Drain Cleaning

Arico Plumbing can unclog any drain or sewer line up to 6 inches in size. Most homes have a maximum sewer pipe size of 4" in diameter. We usually can clear most drain within an hour, and sewers in 1 to 2 hours. Roots problems in the sewer line tend to be the most difficult type of problem and take the longest. Most kitchen or laundry stoppages are cleared through the vent pipe that extends from the roof.

Mechanical Drain Cleaning (aka Snake)

This is still the most common type of drain cleaning we do. It entails running a snake down your drain line until we reach the clog. This method is usually the least expensive but it does not clean the drain as well as hydro-jetting service. Basicallly a mechanical snake will remove a clog but does not do anything to the build up the lines the inside of the piping. It you have a problem drain the keeps backing up, or if you have old piping (20 + years) you should consider having the drain hydro-jetted instead of having a snake run through it. Snake are great for removing blockages that are unexpected blocks in the pipe, not for a long term buildup. We have 2 types of mechancial drain cleaning equipment, one is for smaller drains (laundry, kitchen, shower, lavatory) and it will reach up to 75 feet down the drain. The other type of snake we carry is for the sewer line, it is a larger snake and is used to clear roots and blockages from the main sewer line. The sewer machine works best when it is run through a ground level exposed cleanout. If a cleanout is not available it is possible to run it from a vent, however, this does a poor job of clearning the sewer line and we recommended a cleanout be installed whenever possible.

Hydrojetting Services

Hydrojetting is one of the best ways to clean and drain or a sewer line. Basically it is a pressure washer that is feed down your drain or sewer and it blasts off crud that has built up on the sides of your piping. It is great for removing grime, grease or old piping rust. It is also good as clearing blockages such as roots and food build ups. Once your drain is cleaned with a hydro-jetting you can expect it to work like new. In order to have a hydrojetting done to a drain line it may have to be mechanically cleaned first to make sure that water can flow down the piping, otherwise the water that the hydro-jetting uses to blast will build up and flow back out of the pipe. Hydrojetting usually takes about twice as long as standard drain cleaning but for problem drains or sewers it is the best method.

Chemical Drain Cleaning

Chemical drain cleaning is usually used in conjunction with Mechanical Drain Cleaning. We carry two types, the first is to remove build up that gets on the side of pipes. This is a bioemzye chemical that when introduced to the drain, eats away build up on the sides of the piping over time. It can take weeks to eat away the build up but if hydrojetting is not an alternative it is a good way to clean your pipes. The other chemical we use is a root destroying chemical. It foams up in the sewer lines and burns away roots that are inflitration the piping and coats them with a root inhibitor and provents them from coming back. This will usually keep the roots away for over a year, but can only be used once the sewer line is semi-open so the chemical can flow downward to all the piping. This is also not an instant solution for removing roots, it takes time to burn away roots. This is a great finishing remedy once the roots have been cut out with a mechical snake or a hydrojetting.

Blow-out Bags

A blow out bag is a rubber or canvas bag that goes on the end of a water hose. You push it down the drain and turn the water on. It fills up with water and creates a seal inside the pipe as it enlarges with water. Once it is filled with water and sealed inside the piping, it shoots water down the pipe. As the water flows down the pipe it comes to the blockage and starts to build up pressure between the blockages and the Blow-out Bag. Eventuallly the pressure gets high enough to remove the blockage or at least blow out a small opening in the blockage. Depending on what the blockage is, this make completely solve your drain problem or it may just help to make your drain flow a little better.