Drain Cleaner
Why is Drain Cleaning Important?
Drain cleaning and maintenance is essential for commercial and institutional facilities. Whether in a hotel, restaurant, hospital, or school, proper drain function is critical to ensuring sanitary conditions.
How Drain Cleaners Work
A pulse-jet drain cleaner uses powerful bursts of pressurized water to loosen clogged material while simultaneously flushing it out of the system. Special nozzles change the orientation and shape of the burst to suit the bends of a pipe or type of clog. The nozzle is attached to a long, flexible hose that is fed through the drain by the operator. It's ideal for all kinds of pipe materials, especially older, delicate pipes because the pulsing action of pressurized water is powerful but not abrasive like mechanical snakes or caustic like chemical cleaners. Compact units can deliver up to 600 PSI of pressure and are not much larger than a briefcase. More powerful, cart-mounted units are available for heavy-duty clogs and industrial use. They operate at up to 1400 PSI and can be used in a wide range of applications. Oftentimes, a quality pulse-jet drain cleaner will pay for itself in cost savings from hiring professional help or paying for a rental unit. Hardware and rental associations report that drain cleaners are one of the top rental items among residential consumers and contractors
Drain Cleaning in Hospitals
Hospitals and many healthcare facilities require the professional use of a cable auger to ensure proper drain cleaning. Sterile conditions in hospitals are critical to the success of patient treatment and recovery. For this reason, drain cleaning is important in any hospital maintenance plan. Regular monitoring and remediation of drain problems is a necessity to head off any blockage problems. Drain cleaning ensures that stagnant water, a breeding ground for germs and water contamination, is minimized.
Drain cleaning will eliminate flushed materials, tree roots, and deposit buildup from the drainage system. These blockages often lead to slow-draining drains, and may ultimately result in flooding. Both can be remediated through drain cleaning, which restores the flow of water.
Drain Cleaning in Commercial Kitchens
Commercial kitchens face unique challenges in drain cleaning. In addition to common blockages like dirt, tree roots, etc. these kitchens also have fat, oil and grease drainage, compounding problem build-ups. It is very important for staff in commercial kitchens to pay attention to the functioning of their drainage systems. In fact, it is not uncommon for commercial kitchens to perform prophylactic drain cleaning to prevent clogs before they happen.
Kitchen floor drains get dirty over time when dust, food, fat, oil, grease, and debris enter the drains along with dirty water. Also, sinks often overflow, resulting in more contaminants being forced down floor drains. This environment causes bacteria growth and corrosion, emphasizing the need for routine drain cleaning.
Drain Cleaning in Hotels
Hotels' drain systems experience a high volume of activity, which increases the likelihood that blockage issues will arise. Repeated maximization of drain capacity puts a strain on the system; increasing the possibility that flooding and/or poor drainage may occur. Therefore, it is critical that hotel staff have a preemptive drain cleaning program.
Drain cleaning must be done often before flooding occurs and damages carpets, floors, and ceilings. Another area of concern for many hotels is the basement. Here, there are usually many storage areas, water heaters, laundry services and central air conditioners. Drain cleaning can prevent the buildup of large quantities of lint and bacteria that crystallize in the long drainpipe located in the basement.
Drain Cleaning in Schools
Schools also face unique challenges in maintaining optimum drainage capacity. Frequent bathroom visits by students, as well as cafeterias' drainage needs, demand a well-operating drainage system, ensured by frequent drain cleaning. Student toilets often overflow due to overstuffing, flushing of foreign objects, and running water. Quick drain cleaning fixes like plunging are not a long-term solution. The use of chemical drain cleaning is also not practical for an environment used mostly by children.
How to Clean Drains
Several drain cleaning methods are available today to unclog drains of all types. The simplest method is to just pour very hot water down the drain in hopes of dissolving the clog. Home owners typically turn to liquid drain cleaners as a first remedy to unclog drains. If that fails, a professional plumber is usually brought in (most consumers will not even entertain the idea of purchasing a
mechanical
drain cleaner).Another drain clearing device is the simple plunger, also known as the "plumber's helper", which can be very effective at opening up clogged sink and toilet drains.
Hand operated drain cleaners, or snakes, such as the closet auger, are another choice for removing clogs. There are also motorized "snake" machines that can be fed deep into the drainage piping. These machines are very effective and can remove just about any clog, including tree roots, but they require training for safe and successful operation..
Another drain cleaner commonly used by maintenance professionals is the kinetic water ram. This consists of a hand operated air pump connected to a storage cylinder equipped with a pressure gage with a set of interchangeable nozzles to fit various drain openings. The operator simply pumps the cylinder up to the desired pressure, securely fits the nozzle into the drain opening and pulls the trigger releasing the pressurized air into the pipe. The pressurized air forces the water column in front of it into the clog dislodging it.
A newer method of clearing blocked drains is the “pulse
jetter”. which uses high pressure water to clear blockages. These are a variation on the common pressure washer, with the addition of a pulse valve that allows the operator to deliver pulses of pressure to break up the clog.
How to Spot Early Warning Signs in Your Drain
Your drains may be telling you that they're restricted long before a complete stoppage occurs. It helps to know how to spot these early warning signs, as a flow restriction is much easier to deal with than a blocked drain. A sluggish drain is one indication of a restriction in a sink or tub. If you run hot water down a slow drain and it does not improve, there could be an object lodged in the drain. When you run water in an upstairs sink or tub and it shows up downstairs, the main drain line that connects the two floors may be clogged. Toilet bowls will sometimes make a gurgling noise while flushing that will indicate a flow restriction. In laundry areas, if the floor appears wet after operating the washing machine, it may be due to a clog. Also, when you run the washing machine and water backs up in your tub or your toilet bubbles, it could be a clog in the main line. Oftentimes, in large commercial facilities where a number of contaminants can wind up in a floor drain, a malodor is the first warning sign of a clog. When clogs do occur, there are some conventional home remedies that can be applied with varying degrees of success. But stubborn clogs won't typically yield to household items like baking soda, vinegar and rock salt. For professional plumbers and maintenance technicians, the pulse-jet drain cleaner is a powerful and safe solution for a variety of stoppages.
Chemical Drain Cleaners
Chemical drain cleaners use extremely corrosive chemicals to clean drains. These chemicals "eat" through materials such as hair, soap, grease, etc. These drain cleaners can be harmful and require careful handling and storage. Some ingredients commonly found in these drain cleaners include sulfuric acid and lye. The chemical reaction caused by these chemical drain cleaners dissolves the materials that clog pipes and hinder proper drainage. These chemicals can be dangerous as they are generally skin irritants and can cause serious burns or blindness. The toxic vapors from some of these chemical drain cleaners can also be harmful.
Chemical drain cleaners when used regularly can corrode or damage
the plumbing connected to the drains. Additionally, chemical drain
cleaners in high enough concentrations can harm the microbial
bacteria necessary to help maintain septic systems.
Further, the use of chemical drain cleaners can be harmful to
the environment as these toxic chemicals are flushed through the
drainage system and eventually into the ground or well water.
Chemical Drain Cleaner Precautions
A chemical drain cleaner, if used without caution, can be hazardous to the operator. Handling a chemical drain cleaner with safety in mind will guarantee you can complete your task without getting hurt.
When using the drain cleaner make sure you never come in physical contact with the chemicals. It is highly suggested the user wear a pair of rubber gloves and protective goggles in case any chemicals splash out of the drain. After the operation, be sure to avoid the drain area as chemicals are likely to bubble up, which releases harmful fumes and liquids.
You should never use a chemical drain cleaner on a garbage disposal. The chemicals can linger in the garbage disposal after the work was done on the drain. If someone decided to turn on the disposal, chemicals could slash and cause bodily harm.
While operating with chemical drain cleaners, be sure to avoid using a plunger. Plungers have the potential to pull up the used chemicals which could spill on the operator. This applies both during and after using chemical drain cleaner.
It is very important not to mix different types of drain cleaner. Mixing chemicals can be a dangerous concoction especially if you mix an alkali cleaner and an acid cleaner together. The mixture has the potential to be explosive.
Do not use chemical drain cleaner on a completely clogged drain. The chemicals
will remain on top of the clog and further increase the difficulty
of removing the clog.
What Can Lead to a Clogged Drain?
Rough interior surfaces in pipes are more likely to clog than
smooth ones. Both cast iron and galvanized steel can corrode,
creating ideal conditions for a clog. Depending on the operating
environment of a system, a number of deposits will adhere to rusted
or scaled pipes, including hair, soap, sand, coffee grounds, wax,
brine, sanitary waste, grease, oil, organic bio-film and much
more. So-called "flushable" baby wipes can be particularly troublesome.
Once they become lodged inside pipes, not only do they fail to
deteriorate, they will often expand over time making a tricky
drainage problem even worse. The best surfaces for proper drainage
are smooth ones, like PVC and copper. But even these materials
can become severely clogged. One of the major causes of underground
clogs is roots, which tend to grow toward sewer lines that have
deteriorated or have been compromised by movement. They will eventually
overwhelm the pipe and the system, causing grease, paper products
and any other debris that passes through it to become clogged
and cause a stoppage.
Basic Measures to Prevent Clogs
Many clogs can be prevented with basic precautionary measures and good habits. First, sink-stoppers need to be cleaned regularly and freed of matted hair on their bases. This may require removing the stopper and rod from under the base of the sink. The base of the drain opening should also be cleaned. And always use a drain screen or grate, and keep it clean. Never pour grease down a drain as it will stick to the sides of the pipes and eventually reduce their effective inside diameter. Although bacteria in a sewage system are very effective at breaking down solid waste, they will not break down grease. Household grease and oil should be poured into containers and thrown in the garbage.
You should also avoid dumping coffee grounds down the sink. Garbage disposals should be operated with ample cold water so food doesn't get stuck on the sides. And it's a good idea to periodically pour boiling water down the drain to flush out hardened materials. Once in a while, fill a sink up to the brim and pull the stopper, allowing the large volume of water to fill and flush the drain. Don't flush heavy sanitary paper products, like napkins and paper towels, down the toilet as they can clog the toilet or sewer. If roots are potential problems for a lateral sewer line, periodic maintenance is required keep the line clear of debris. If possible, try to replace shrubs or trees that could grow roots near an underground, lateral sewer line. Septic tanks should be inspected regularly by a professional septic contractor. In large commercial or industrial facilities, mop water, which may contain a high amount of suspended solids, can often lead to clogs. It's best to dispose of mop water down a janitorial drain if one is available. For larger drainage systems, it's advised that you use a long scope or video camera to periodically observe the condition of the pipes from the inside.
Types of Chemical Drain Cleaners
Acid Drain Cleaners
Acid drain cleaners typically contain sulfuric acid or hydrochloric
acid. The chemical reaction between the acid and the blockage materials
along with the heat released by the reaction (“heat of solution”)
serve to break down the blockage. The use of personal protective
equipment (PPE) is recommended when handling acid drain cleaners.
This includes wearing goggles or a face shield and rubber gloves.
Acid drain cleaners are simply poured into the drain and allowed
to sit for several minutes while they go to work. Carefully follow
all of the manufacturer’s instructions provided on the label
and any enclosed literature. Store unused chemical in a container
that has a child proof closure. Keep chemicals away from children
and other unauthorized users.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions for safe disposal.
If acid drain cleaner is accidentally spilled on a person or it
gets into the mouth or eyes, follow these first aid instructions:
Skin - Wash immediately with copious amounts of water.
Eyes – Flush immediately with water for 15 minutes. Remove
contact lenses after 5 minutes if applicable.
If Swallowed – Drink water and do not induce vomiting
Call a doctor or poison control center.
Caustic Drain Cleaners
Caustic drain cleaners typically contain caustic soda, sodium hydroxide,
lye and other such compounds. Caustic drain cleaners work similarly
to acid drain cleaners in that they cause a reaction. With caustic
drain cleaners, hydroxide ions cause the reaction in which alkaline
chemicals convert grease into a water soluble soap-like substance.
Caustic drain cleaners are available in both liquid and powder
forms. Liquid forms and are usually made of dissolved sodium hydroxide
which makes them heavier than water. This aids in getting the
cleaner to the clog. Powdered cleaners usually contain sodium
hydroxide and aluminum particles which release small quantities
of hydrogen gas. Caustic drain cleaners need to be located close
to the blockage and be chemical reactive with the material forming
the clog to perform well.
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions
provided on the label and any enclosed literature. Store unused
chemical in a container that has a child-proof closure. Keep chemicals
away from children and other unauthorized users.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions for safe disposal.
If caustic drain cleaner is accidentally spilled on a person or
it gets into the mouth or eyes, follow these first aid instructions:
Skin - Wash immediately with copious amounts of water.
Eyes – Flush immediately with water for 15 minutes. Remove
contact lenses after 5 minutes if applicable.
If swallowed – Drink water and do not induce vomiting
Call a doctor or poison control center.
Oxidizing Drain Cleaners
Oxidizing agents include peroxides, hypochlorites, chlorates and
perchlorates and when they react with the blockage material, they
acquire electrons from the organic compounds that make up the clog.
This reaction can be quite vigorous and may release heat and gasses
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions
provided on the label and any enclosed literature. Store unused
chemical in a container that has a child-proof closure. Keep chemicals
away from children and other unauthorized users.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions for safe disposal.
If caustic drain cleaner is accidentally spilled on a person or
it gets into the mouth or eyes, follow these first aid instructions:
Skin - Wash immediately with copious amounts of water.
Eyes – Flush immediately with water for 15 minutes. Remove
contact lenses after 5 minutes if applicable.
If Swallowed – Drink water and do not induce vomiting
Call a doctor or poison control center.
Enzymatic Drain Cleaners
Enzymatic drain cleaners metabolize materials in the blockage by
means of biological and enzymatic chemical reactions. They are formulated
using bacterial cultures and enzyme preparations. They are generally
slower than acid, caustic and oxidizing cleaners and they only work
on organic materials. They do not produce thermal effects to the
degree that the other chemical drain cleaners do.
Most manufacturers warn of harm from skin or eye contact and
swallowing even though enzymatic drain cleaners are non-corrosive.
All manufacturer’s warnings and instructions must be closely
followed.
Mechanical Drain Cleaners
In commercial and institutional facilities, drain systems are larger
and more complex than in homes and mechanical
drain
cleaners are widely used. It is often necessary to reach a clog
that is quite a distance from the cleaning access point. In addition,
commercial drain cleaning applications frequently involve larger
diameter piping which requires more aggressive cleaning methods.
Also, many of the obstructions found in commercial drain systems
are not organic in nature so they do not lend themselves to chemical
cleaning.
Hand Operated Drain Augers
Hand operated drain augers are useful for cleaning clogs in drains
of sinks, showers and toilets. They have limited reach, however,
and are limited in power to the strength of the user. Augers are
useful for retrieving blockages that cannot be broken up or dissolved,
such as fabric. They use a spring-like cable with various cleaning
heads mounted on the end.
Motor Driven Drain Augers
Motor driven drain augers come in a variety of sizes and types ranging
from those driven with a hand held electric drill to fully automated
dolly-mounted units. With some motor driven drain augers, the cable
is fed manually and the cable rotation is provided by the motor.
These units can deliver a large amount of torque and are capable
of removing stubborn clogs – even tree roots. Other motor
driven drain augers have a mechanism that feeds the cable into the
drain as well as provide cable rotation. These are the types of
machines used by professional plumbers and drain cleaning contractors.
They require significant training and can be dangerous in the hands
of a novice.
Pulse Jetters
Pulse jetters are an outgrowth of the
pressure
washer industry. Early pulse jetters were composed of a standard
pressure washer of about 1000 PSI fitted with a drain cleaning hose
and nozzle. Today’s pulse jetters are specifically made to
clean drains. Their pumps are equipped with a special valve that
allows the operator to disable one pump cylinder, thereby creating
pressure pulses that effectively break up blockages and assist in
maneuvering the nozzle through traps and tees. Special nozzles are
available for going around corners, piercing blockages, and propelling
the nozzle down the pipe using water pressure.
Pulse jetters are very useful for preventive drain maintenance
programs where regular, scheduled drain cleaning is performed
to keep drainage systems operating efficiently without the risks
and dangers associated with chemical drain cleaners.
Goodway’s Custom Designed Drain Cleaning Solutions
Goodway has the drain cleaners and accessories to help with your
commercial and industrial maintenance, whether it is a power jetter
drain cleaner or a cable drain cleaner. A Goodway drain cleaner
features heavy-duty construction of heavy gauge steel, stainless
steel and aluminum for reliability and long life. Goodway has a
drain cleaner to serve all of your different drain cleaner applications,
including our Pulse Jetter Drain Cleaner. We will also help you
find the drain cleaner that best serves your needs.
Goodway Technologies Corporation
Goodway Technologies Corporation was founded in 1966 by Per K.
Reichborn. Since its earliest days, the company has built a reputation
for manufacturing the highest quality cleaning systems in the
world. "This commitment" says Reichborn, "not only
extends to our manufacturing, but to everything we do, every day,
for every product and service. Achieving this high quality of
performance is the shared responsibility of each employee in every
department." Today, Goodway products span the globe. From
Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Goodway equipment is used in over 125
countries and on every continent, including Antarctica.
To view a complete line of Goodway drain cleaners or to receive
more information about or purchase a Goodway drain cleaner, please register
to receive a quote or
contact Goodway
Technologies Corporation at 1 800 333-7467.
