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Drain Repair (indoor).
Once we use the incoming water from our faucets, toilets,
showers or tubs, it has to have somewhere to go, right?
The drainage system inside your home is an indispensable
part of your total plumbing system, carrying waste and
used (gray) water to the sewer or septic system outside.
Indoor drainage systems have been a part of homes for
centuries, and as such the materials and construction
of drain system's components have changed a bit. Some
of these changes have been due to improvements in piping
materials, while others have come about due to code changes
and requirements. Code requirements change frequently,
and dictate that indoor drainage systems be constructed
in a certain way, regardless of how many bathrooms are
in the home. Drain pipe sizing and configuration are based
on the layout of the home, they must still conform to
certain rules.
Drain pipe materials in older homes consisted mostly of
thin-walled stainless steel, copper, lead, and cast iron.
The steel, copper, and lead were usually found under sinks,
while cast iron was found in walls and in basements or
crawlspaces, forming the main sewer system for the home.
A very common configuration for an under-sink drain setup
was as follows: thin-wall stainless, soldered into a copper
stub, then soldered into a lead stub, with the lead then
connected to the cast iron. That's FOUR different materials
all connected within a few feet of each other, all susceptible
to corrosion or rust. As such, leaks are very common in
these locations. With so many failure points, problems
were eminent. When one of these leaks occur, we make the
repairs with PVC (poly-vinyl chloride) piping, which is
an extremely durable, clean, and inexpensive type of plastic
pipe. We remove as much of the older metal piping as possible,
often leaving you with brand new drainage all the way
back into the wall and reaching the cast iron (which is
less prone to leaks).
If your home is built on a basement, most of your drainage
system is visible there (unless your basement is finished).
Cast iron, while being slightly more durable than the
aforementioned metal piping materials, still develops
leaks after many years. These leaks are generally caused
by waste accumulating along the interior wall of the piping
and rotting, causing the cast iron to rust through to
the outside. Leaks are also common on cast iron joints,
which were attached with lead and a material called oakum
(a rope-like substance similar to hemp). The oakum wears
away with age and use, allowing leaks to occur. Complete
basement and crawlspace drainage re-pipes are an everyday
job for us, and one of the best plumbing investments you
can make for your home. As previously stated, we use PVC
to repair and replace all the cast iron drain lines, branching
from your fixtures all the way to the exterior wall of
your home, and further if you prefer (see "Sewer
Lines" section). Our 12-month warranty is
given on all repairs to your interior drains.
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Great Financing Available!
Ask us about financing for your next plumbing repair, replacement, installation or renovation. We can help!
Send Us Any
Written Estimate.
We can usually match or beat any written estimate. Send an estimate from any other plumbing services company and let us see what we can do for you.
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