Clogged drains can be an absolute hassle for homeowners. Not only do backed-up sinks and shower drains cause headaches, but they can also be highly unsanitary and resurface germs that should have been sent down the drain. If nothing else has successfully cleared your drain, rooters to clear your pipes are your best option.
How Do Rooters Work
Also called a plumbing snake, it’s useful to think of a rooter as the opposite of a plunger. Usually, ¼ inch thick, a rooter is a coiled, snake-like tool that is pushed down a drain with a crank system to clear a clogged drain. When a snake is forced down a drain, it can easily reach the blockage and break it up so that it goes through the pipes. Or rooters can grab the blockage and lift it out of the drain, depending on the material that’s stuck.
Why Would I Need Rooter Service
Inexperienced homeowners may miss the real cause of the blockage when using rooters without the help of a plumber. When a clogged pipe is caused by corrosion, using a plumbing snake may make the problem much worse and contribute to the blockage. To ensure that you don’t accidentally cause more damage to your home’s internal plumbing system, it’s best practice to hire a plumber to take care of the clog.
In addition, using the wrong sized rooter or snake drain can cause damage to your pipes, rooters, and even yourself. The potential of damaging your pipes significantly rises when you live in an older home with pipes made from discontinued materials. Galvanized pipes usually see the most damage after a snake is improperly pushed through a clogged drain. This causes scratches, but more importantly, it can cause expensive cracks or full breakage on older pipes.
It’s important to remember that rooters are incredibly durable tools with a lot of power behind them. They can recoil with little warning if the internal wire is withdrawn too quickly from the drain, potentially causing serious bodily harm to an inexperienced operator.
Rooter Service in Portland, OR
The risks associated with trying to DIY rooter service easily outweigh hiring a qualified plumber to unclog your drain for you. Professional plumbers have been trained how to handle these rooters to properly clean drains without damaging the plumbing system. Give the pros at Apollo Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning a call and speak to one of our technicians about repairing a clogged drain, or any of our plumbing services.
