Drain Cleaning Service in Saddle River
Pratt Services has been humbly and happily serving our Saddle River neighbors since 1927. As a locally owned and operated company, we have maintained an impeccable reputation as the most reliable and trustworthy drain cleaning company as we’ve served the local area for nearly a century. You can be confident in the quality of our work, as our company is fully licensed, insured, and bonded. Our team is comprised of seasoned, hardworking, and integrity-driven individuals, each eager to surpass our customers' greatest expectations. Whether you find yourself in need of residential, commercial, or emergency drain cleaning, it would be our pleasure to assist you. Contact Pratt Services without delay to become a valued addition to our extensive roster of delighted customers!
What are the different types of drain clogs?
Soft Plugs
A soft plug typically builds up gradually and is commonly attributed to items such as tissue paper, grease, or baby wipes. In many cases, our licensed plumbers observe that soft plugs adhere to pipe imperfections or bends. Over time, the accumulated material obstructs the pipeline, creating a barrier to the water flow. While plumbing snakes can temporarily alleviate the issue by creating a hole in the plug, the material often reseals itself, bringing the problem right back. For a thorough resolution, hydro jetting proves to be the most effective method to clear a soft plug.
Hard Plugs
Hard clogs are typically the result of debris or an object obstructing a pipe. These obstructions can occur when tree roots intrude on plumbing, mineral deposits accumulate inside pipes, or foreign objects like toys, rocks, or similar items are flushed down the drain. Removing hard clogs should be left to a skilled plumber, as attempting to do so on your own can lead to significant damage and costly repairs. When you reach out to Pratt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, our process involves a meticulous inspection of the pipes to identify the source and location of the blockage. We then employ advanced plumbing technologies, such as hydro jetting, to effectively eliminate the hard plug and restore proper plumbing functionality.
What are the signs of a clogged drain?
You may need help from our drain cleaning service near you if you notice:
- Standing water
- Water rising from drains after toilet is flushed
- Rising water bills (due to inefficiency)
- Overflowing or clogged toilet(s)
- Slow draining sink(s)
- Clogs that don’t easily clear with a plunger
- Water backing up in plumbing fixtures (sink, tub, etc.)
- Odors of mustiness or sewage
- Air bubbles or gurgling noises
- Sewage in your sewer cleanout
- Pests in pipes
If your plumbing problem persists, despite having clear and clean drains, your plumber may advise considering drain line repair or drain line replacement as potential solutions. The seasoned professionals at our Saddle River drain cleaning company are readily available to assist with a wide range of plumbing services. Since clogs often escalate in complexity with time, it's a wise decision to reach out to Pratt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning as soon as you see any of these problematic signs.
How can homeowners prevent clogged drains?
Rinse kitchen drains regularly with hot water. Get into the practice of running hot water after each use of your kitchen sink to force soap scum, tiny food particles, and other substances down the drain and prevent clogs. If your sink is prone to clogs, you can try to mitigate excessive accumulation by running extremely hot water down the drain once a week. Keep grease far from your sink. Grease and frying oils are plumbing's worst enemies. Oils and grease solidify when they cool off, and they tend to adhere to solids, then form tough, complex 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.
Know how to properly use your garbage disposal. Despite their potentially misleading name, garbage disposals are nothing like garbage cans. Garbage disposals can easily become clogged, causing costly and messy problems. Garbage disposals might be convenient, but you should keep in mind that some things should never be put into them. Don’t put any of these substances, products, and foods into a garbage disposal: Paper Products Chemicals Pasta Bones Coffee Grounds Rice Paint Fibrous Vegetable or Fruit Peels Eggshells Meat Always run cold water through your disposal and leave it running for about a minute after turning it off. This helps food particles completely flush down the pipes, prevents unpleasant smells, and aids in the grinding process.
Don’t put food scraps down your kitchen drain. To prevent clogs, it's essential to restrict what enters your drain. Before you wash your dishes, just remember to scrape food residue into the trash can.
Don’t use harsh chemicals. Chemical drain cleaners are well-known for their high acidity. While they may seem effective at times, what remains hidden is the potential corrosion they can leave in your plumbing system. When you use harsh drain cleaners on a regular basis, corrosion buildup can lead to obstructions. If your drain is clogged, simply reach out to Pratt Services for drain cleaning in Saddle River. It's also a good idea to keep home cleaners as natural as possible. Cleaning chemicals are not only bad for your health, but they can also harm your pipes. You might be amazed at how practical and powerful vinegar and baking soda can be for cleaning your home. There are also a variety of natural and efficient cleaning products that can be used instead of harsh cleaners.
Use a mesh drain strainer. Mesh strainers are a simple, economical way to keep food and other debris out of your drain. Installation takes just a second, and emptying it on a regular basis will keep your drain and pipes clean.
Harness the power of simple, affordable kitchen staples - vinegar and baking soda. Baking soda is a wise choice for cleaning and refreshing kitchen sinks and drains due to its odor-absorbing and cleansing properties. Regularly sprinkle baking soda down the drain and follow it with a hot water rinse. Vinegar, utilizing acetic acid as a natural organic solvent, effectively cleans, deodorizes, and clears away food particle buildup in your home's plumbing system. As part of your weekly routine, simply pour one cup of vinegar into the drain, allowing it to sit for 30 minutes before rinsing with hot water. By adopting this straightforward method, you can easily and affordably maintain the cleanliness of your drains. Pour two cups of vinegar and one cup of baking soda down the drain and let these two powerful agents work together to clean and deodorize. After about 15 minutes of fizzing, rinse the drain with hot water.
What are the most common sources of drain clogs?
Drain clogs can vary widely in their severity, and the worst ones can leave you facing corrosion, backups, complex repairs, and other aggravating issues.
Toys wind up in toilets and, ultimately, in pipes more often than people may think. Foreign objects like these have a tendency to damage or block piping after being flushed by young children.
Feminine Products aren’t intended or made to break down in your plumbing. Rather, they expand and accumulate, eventually causing serious clogs.
Cotton Swabs generate serious blockages and fixture backups because they're not made to disintegrate.
Hair, Dental Floss, or Other Stringy Items form clogs when stringy items knot up, clump together, adhere within drains and pipes, and combine with grease or soap scum. Putting hair in the trash, installing a drain guard, and prioritizing shower drain maintenance can all help you avoid this type of obstruction.
Grease, Fats, and Oils cool down and solidify within your plumbing, resulting in tough and severe blockages.
Starches (Rice, Pasta, Etc.) or Other Fibrous Foods have the potential to swell, become extremely sticky, and trap other food particles or substances, leading to the formation of a plumbing clog.
Cosmetic Towelettes and Wipes easily become entangled in pipe bends or imperfections. Even "flushable" wipes can quickly collect and cause blockages in your plumbing.
Eggshells exhibit an uncommon characteristic: when they find their way into your drain, pipes, or garbage disposal, they create exceptionally small granules that adhere to sludge within the pipes, resulting in the formation of tenacious clogs.
Kitty Litter should never be flushed down the toilet - not even “flushable” varieties. Cat excrement can lead to a number of problems that negatively affect human health, and the litter can cause clogs and other problems with your plumbing. If you have a septic system, cat excrement may disturb the healthy bacteria that keeps your system running, causing serious, compounding issues. Animal feces is harmful to households served by municipal water treatment facilities because wastewater treatment plants are not designed to filter animal excrement and its microorganisms - they are only designed to process human waste.
Fruit and Vegetable Rinds or Peels can lead to issues ranging from jammed garbage disposal blades to considerable damage of drains, pipes, and disposals.
What is hydro jetting?
Hydro jetting is the process of forcing high-pressure water through your plumbing system using a particular hose. When you enlist our services for this non-invasive procedure, our first step involves inspecting the lines using a camera to identify any damage that might hinder the use of hydro jetting for clearing the clog. Assuming there is no damage, we’ll proceed with your hydro jetting service by inserting the hose and connecting it to a dedicated water tank. Before we insert the hose and begin the process, we must carefully select the ideal location in which to do so.Highly pressurized water will get to work - with the help of our highly durable hose and gravity - and flush the debris from the system by forcing water at around 20 gallons per minute through backward-facing jets that propel the nozzle through the pipes and a forward-facing jet that further clears debris. Hydro jetting goes beyond mere clog removal - it thoroughly eliminates tree roots, grease, mineral scale, and a wide range of debris types that could potentially cause future problems. If confronted with a stubborn, deep-seated clog, your reliable plumbing company is likely to recommend this method.
What are the different types of hydro jetting heads?
Plumbers utilize a variety of hydro jetting heads, each of which serves a specific purpose. Depending on the degree and nature of the material and/or obstructions discovered during our inspection, your drain cleaning professional will meticulously decide which heads to use for your hydro jetting service.
Penetrator Heads adopt an aggressive strategy, combining a highly powerful forward jet with rear-facing jets. The forward jet's purpose is to forcefully penetrate soft plugs and create an opening within them. When the head is withdrawn from the pipe, it brings the clog along with it. These heads prove to be an effective method for clearing clogs in both directions.
Ice Heads tackle ice blockages by aggressively busting through the ice dam. These pointed heads prove to be an effective method for melting and clearing ice, utilizing forward- and backward-facing jets, a sharp tip, and hot water to efficiently accomplish the task.
Grease Heads are, as the name implies, specifically intended for removing grease. A revolving nozzle sprays water perpendicular to the head, scrubbing the line of tenacious, stuck-on oil. They are often followed by another cleaning head for optimal results because they are only capable of cleaning the walls of the pipes and could not clear a drain clog behind or ahead of the head.
The Leader is a flexible nozzle employed by our technicians to access hard-to-reach or problematic areas like vertical drops, corners, pipe bends, or P-traps. The line follows the nozzle as it traverses through these locations and along the pipes.
Warthog Heads exemplify "bringing in the big guns." These sizable and robust heads spin at high speeds to conquer even the most stubborn blockages. However, this unmatched head can damage plumbing if it isn’t used properly. When you reach out to us for drain cleaning service near you, we’ll give you full peace of mind that your hydro jetting service will be administered with precision and care.