Drain Cleaning Service in River Vale
Pratt Services has been an integral part of the River Vale community since 1927. Our locally owned and operated business has earned an exceptional reputation over nearly a century as the most reliable and trustworthy drain cleaning company in the area. Your peace of mind is assured with our full licensing, insurance, and bonding. Our crew consists of the most seasoned, hard-working, and honest individuals, each excited to exceed our customers’ every expectation. We would be glad to assist you, whether you require commercial, emergency, or residential drain cleaning. Contact Pratt Services today and join the ranks of our dedicated and satisfied clientele!
What are the signs of a clogged drain?
You may need help from our drain cleaning service near you if you notice:
- Overflowing or clogged toilet(s)
- Clogs that don’t easily clear with a plunger
- Air bubbles or gurgling noises
- Rising water bills (due to inefficiency)
- Odors of mustiness or sewage
- Sewage in your sewer cleanout
- Slow draining sink(s)
- Water backing up in plumbing fixtures (sink, tub, etc.)
- Standing water
- Water rising from drains after toilet is flushed
- Pests in pipes
If fresh, clean drains do not solve your plumbing problem, your plumber might recommend drain line repair or drain line replacement. Our comprehensive River Vale drain cleaning company is here to help with any plumbing service you might need. Clogs tend to worsen and become more complex over time, so it’s smart to give Pratt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning a call as soon as you notice any of these signs of a problem.
How can homeowners prevent clogged drains?
Harness the power of simple, affordable kitchen staples - vinegar and baking soda. Baking soda is an excellent way to clean kitchen drains because it absorbs odors and keeps sinks smelling fresh and clean. Sprinkle baking soda down your kitchen drain regularly, then rinse with hot water. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer and cleaner that uses acetic acid (an organic solvent) to eliminate food particle buildup in your plumbing. Once a week, pour a cup of vinegar down the drain and give it 30 minutes to work before rinsing with hot water. This step is an affordable way to keep your drain in good condition. Mix two cups of vinegar with one cup of baking soda, pour it into the drain, and allow these two powerful ingredients to team up, clean, and deodorize the drain. After about 15 minutes of fizzing, use hot water to rinse the drain.
Don’t put food scraps down your kitchen drain. Limiting what goes down your drain will help you prevent clogs. Before you rinse dishes, simply scrape food scraps into the trash can.
Use a mesh drain strainer. Mesh strainers are an affordable, easy way to trap food particles and other solids. Simply nestle it into place and empty it regularly to discard the trapped particles.
Don’t use harsh chemicals. Chemical drain cleaners are known to be highly acidic. They might appear to work in some cases, but what you can’t see is the corrosion they can cause in your plumbing. If you use harsh drain cleaners on a regular basis, they can actually create clogs due to corrosion buildup. If your drain is clogged, simply reach out to Pratt Services for drain cleaning in River Vale. As for household cleaners, it’s a good idea to keep these as natural as possible as well. Not only are cleaning chemicals detrimental to your health, but they can also damage your pipes. You may be surprised to learn just how versatile and effective vinegar and baking soda can be when it comes to cleaning your home. There are also a number of safe and effective cleaning products you can try in place of harsh cleansers.
Know how to properly use your garbage disposal. Many people don’t realize that garbage disposals and trash cans are not one and the same. Clogs in garbage disposals can become messy and expensive. Garbage disposals are convenient, but it’s important to know what you can and can’t put into them. Avoid putting any of the following foods, products, and substances into your disposal: Paint Chemicals Coffee Grounds Paper Products Eggshells Bones Fibrous Vegetable or Fruit Peels Rice Pasta Meat When you run your disposal, always run cold water and keep it running for about a minute after turning off the switch. This allows food particles to fully flush through the pipes, helps you avoid odors, and helps with the grinding process.
Rinse kitchen drains regularly with hot water. Every time you use the kitchen sink, get into the habit of running hot water to push tiny food particles, soap, and other substances down the drain and to prevent clogs. If your sink is particularly clog-prone, you can attempt to prevent excessive buildup by pouring extremely hot water down the drain on a weekly basis.
Keep grease far from your sink. Grease and cooking oils are the enemy of plumbing. Grease and oil can solidify, stick to other solids, and eventually form extensive, tough clogs. Instead of pouring these products down the drain, collect grease in a glass jar or can and dispose of it in your household trash.
What are the most common sources of drain clogs?
Drain clogs range greatly in severity, and the worst ones can leave you dealing with a complicated repair, backups, corrosion, and other frustrating problems.
Fruit and Vegetable Rinds or Peels can cause problems that range from stuck garbage disposal blades to extensive destruction of disposals, drains, and pipes.
Starches (Rice, Pasta, Etc.) or Other Fibrous Foods can expand, become incredibly sticky, and catch other food particles or substances to form a plumbing clog.
Grease, Oil, or Fats cool off and solidify within pipes, causing serious, difficult plugs.
Feminine Products are not designed to break down when they’re flushed. Instead, they expand and collect, leading to extensive clogs.
Cotton Swabs do not break up - instead, they cause severe clogs and fixture backups.
Wipes and Cosmetic Towelettes are known to get caught on pipe imperfections or in bends. Even so-called “flushable” wipes are known to accumulate and lead to plumbing blockages.
Kitty Litter should never be flushed down the toilet - not even “flushable” varieties. Not only can the litter itself wreak havoc on your plumbing and cause clogs, but cat feces can cause a host of other issues that impact human health. If you have a septic system, cat excrement can disrupt the beneficial bacteria that makes your system work, leading to significant, compounding problems. If your water goes to a treatment facility, animal feces can be dangerous because wastewater treatment plants are designed to process human waste - not animal waste and the unique bacteria it carries.
Eggshells are a unique material because when they make their way into your drain, garbage disposal, and/or pipes, they form very small, granular waste that has a tendency to cling to sludge inside pipes and form tough clogs.
Toys might find their way into toilets and, eventually, into pipes. Pipes can be easily blocked or damaged by foreign objects like these, which are often flushed by small children.
Hair, Dental Floss, or Other Stringy Items form clogs by knotting up, clumping together, sticking inside drains and pipes, and combining with grease or soap scum. Putting hair into the trash can, using a drain guard, and making shower drain maintenance a priority can help you avoid this type of clog.
What are the different types of drain clogs?
Soft Plugs
A soft plug is usually one that accumulates over time. These plugs are typically caused by tissue paper, baby wipes, or grease. Our licensed plumbers often find that soft plugs get stuck on an imperfection in the piping or in a bend. The built-up material eventually clogs the line and creates a water dam. Plumbing snakes might provide temporary resolution by punching a hole through the plug, but the material usually ends up sealing itself back up and posing the same problem. Hydro jetting is the best way to clear a soft plug.
Hard Plugs
A hard plug is caused by an object or debris that blocks the pipe. These plugs take place when a foreign object (such as a rock, a kids’ toy or dog toy, or something similar) is flushed, mineral buildup blocks the line, or tree roots grow through the plumbing. Hard plugs cannot be cleared without the help of a skilled plumber, as attempting to do so will likely cause extensive damage and require costly repairs. When you reach out to Pratt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, we’ll inspect the pipes carefully, determine the cause and location of the blockage, and use hydro jetting or another advanced plumbing technique to remove the hard plug and get your plumbing back in proper working order.
What is hydro jetting?
During hydro jetting, a unique hose is used to force high-pressure water through a plumbing system. The first thing we do when you hire us to perform this non-invasive service is examine the lines with a camera and identify any damage that would prevent us from clearing the clog with this method. As long as there’s no damage, we’ll get to work with your hydro jetting by inserting the hose and attaching it to a specialized water tank. The ideal location must be carefully chosen before we insert the hose and start the process.With the aid of our exceptionally durable hose, harnessing gravity and high-pressure water, we initiate the process by flushing debris from the system, which involves propelling water at a rate of 20 gallons per minute, utilizing a forward-facing jet and multiple backward-positioned jets to propel the nozzle and effectively clear obstructions. Hydro jetting not only eliminates clogs, but also rids the system of potential future issues such as mineral scale, grease, tree roots, and other debris. When faced with a deep-seated clog, your trustworthy plumbing company will likely recommend this approach.
What are the different types of hydro jetting heads?
Plumbers have access to several different kinds of hydro jetting heads, each with a unique set of advantages These heads are carefully chosen by your drain cleaning contractor based on the nature and severity of the clogs and/or debris we find upon inspection.
Penetrator Heads take an aggressive approach, combining a very powerful forward jet with rear-facing jets. The forward jet works to power through soft plugs and pierce a hole in them. When the head is pulled back out of the pipe, the clog comes with it. These heads are a great way to clear clogs in both directions.
Grease Heads are, as their name suggests, designed specifically for clearing grease. A rotating nozzle sprays water perpendicular to the head, scouring tough, stuck-on grease as it travels through the line. Since they clean only the pipe walls and would not clear a drain clog ahead or behind the head, they are typically followed by another cleaning head for optimal results.
Ice Heads tackle ice blockages by aggressively busting through the ice dam. The pointy heads are a smart way to address frozen lines, using forward- and backward-facing jets, a sharp point, and hot water to clear and melt ice efficiently.
The Leader is a flexible nozzle that our pros use to handle difficult-to-reach, awkward areas, like P-traps, vertical drops, corners, or pipe bends. As it works its way through these places and traverses the pipes, the line follows the head.
Warthog Heads are the epitome of “bringing in the big guns.” These large, vigorous heads spin at a high velocity to clear the most difficult and stubborn clogs. However, this unmatched head can damage plumbing if it isn’t used properly. When you choose us for drain cleaning service near you, you can rest assured that we will take great care with your hydro jetting service.
