As a full-serivce Marietta sewer contractor we are capable of handling any and all of your Marietta sewer problems - residential and commercial!
Sewer and Drain Line Basics
Drains should flow downhill (the three rules of a journeyman plumber):
- Drains flow downhill
- Don’t pick your teeth
- Pay day is on Friday
The downhill motion of the water creates turbulence; turbulence causes erosion of the grease and sludge in the pipe. Therefore downhill drain systems under normal use are self cleaning.
Main sewer should be at least 4" in diameter for most residential houses. Inside drains to toilets should be at least 3". Shower and floor drains should be at least 2". Kitchen sink lines should be at least 1.5". Bathroom sink lines should be at least 1.25". Bathtub drains should be at least 1.5" Clothes washer drain lines should be at least 2".
Plumbing systems must be vented. Air must be allowed to circulate throughout the system. When water is added to a closed system the air pressure would increase and sewer gas can bubble out the fixtures. A vent allows the air added to the system to push out of the system and make way for the waste water. Mechanical vents (sometimes referred to as Studor Vents, which is a brand of mechanical vents) are to only be used for situations where a vacuum situation is occurring and air needs to be let into the system. Waste water flowing down a drain system can potential create a vacuum in the line and suck the water out of the p-trap of a fixture. Then letting sewer gas in the system. Mechanical vents can only be used if the system has a fresh air vent somewhere in the system. Mechanical vents can never be used a sewage ejector basin.
P-traps are mainly used to prevent sewer gas from coming back into the house, however, they also prevent sewer flies and rodents from entering the structure. Toilets have a built in trap in the porcelain. All other fixtures have traps installed by the plumber. Sewer gas entering a house can be deadly since it is explosive, it also can carry disease.
Marietta Trenchless Pipe Replacement
If an underground sewer line has proper slope and needs to be replaced, there are two options. One you can dig a new trench or two you can use a pipe bursting machine. A pipe bursting machine pulls a new continuous piece of pipe through the old line. The old pipe is crushed and compacted into the walls of the surrounding trench. The new pipe is then laid in the exact same location of the old line, without disturbing any of the landscaping, concrete or whatever might be on the surface. Pipe bursting does require two entry points, one typically on the building and one at the connection to the county sewer. HDPE pipe used in pipe bursting in fused together. That means there are really no joints except at the connection to the existing system. HDPE pipe is a better material for sewer as it is impact resistant, does not require a joint every 10 feet and does not get brittle over time. HDPE is the number one material used in municipal infrastructure for gas and water, and now in the past ten years is growing in popularity as a preferred product for sewer replacement. HDPE piping is nearly 6 times the material cost of PVC and more labor intensive to fuse versus gluing PVC. A trenchless installation depending on the situation can be less expensive that an open cut trench and there is minimal landscape work needed when the project is completed. HDPE pipe carries a better warranty than PVC and cast iron pipe, rated at over 100 years of projected lifespan. Compared to other materials such as clay pipe and concrete pipe which is subject to cracking, HDPE has some flexibility and has the ability to expand and contract without cracking.
Marietta Pipe Relining
Pipe relining is a process that can be used where the existing line is properly sloped and also there is no collapsing or damaged sections of pipe. Pipe relining is a process of first using a hydro jetting machine to clean the inside of the pipe of all tree roots and debris. A liner is installed into the pipe and then inflated. At that point a ultraviolet light is used to cure the liner until it is hardened. Liners can be installed only where there are minimal turns in the pipe and generally the line needs to be larger than 4" in diameter. Pipe bursting is the preferred trenchless method over a liner system, however in situations where piping is poured inside a concrete sleeve or the piping is indoors. Liners can be a cost effective method of rehabilitation.
Sewer and Drain Equipment
For cleaning smaller drain lines such as tubs, sinks, showers, water fountains, condensate lines and other drain lines less than 2" in diameter the preferred method is using a 5/16" metal drain cable. The smaller cables can negotiate tight turns and small p-traps. This smaller cable generally can only run up to 25 feet and have still enough torque to handle a blockage.
For cleaning interior toilet lines and other drain lines less than 4" in diameter the preferred method is to use a 3/8" or a 1/2" metal drain cable. These cable are stiffer and can go up to 75 feet and still have enough torque to handle a blockage.
For main line blockage in 4" and 6" pipes the preferred cable of choice is a 3/4" inner core cable. These metal cables are heavy duty and are able to go distances of over 150 feet. The cables are very stiff and cannot go through too many bends. 3/4" cables are cable of cutting through small roots and also capable of retrieving debris from the line. This cable is our most popular cable for handling nearly all residential and commercial main sewer line blockages.
Hydro Jetting
Our hydro jetter is a trailer mounted sewer cleaning machine. The trailer carries a 600 gallon water reserve for locations where water is not available. Using specially designed pumps the jetter produces a pressure of 4000 pounds per square inch at 18 gallons per minute. The jetter has a 500 foot hose with 3 nozzles designed for penetrating, cutting and cleaning. The hydro jetter does the most thorough job of cleaning grease from pipes, pushing non floating debris down the line and cutting roots that a standard cable machine cannot cut. Using the force of the water, the hydro jetter pushes it way through the piping and can be used on most lines from 3" up to 24" in diameter. For smaller kitchen and laundry lines, we use a mini hydro jet which operates at a lower pressure and less flow rate.
Plunger and Hand Auger
When someone mentions a toilet clog, the first thing almost everyone thinks of is the plunger. The plunger uses the kinetic energy of the water to force water from an unclog portion of the toilet to the point in the line where the clog is developed. The plungers actually acts like a pump and increase the water pressure in the drain line. The plunger can cause leakage to occur from the wax seal in the toilet. Plungers are best used when the clog is known to be in the toilet itself. A more reliable alternative to the plunger is the hand auger, the hand auger is a six foot long snake on a stick. The auger can retrieve or push the clog down the line.