Why No One Talks About Pittsburgh Sewer Cleanout
Sewer Cleanout in Pittsburgh Just Isn’t a Popular Topic
When was the last time you attended a public event? Perhaps a football or a soccer game at your local high school. Then midway through, the announcer got on the microphone and started talking about Pittsburgh sewer cleanout?
Or perhaps you can recall being at a wedding reception where the groom’s best man stood up to make a toast about Pittsburgh sewer cleanout?
The fact is that it has never happened and never will.
The odd thing about it, too, is that everybody has sewer pipes in their homes and businesses.
Also, the guests at every sporting event and wedding party in Pittsburgh will be using them when they attend. So then why isn’t every sports announcer and wedding party VIP guest discussing sewer cleanout in Pittsburgh?
The reason is simple. It’s because nobody wants to think about their sewer lines. Instead, they keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best. Hoping that they never have to deal with a sewer line clog.
It Begins With a Clogged Sewer Line
Experiencing Pittsburgh sewer cleanout issues mean that, like it or not, you will have to talk about it.
An obstruction is how most people discover just how devastating a clog in a sewer line can be to a home or business. Now you can quickly stop a leak in a water line by shutting off the main valve.
Or a repair on a broken garbage disposal can be put off indefinitely by simply throwing table scraps into the kitchen garbage container. But a clogged sewer line can’t be skirted around.
It must be dealt with, leading us to the topic of Pittsburgh sewer cleanout. A sewer cleanout is the process used to free up a sewer line to get it flowing again. That’s it.
It can also be done proactively. That is, as part of a maintenance program to prevent sewer line clogs. Usually, though, a Pittsburgh plumber is called in to do a sewer cleanout because the line has become clogged.
Say Hello to Your Sewer Cleanout Cap
If you don’t already know it, that short extension with the cap on it outside your home or business is your sewer cleanout stub-out.
Your sewer cleanout cap has a square knob on it. That knob is for removal. In an extreme clog situation where there is a large volume of fluid backed up, removing it will result in a virtual gusher of raw sewage. You need to be aware of this.
This is because if you think that your clogged sewer line is a problem, try having fifteen gallons of raw sewage blast out onto your back patio. Or worse yet, if the clean-out access is located in your basement, that is where all the backed-up raw sewage will be evacuated.
This clean-out cap is critical, though. It may look like a standard pipe stub, but it was installed with purpose. It was positioned where it is to give direct access straight down the main sewer line.
Without it, a clog in the main sewer line for your home or business could only be inaccessible by excavating and cutting into the pipe.
Clearing a Clogged Toilet Sewer Line
As noted above, sewer cleanout access is strategically located to service the main sewer line at the bottom of the system.
The toilets in a home or business are also located strategically. They’re placed conveniently for the people using the bathroom.
This means that toilets can be at the top of a plumbing system. So you often can’t clear a clogged toilet sewer line by removing a cleanout cap then snaking that end of the plumbing system.
Minor toilet clogs can beep cleared out with a plunger. But in more extreme cases, the toilet must be removed. In a residential setting, the toilet has to be removed because something like a toothbrush or child’s toy has been flushed down and become lodged inside.
In commercial settings, though, such as a restaurant, the toilet has to be removed so a large snake can be run down that line to pull up whatever it is that has caused the clog. It’s no glamour job, but it has to be done.
What About DIY Sewer Cleanout in Pittsburgh?
Thanks to the internet, it seems that there’s a DIY solution to almost everything. But not in the case of sewer cleanout, it seems.
Actually, it can be done by yourself, but you will only do it once. That’s because after you go through the entire process, you’ll realize that it’s a job best handed over to a professional plumber in Pittsburgh.
Not only is it the messiest job you can imagine, but it’s also hazardous.
That stuff that gushes out of the pipe after the cap is removed is classified as a hazardous material because it’s laden with toxic, even deadly bacteria.
Then even if you got the cap off and got past the sewage blast, you’re still going to need a large commercial pipe snake, rubber gloves, and boots to complete the job. It’s a job that can take anywhere between one hour and an entire day, depending on how badly the line is clogged.
Sewer Cleanout Cost in Pittsburgh
As horrible as the job is, the sewer cleanout cost in Pittsburgh is really quite reasonable.
It’s a task where knowledge, skill, and proper equipment combine to make what is insufferable become tolerable. Pittsburgh plumbers have the experience, knowledge, and all the equipment in their truck ready to go to make quick business of sewer cleanout.
Then the beauty of a sewer cleanout job is that you don’t have to worry about a plumber stringing it out for maximum profit. This is because once the cap is removed, the job begins, and the plumber will want it over with just as quickly as you do.
So all reputable Pittsburgh plumbing contractors will be able to give you an estimate over the phone. Estimates of this type consist of an initial fee for the first hour and then a lower hourly rate. Most sewer cleanout in Pittsburgh jobs are cleared in about an hour.