cleanout if you are frequently experiencing drain clogs. Most new homes are fitted with drain-specific cleanouts but if you live in an older home, you may not have any. Drain-specific cleanouts make plumbing system repairs faster and easier.
- Increase Home Resale Value
Some homebuyers request a drain inspection to be performed on a property before they decide to buy. If your home has drain cleanouts, it’s way easier for a plumber to send a camera down your sewer line to determine if there are any clogs, corrosion or breakages. The homebuyer will have peace of mind knowing that they are purchasing a home with no plumbing issues. Also, drain cleanouts lower the cost of drain repairs down the line.
- Warranty on Drain Cleaning Services
Some professional plumbing companies offer warranties on drain repairs and cleaning services if your home is fitted with drain cleanouts. That is because drain cleanouts enable the use of video inspection cameras which make drain repairs way more accurate.
But what if you don’t have drain cleanouts in your home?
It’s still possible to remove drain clogs and backups even without a drain cleanout. However, it may prove more challenging. In this situation, a plumber can access the sewer line from your toilet or your roof. That being said, these methods aren’t as effective as accessing your sewer line through a drain cleanout.
Removing a Clog from the Roof: You can access your sewer line from the roof, but it is challenging to get a special camera through due to the corners and turns in the pipes. The drain equipment or camera may not reach your main sewer line; therefore, you won’t be able to clear the backup. Also, accessing the sewer line from the roof is dangerous and hazardous for a plumber, especially in bad weather.
Removing a Clog from the Toilet: Clearing drain clogs is more effective through the toilet if you don’t have drain cleanouts. However, this method increases the risk of damaging your toilet and raises labor costs. The plumber removes the toilet and removes the clog through the sewer line. The plumber may not be able to remove the clog as thoroughly as with a drain cleanout, seeing that the pipes beneath the toilet are quite small.
It’s important to note that the two methods above are less effective when it comes to removing drain clogs. As such, you may continue to experience frequent backups, and other drain problems since the root cause of the clog hasn’t been determined. It would be best to ask a professional plumber to fit your home with a drain cleanout to make drain repairs cheaper and more straightforward.
