Archive for the 'General' Category

What are the main causes of blocked drains?

Published on February 3, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Drain Maintenance, General, Pipe Damage and Tree Roots. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Todays post is a simple one.

The main cause of over 85% of blocked drains  in Australia is tree roots!

Cooking fats, oils and grease, human and pet hair, sanitary products, facial tissues and napkins used instead of toilet paper, dental floss and broken or collapsed pipes make up the other 15% of blocked drains.

If you have repeat repeat repeat problems with your sewer pipes caused by tree roots then, this simple instruction found in the “head” or toilet of an ocean racing yacht, makes a lot of sense to me. I’m sure the yacht owners won’t mind if you put a similiar sign in your troubled bathroom.

 

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Why we need a plan of our sewer pipes

Published on January 24, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Common Sewer Pipes, Customer Feedback and General. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Generally, when sewer pipes and drains are installed by a licensed plumber, they are inspected by an authorised person who draws a plan of the drainage installation showing where the drains run, what plumbing fixtures are connected and what, if any, other properties are connected!

In modern times, we have a self inspection system where the plumber draws the drainage installation and submits the drawing to the local water authority or council for their records.

Owners can get a copy of this diagram from their local water authority or council. If your property has a history of blocked drains or is surrounded by trees, I strongly suggest you have a copy of this drainage diagram and keep it in a safe and easliy accessible place.

Your local plumber can assist with getting a copy of this drainage diagram.

In NSW Australia, a drainage diagram is a standard inclusion in a Contract of Sale for any property. I suggest you look there first!

 

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Who is responsible for these drains?

Published on January 14, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Common Sewer Pipes, Cost Benefits, Customer Feedback, Drain Maintenance and General. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Blockages and problems with drains occur no matter what type of building you live in.

Most single or multiple level houses have their own drainage systems taking the discharge from all the plumbing fixtures within the property. The owner of this  property is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their pipes upto the point where his pipes join the council main.

Rows of terrace houses in inner city suburbs and semi-detached homes often drain into a “common sewer line”. These terrace rows can have upto 20 homes or more, draining into 1 common line. Depending on the fall of the land, this common sewer line may pass across the front or rear of the row and then  spill into a Boundary trap, before discharging into the Water authority’s main sewer line.

Generally, the common sewer line should be maintained by and costs associated with works or repairs on this  common sewer line should be borne by all parties on that common sewer line.

If blockages, repairs or pipe renewals are confined to the pipes and drains that take the discharge from any one particular house on the common sewer line, then those costs should be borne by that individual.

Any property owners connected to a common sewer line should be aware, that should a blockage occur in the common line, downstream of where he connects to the line, the sewer may surcharge or overflow in his yard or garden if it is the lowest open drain in the line.

This can be quite unpleasant if someone else’s sewer is coming up in your yard or even worse, your home!

When blockages occur, we recommend that all owners connected to a common sewer line communicate and co-operate with all other parties on this line .

Strata home unit blocks and Townhouses will have their own drainage lines that generally drain to a Boundary trap and then on to the Water Authority or Council sewer mains.

The responsibility for the maintenance and repairs of these drains is generally directed by a Strata Title Manager  and sometimes a Real Estate Property Manager

Commercial properties, Industrial Estates and Schools genarally all have there own  drainage lines that generally drain to a Boundary trap and then on to the Water Authority or Council sewer mains.

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What is a blocked drain?

Published on January 4, 2012 in Blocked Drains, Clogged Drain, Drain Maintenance, Environmentally Friendly, General, Pipe Damage and Stop tree roots in drains. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

A  drain is an outlet where water can be piped away from a plumbing fixture like a toilet or WC, a basin, bath or shower, a kitchen sink, laundry tubs or an external drain, known as a gully.

Stormwater drains can take discharge from roofing guttering and pits and grates installed to take runoff  water collected from hard surfaces.

 

A blocked drain is usually referred to when waste water accumulates around any of the drains indicated and can not be evacuated from this place.

Most drains run to either sewer or stormwater mains that are assets of Water authorities, municipal councils and the cities and towns across the country

Most blockages are generally caused by tree roots, grease, hair, sanitary products, dirt and debris or a multitude of foreign items, even broken pipes.

Blocked drains are the resposibility of the property owners.

This series of blog posts will be aimed at blocked drain basics.

We will discuss who owns the drains, how to maintain them, what you should and should not put in your drains and what to look out for if your drains are about to block up.

We will look inside pipes, show you a drainoscopy or pipe survey so you know what it’s like in the network of pipes under your homes and buildings.

I encourage your feedback, so please ask questions and we will answer them promptly!

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Nightmare Christmas…will this happen to you?

Published on December 12, 2011 in Blocked Drains, Environmentally Friendly, General, Pipe Damage and Tree Roots. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Christmas is fast approaching…

…and I’ll let you in on a little “trade secret”…

…that I guarantee will make me very unpopular with a lot of emergency plumbers!

Continue reading ‘Nightmare Christmas…will this happen to you?’

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A tale of two drains

Published on October 26, 2011 in Blocked Drains, Cost Benefits, Environmentally Friendly, General, Pipe Damage and Tree Roots. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

 These 2 sewer drain  pipes with their lids removed are taking the discharge from neighbouring properties. They are surrounded by different species of large trees. Tree roots are growing into the sewer pipe through the pipe joints

The drain on the left belongs to a client who, after many years of tree root blockages to her sewer pipes, grew tired of the sewer overflow running through her home.

The pipeline runs underneath her marble tiled entrance and the suggestion to renew the pipeline would mean excavating the black and white tiled floor. Matching the tiles would be difficult!

The drain on the right is as we found it. We told the owner about Vaporooter!

The images below show the inside of each pipe.

Guess which drain has had Vaporooter?

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Clogged Drain or Tree Root Damage? Time for Vaporooter

Published on June 14, 2010 in Clogged Drain, General, Pipe Damage and Root Infiltration. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Vaporooter is the perfect solution to remove tree roots in sewer pipes. When used in repeated applications to remove tree roots from sewer lines, Vaporooter approaches the level of 100 percent effective in tree root control. No process to remove tree roots in pipes and away from foundations has proven to be nearly as effective or efficient.

Vaporooter is delivered in a foam application to prevent tree roots damage. The foam ensures that the combination of herbicides, Metham Sodium (herbicide), and Dichlobenil (growth inhibiting agent) reaches every root surface within the pipes to kill the root and prevent regrowth of the root cells. This effectively addresses the tree root problem within the pipe and eliminates roots in drains.

The use of a foam application also controls the amount of time the herbicide combination is in contact with a tree root. Vaporooter only affects the tree root problem in pipes and does not affect trees or shrubs that are above the ground as it is not absorbed by the tree. No method to remove roots in pipes has proven to deliver the same safe and effective process as Vaporooter.

As a chemical compound, Vaporooter must be applied by a Mini Foamer machine by a licensed applicator. By following this process to address a clogged drain, it helps to ensure the Vaporooter foam safely and truly penetrates the root to remove the roots in sewer pipes.

The machine generates the foam and pumps it to remove tree roots. The technician is trained to ensure this process delivers foam completely throughout the pipe to penetrate roots in drains and prevent their growth. The herbicides in the Vaporooter will penetrate the roots in drains and burst the root, causing it to die and decay. Grease and slime are stripped away from the clogged drain to allow for deep penetration to prevent the tree root problem.

Removing tree roots from a clogged drain must first be done with an auger to clean out the root mass and make way for the proper method to treat roots in drains. Vaporooter should be applied within 6 to 8 weeks of new implementations or fresh root cuts to prevent continued tree root damage. When this process to remove tree roots from pipes is done annually, it can effectively prevent future tree root damage.

No one should have to be at the mercy of an invasive tree root problem on their property. Removing tree roots in sewer pipes and away from foundation walls can easily be achieved with Vaporooter. We can show you how to remove roots in pipes with our licensed applicator and proven Vaporooter method. You no longer have to pay for tree root damage.

Don’t wait for your tree roots to become a problem that costs significant resources to repair. Call a Vaporooter profeassional today to assess your tree root problem and eliminate your clogged drain. They can show you how to remove roots in pipes before they cause a clog and backup your system. Sewer root control is proven and effective with Vaporooter!

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Need to Safely Remove Roots in Pipes? Turn to Vaporooter

Published on June 7, 2010 in General, Pipe Damage, Root Infiltration and Tree Roots. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

Vaporooter has been the premier solution to remove tree roots found in pipes for more than 40 years. As tree root problem growth threatens building foundations and the basic infrastructure of cities and towns, municipalities needed a way to mediate tree root damage. Roots in sewer pipes and penetrating foundations can cause challenging and expensive problems without Vaporooter to provide the ultimate in sewer root control.

This go-to solution delivers a proven product for any tree root problem as it keeps the infrastructure of cities and towns up and running. When tree roots in sewer pipes impede the free flow of liquids, the backup and associated damage demands an optimal solution for roots in drains.

In 1967, the County of Sacramento, California sought a solution to the growing tree root problem. Sewer lines were increasingly damaged and clogged drains were backing up into buildings. The current process to remove tree roots from pipes could not keep up with the rapid movement of root growth. Cutting methods to remove tree roots were also time-consuming and labor intensive.

Botanist Oliver Leonard at the University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) was enlisted by Sacramento city and county officials to determine why cutting roots to eliminate tree root damage were falling short of eliminating the problem. To get a better understanding of the science behind tree roots in sewer lines, Leonard and his UC-Davis team excavated infected areas.

By closely examining sections of infected tree roots, researchers could document and analyse the root growth patterns. It was determined that cutting to remove roots in pipes ensures the roots are exposed to nutrition, causing them to grow back bigger and faster, thereby exacerbating the problem.

With continued testing on methods to remove tree roots in pipes, researchers discovered the virtue of metam sodium. This unique chemical has been proven to be very efficient in the process of removing roots in pipes as it treats the growth of the root, without hurting the plant itself. In addition to effectively preventing tree root damage, this compound dissipates quickly without leaving behind any harmful residue.

Researchers had discovered how to remove tree roots from pipes safely and effectively, yet they still wanted a way to prevent the root from growing back into the lines. The answer came with the addition of dichlobenil, discovered by Fred Horne in 1968. This growth inhibitor helps to ensure a tree root problem in pipes would not return once treated with the chemical application.

The removal of roots in sewer pipes became easy when the herbicide metam sodium was added to the growth inhibitor dichlobenil as roots in drains could be covered with a foam application. The resulting surfactant formulation created dense foam that could thoroughly cover the tree root and pipe surfaces.

The discovery of the effectiveness of this foam in the process to remove tree roots from sewer pipes and keep them root free for years, Vaporooter was born. The patented Vaporooter today demonstrates how to remove roots in pipes and ensuring the free flow of waste fluids through the pipe line.

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Tree Root Damage Prevented With Vaporooter

Published on May 31, 2010 in General, Pipe Damage and Root Infiltration. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

No one wants to have to deal with tree roots in sewer pipes and in the process of trying to address the problem when it occurs, tree root damage can be a common problem. To achieve effective removal of roots in drains and address a tree root problem, nothing has been proven to be nearly as effective as Vaporooter.

Vaporooter foam is designed to remove roots in pipes without causing damage to the environment or surrounding plant life. The chemical combination in Vaporooter is protected and monitored by the EPA and must be applied by a trained and certified Vaporooter technician. When properly applied on an annual basis, you can safely and effectively remove tree roots from a clogged drain.

Vaporooter delivers other advantages as well, including continuous protection. The application only needs to take place once a year to address an ongoing tree root problem. This method to remove tree roots from sewer lines is an effective way to prevent roots from penetrating pipes in the future while also preventing tree root damage.

Vaporooter is also cost effective. For less than $1.50 per day, you can prevent roots in drains from growing back after they have been removed. This process for addressing a clogged drain ensures you can remove roots in pipes without tearing out landscaping or the pipe itself. No digging is required and your tree root problem can become a thing of the past.

The process for using Vaporooter and the chemicals it delivers to remove tree roots from sewer lines while preventing tree root damage to other pipes and foundations has been proven to be 100 percent safe and effective. While it is important that the Vaporooter be handled only by a trained and certified technician, its application will not cause harm.

When compared with costly repairs to pipelines, foundations and landscaped areas, the application of Vaporooter is significantly less expansive to remove roots in pipes. A clogged drain can seem like a simple blocked pipe, but in reality, tree root damage can cost a fortune. When Vaporooter is properly used on an annual basis to treat roots in sewer lines, homeowners and municipalities avoid costly repairs.

The proven method in the use of Vaporooter to remove roots in pipes and prevent tree root damage is readily available throughout the world. Municipalities in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have relied on Vaporooter to remove tree roots from sewer pipes and prevent untold damage to sewer lines and building foundations. No other method to remove roots in pipes has been proven to be as effective, safe or efficient as Vaporooter.

Vaporooter should be applied to tree roots in sewer lines every year to ensure root regrowth does not occur. This process to remove tree roots in sewer lines is necessary as ongoing maintenance as once tree roots have found a nutrient source, they will continue to seek that source. You cannot control the habits of the tree, but you can prevent tree roots in sewer pipes with Vaporooter.

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Remove Tree Roots with Vaporooter

Published on May 24, 2010 in General and Root Infiltration. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

It is important to remove tree roots from sewer pipes in order to ensure the free flow of liquids throughout the system. Unfortunately, sewer pipes are a draw for tree roots as they will grow toward moisture through a continuous process that occurs at the end of the root.

Roots in sewer pipes are the result of roots growing one cell at a time at the end of the root. This process allows the root to penetrate extremely small openings in the pursuit of nourishment, leading to roots in drains. Once a tree root problem occurs, it can divide hundreds of times to form an enormous mass of tender root ends.

Vaporooter emerged onto the scene more than 40 years ago as municipalities needed to address clogged drain issues and to develop a process to remove tree roots. Vaporooter is a chemical compound protected by the EPA, therefore it must be applied by a Mini Foamer machine by a licensed applicator to ensure it safely and truly penetrates roots in sewer pipes.

The machine generates the foam and pumps it to deliver optimal sewer root control and remove roots in pipes. The applicator is trained to ensure this process to remove roots in pipes delivers foam completely throughout the clogged drain to ensure good contact with all tree roots. This helps to deliver safe and effective control of roots in sewer pipes without tree root damage.

Vaporooter should be used within six to eight weeks of installing the sewer system for new implementations to avoid a clogged drain later.  If you want to avoid roots in sewer pipes later, learn how to remove tree roots with Vaporooter. If this process is done annually, it can prevent the cracking damage caused by live tree roots in sewer lines.

When the herbicides present in the Vaporooter penetrate the tree roots in drains, it bursts the root, causing it to die and decay. The herbicide combination enables grease and slime to be stripped away from tree roots in sewer pipes to allow for deep penetration in the root mass to inhibit root cell division and growth for up to three years.

The Vaporooter is truly the most effective method to remove tree roots from sewer pipes. To avoid tree root demand, you must first remove the roots from a clogged drain with an auger to clean out the root mass. Sewer root control is inhibited if Vaporooter is immediately applied unless your Vaporooter applicator can overcome the obstacle of “bleeding sap”.

When a tree root is cut during the initial treatment to remove roots in pipes, the tree roots respond very quickly by “bleeding” a sap that assists healing and regrowth. Think of it as the tree’s survival method. The bleeding sap can block the absorption of the Vaporooter foam for a number of days. If application is done six to eight weeks after the roots are cut, the Vaporooter foam is efficiently maximized in the application.

Vaporooter should be applied to tree roots in sewer lines every year to to address your tree root problem. This process to remove tree roots in sewer lines is necessary as ongoing maintenance as once tree roots have found a nutrient source, they will continue to seek that source. You cannot control the habits of the tree, but you can prevent tree roots in pipes with Vaporooter.

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