Gargling with mouthwash? Good. A gurgling drain? Not so much. The holidays are fast approaching. Houses will be filled with guests with lots of baking and cooking heavy on fats and oils. The last thing you want to be dealing with is an emergency drain cleaning and a gurgling drain can be one of the early warning signs.

In most cases a call to Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing can take care of the problem pretty quickly. A clogged drain or slow drain is usually the result of hair (bathrooms) or grease and food (kitchen) and can be cleared by using a drain snake.

If you have multiple drains appearing to be clogged or draining slowly, there could be a more serious problem in the sewer pipe exiting your home. One common cause is tree roots invading the pipe causing it to clog. In this case there is a choice to be made between using a drain snake or a hydro jet cleaner.

Think of hydro jetting as a pressure washer on steroids. It uses a powerful jet of water to clean the pipe, and can even cut through small roots to clear a blockage. A drain snake can really only punch through a blockage, it can’t actually clean the inside of a drain pipe like hydro jetting can, but the decision to use a snake or hydro jetting should be made by a professional plumber. The first step is to put a video camera in the line to locate the blockage and make sure the pipe is in good enough condition to withstand the high pressure of the hydro jet cleaning.

A slow draining sink might be easy to ignore, but the truth is a slow drain almost always turns into a clogged drain. If the problem is in your main sewer line, waiting too long is like playing a game of Russian roulette. If you’ve ever had to clean up the mess from a sewer backup, you know some preventive maintenance by Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is well worth the cost. Just don’t wait until that clogged drain or sewer pipe ruins your upcoming holiday gathering. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more great information.