subject: Excavating Equipment Is Sometimes Necessary For Certain Plumbing Jobs [print this page] The vast majority of plumbing problems experienced by the average home or business owner involve fixtures, pipes and drains that can be easily fixed by professionals without the use of excavating or other invasive tools. Ask your average plumber, and he'll tell you that most calls are received for clogged toilets, leaky faucets and drains that need to be snaked to remove a blockage.
Plumbing is an extremely common trade, and for smaller, cheaper roles like these, there are countless options in the yellow pages or on the web for competent executives who will do a good and fair job for you. In reality if you have been a homeowner for a bit, you may know the way to fix most plumbing issues yourself without having to call in pro help.
There are some plumbing jobs, however, that require professionals to excavate deep into the ground in your basement or yard in order to unclog, repair or replace a malfunctioning sewer drain, gas line or water line. Excavating equipment is, frankly, essential for the most serious plumbing problems, and without excavating these plumbing repairs would take ten times as long and cost much more money for homeowners. Luckily, with today's technology, the exact location of most sewer drain clogs and breaks can be pinpointed using drain cameras and locating devices. And compact excavation equipment is becoming more and more common at even smaller plumbing a drain cleaning businesses as it becomes more affordable and easier to operate.
Most excavating work in plumbing roles will be required when coping with sewer mains, gas and water lines that run thru your yard and need some major digging to get to. The reason why these pipes and drains are placed underneath the ground is actually because they're simply damaged and are afforded an amount of protection from being buried under a layer of dust.
Unfortunately, the same protection provided by layers of soil also make these drains and pipes harder to get to when it comes time to repair or replace them. Additionally, it also makes it much easier for these lines to be broken accidentally if your excavator is not a trained professional who knows how to dig with extra care and precautions.
Many sewer main lines in older houses were created with clay tiles, that has an inclination to become infiltrated by tree roots that snake in thru cracks in the pipe as they look for moisture and nutriments. These clay tile sewer drains are typically tormented with breakages and blocks as a home ages, and many plumbing excavation roles involve replacing these clay pipes with a plastic PVC material that's harder and simply cleaned. Even though your clay sewer drain does not have to be fully replaced, your plumber may suggest that you have got some excavating done so as to install a plastic cleanout that may make drain cleaning less complicated in days to come.
Above all else, remember that if any excavating work is being done by plumbers or drain cleaning professionals in your yard, you need to ensure that they have properly identified where all existing electrical, gas and water lines are located before digging. Doing so can help prevent a dangerous and costly mistake if any of these pipes are accidentally broken during the excavation process.
