Unless you’re building a new home from scratch, there is a good chance that you already have a drain line in place. What’s important, though, is that you keep this drain line clean, clear, and free of debris, according to Randy and Rex Latta of Latta Plumbing Inc. As a premier plumber in Birmingham, Latta Plumbing works with clients to solve all types of plumbing issues, including drain line cleaning and repairs.
Drain lines are not typically something that most homeowners think about on a day to day basis, mainly because they are essentially out of sight and out of mind. The only time that homeowners do think about the drain lines, though, is when trouble comes up and a line gets clogged or leached. “Most of the time, the drain lines are already there in a house,” they explain, “but most people still aren’t thinking enough about cleaning those lines, or how often they need to have that done.”
When a drain line stops up for a homeowner in Birmingham, a plumber should be the first person who is called. Unlike other home fixtures, the Lattas don’t recommend that homeowners stay on any particular maintenance schedule for checking out drain lines. “Drain lines are usually something you don’t really think about until something happens,” the experts say.
Any qualified plumber in Birmingham should have all the tools necessary for a drain line cleaning job right on hand, according to the Lattas. In addition to having a sewer machine and jet machine—which are both used in numerous pipe cleaning jobs—the professionals at Latta Plumbing also have special cameras that they can use to see right down into their clients’ drain lines.
Putting a camera down a client’s drain line is an excellent way to determine exactly what it is that is clogging the line. “We can actually clean the line, and then put this camera down in there,” they say. Unlike standard video cameras, the cameras that plumbers put down drain lines have to be very tiny and durable.
This type of equipment usually involves a tiny camera attached to the end of a long hose, along with a TV monitor that can be hooked up just about anywhere. The Lattas say that they will start this kind of project by feeding the hose very slowly down the drain line and looking at the TV monitor as it goes down to try to spot whatever it is that is causing the line to back up.
The most common causes of drain line backups are things like roots and cracked pipes, explain the pros. “And a lot of times, the camera will show when you have got a total breakdown in your sewer system, which we couldn’t see otherwise,” they say.
After finding the source of the problem and visually seeing it on their TV monitor, the Lattas say they will usually upload the video to a computer and email it directly to their clients. One common complaint that many homeowners have is that they feel like they’re getting ripped off by their plumbers, oftentimes because drain line clogs and other plumbing issues are all but impossible for homeowners to see for themselves. On top of that, it can be difficult to explain to someone why he needs to pay hundreds of dollars to repair something he can’t even see for himself.
Drain line camera have become a helpful tool in combating that homeowner skepticism, though, since they give plumbers a way to show clients what’s going on beneath the ground. “When we clean drain lines now, we put this camera down in there and show the clients directly what we have done,” they explain.
The Lattas say that they use their camera equipment most often when working with clients whose drains are continually having problems—as opposed to those who are calling for a drain line cleaning for the very first time. “If I have someone who calls me once a month for three months, then I’ll say, ‘Listen, we need to get this drain line fixed once and for all. So let’s clean it and put a camera in it, because there is something going on that you need to see,’” they say.
Although the technology isn’t especially new—it has been available for years, according to the Lattas—only recently have homeowners and other plumbers begun catching on as to how helpful a drain line camera can really be. For homeowners in Birmingham who are interested in seeing what is clogging up their drain lines, the Lattas recommend contacting Latta Plumbing Inc and scheduling a drain line cleaning.
