Are Your Roots Damaging Your Pipes?

I know a lot of us really love having big, beautiful trees in our yards, but what you need to know is those lovely trees with their big roots may cause your home’s pipes to back-up. This actually causes more problems than you’d think. Did you know that a tree in your neighbor’s yard or even several houses down the street can be damaging your pipes?

Root intrusion is when a root grows into your cracked pipes. The roots actively search for places with moisture, condensation forms around your pipes so the roots are naturally drawn to them even when they are not cracked. Older pipes are the most susceptible due to cracks, deformations and leaks leading to blockages in your pipes.

At Mr. Rooter Plumbing we use video inspection cameras to locate these roots in your pipes. Here's a link to a video of a camera inspection http://youtu.be/xThb66GgbUM

Root intrusion may be the reason your drains are running slower than normal, here are two tell-tale signs of roots in your drains.
- You notice a sudden back-up or flooding of the lowest plumbing fixture in your house.
- You don’t see the water exiting the sink or bathtub in a swirling, cyclonic action.

Call today for a camera inspection to see if you have tree roots in your pipes.

Treating Others As We Would Like to Be Treated

Under our category of Respect, we begin with living our code of values by “Treating Others as We Would Like To Be Treated”. While this may seem like common sense, it is amazes me how often some businesses can forget this golden rule. Whether we are dealing with our franchise owners, our co-workers, or you – our valued customer, Mr. Rooter® Plumbing strives to ensure we remain polite and respectful at all times.

I hope you make the effort today to treat those around you the way you want them to treat you.

5 Essential Plumbing Tips

When homeowners raise a wrench to install or repair sinks, toilets and tubs, they risk more than leaks. They risk their sanity, finances and general mechanical disaster. Here are 5 essential principles to avoid plumbing disaster.

1. Flow out, not back.
Back flow occurs in municipal water systems (or within a house) when there’s a sudden and severe drop in water pressure that causes water to flow back through pipes opposite the direction that it normally flows. This can happen if there’s a substantial leak within your house. If your house’s water is supplied by a municipal water system and you do a lot of work outside with a garden hose, use a vacuum-breaker fitting threaded onto the end of the hose bib (the valve mounted on the outside of the house).

2. Know where your pipes are.
Pounding nails and driving screws is all well and good, until you puncture a copper or plastic supply or drain. Instead, buy a stud sensor that also detects pipes and wirings.

3. Know the code.
Plumbing is a tricky business, with rules that dictate how far you can place a fixture from the home’s drain-waste-vent line based on the pipe diameter and other arcane matters. The only way you can handle a big job yourself is to know the code and what it calls for in pipe sizing, fixture spacing and related matters.

4. Always do a leak test.
It should be obvious: Make a thorough leak inspection before closing up any projects. When you’ve installed a new valve component (or the valve itself), aggressively open and close the valve as well as running both hot and cold water through it. Do the same when checking drains. Run water down a drain and fill up a sink or tub and then drain it to check for leaks.

5. Be kind. To your septic system, that is.
We get asked this question all the time: “Should I use an additive to improve the performance of my septic system and reduce the need to pump the septic tank?” An additive can be almost anything from sugar or enzymes to a dead chicken. A properly designed, built and maintained septic system will last for decades, and trying to reduce pumping intervals will more likely lead to a clogged leaching field as solids, not clear effluent, flows out of the septic tank and out into the leaching field. A septic-tank-pumping company can advise you on how often the tank needs to be pumped. It will depend on the tank’s size and how many people live in the home.

Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing for all of your plumbing needs 800-929-9902 or visit us at mrrooter.com

There’s A Reason They Call Us Mr.

A problem with your plumbing can happen at any time. Choosing the right plumber can be a daunting task, especially in an emergency situation. Peace of mind is one of the major benefits of contracting a qualified plumbing company. If you do find yourself in a plumbing emergency, it’s essential to find a plumbing company that is available 24/7. 

Mr. Rooter Plumbing believes in starting every job off on the right foot, and that starts from the moment we get your call. We feel that even the way we park our vans shows how good of a job we’ll do. We believe in being attentive to our client’s needs and making our commitment to quality workmanship and customer satisfaction our number one priority. We use state-of-the-art technology to diagnose your plumbing problems and keep you informed every step of the way. Whether it is a clogged drain or trenchless repairs we are committed to doing the right thing each and every time. 

Mr. Rooter Plumbing will be there in a hurry to fix whatever plumbing problem you may have. There’s A Reason They Call Us Mr. For more information visit www.mrrooter.com

Services Include: Faucets, Kitchen Sinks, Toilets, Water Softeners, Sewer Lines, Laundry Centers, Gas Heaters, Clogged Drains, Toilets, Septic Tanks, Video Inspections, Pipe Repairs, Floor Drains, Grease Traps, Water Pressure Problems, Copper Repiping, Water Heater Problems, Drain Hydro Jetting, Sewer Cleaning Replacement, Sewer Repair – Pipe Lining, Sewer Repair – Pipe Bursting.