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Cleaning your plumbing system–is that a thing? Actually, it’s a good idea to deep clean your plumbing system’s drains and pipes to help promote your system’s reliable functionality. We’re used to cleaning our kitchens and bathrooms, scrubbing sinks, tubs, and fixtures, but unfortunately, residue from food and shampoos/conditioners can get caught in our plumbing systems and eventually cause problems. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth can provide assistance for drain cleaning as well as our full lineup of professional plumbing repairs always delivered by a certified plumber. If you need a professional in Arlington, TX, we can provide the solutions you need.

In this time of the pandemic, many of us are hyper-vigilant about household cleaning tasks. Germs and mold can affect your plumbing system and lead to unhealthy conditions. With expert plumbing maintenance that includes proper drain and fixture cleaning, you can reduce the risk for clogs, unpleasant odors, and the unhealthy growth of bacteria and mold in your plumbing system. Let us send a skilled plumber to your home to provide the drain cleaning services you need.

Drain Cleaning

At Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth, our plumbers often find that bad drain clogs don’t happen all at once. The material that clogs drains builds up over time. By cleaning out all the gunk and debris from your plumbing system, you can help prevent most drain clogs. If you wait until notice that draining is slow, there’s very likely a significant amount of gunk already slowing the free flow of water through your plumbing system. It’s only a matter of time before the clog completely stops up the pipe.

Once you have a slow drain or a full-blown drain clog, it’s best to contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth so we can send an experienced plumbing professional to your Arlington, TX, home. We have the equipment needed to quickly clear your line of any stubborn debris like food particles, cooking grease, or soap residue buildup. Often, hydro-jetting provides the ideal drain-cleaning solution.

However, why wait to clean your drains until they become slow or clogged? Routine drain cleaning and some simple household measures can help you ward off messy clogs and their unpleasant smells. With some hot water, white vinegar, and baking soda, you can help keep your plumbing system clean in between professional cleanings from a plumber.

How to Clean Your Drains

The chemical interaction of white vinegar and baking soda is a simple and cheap drain-cleaning solution. To clean your drains, pour a half cup of white vinegar and a half cup of baking soda down your kitchen or bathroom drains. Allow the mixture to sit for about 15 minutes. Then, pour scalding hot water down the drains to flush them clean. The mixture removes gunk and provides a thorough drain cleaning.

Of course, if you already have a slow drain or clogged drain, it’s better to let your professional clear it for you. Moreover, don’t attempt to clear household drain clogs with commercial chemical products because they can damage your plumbing system. In many cases, these chemicals are insufficient to tackle stubborn clogs. The chemicals can become trapped by the clog and then begin to damage your pipes.

Each plumber from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth uses safe processes and equipment to clean stubborn drain clogs. Your plumbing system is a substantial investment. Don’t trust unsafe products or inexperienced plumbers with it. Once our plumbing professional clears your line, you can then initiate a drain cleaning routine using the cleaning tip above. It’s an easy, fast, and inexpensive way to keep your drains clean and odor-free.

Clean the Traps

Each sink in your home is likely outfitted with a trap or U-pipe. The pipe is curved and because it’s curved, it’s more vulnerable to debris build-up and clogs than other parts of your plumbing system. The trap connects the drain pipe in your home to the sewer pipe, which directs wastewater out of your house and into the municipality’s sewer system. The trap is designed in a way that it should maintain some water in the bottom of the pipe. The water actually helps create a barrier against sewer gasses, preventing them from entering your home.

When this pipe becomes clogged, it can cause a backup of wastewater back up through your drain. The standing water, of course, can lead to unpleasant smells, but worse than that, it stops up your plumbing system, making your sink or tub unusable until the clog is cleared. Clogs are commonplace in traps. Not only does water sit in the bottom of the trap, so too does food debris, grease, or soap residue.

How to Clean the Trap

The cleaning tip above with the white vinegar, baking soda, and hot water is a great measure for cleaning your pipes and it will, of course, help you keep your trap clean. But that might not be enough for this particular aspect of your drains. That’s why it’s a great idea to schedule professional drain cleaning by an experienced plumber from time to time.

On the other hand, many Arlington, TX, homeowners are comfortable dismantling their traps and cleaning them out manually. That’s often the ideal way to ensure that these plumbing system parts are debris-free. The traps are under the sink and usually easy to access. It’s not the most pleasant of jobs as it can be messy, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the cleaning process.

To clean the trap, you’ll need a bucket and rubber gloves. You can dismantle the trap by loosening the two slip nuts that keep it firmly in place. Ideally, these nuts should be loosened by hand, but you may need a wrench. Once you loosen the trap, remove it and dump its contents into the bucket. Ensure that no debris is stuck inside of it. Then, you can scrub it out and replace it back into position. Be sure that you don’t over-tighten the nuts. Then, turn on your sink and be sure that there is no leak.

Let Your Plumber Tackle the Trap

Cleaning the trap is a simple enough job, right? Often, it is. But quite often, it turns into a headache for homeowners. Not everyone is comfortable taking apart any aspect of their plumbing system. Too often, people inadvertently damage part of their plumbing system or replace the trap only to find that they’ve sprung a leak. Others simply don’t want to deal with a messy plumbing task or risk a plumbing system problem. Our plumbing pros are happy to tackle these types of maintenance tasks. You can contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth and we’ll clean your drains, including the traps. Let an experienced Arlington, TX, plumbing company tackle this messy job for you.

Deep Clean Your Plumbing Fixtures

Do you ever notice that your plumbing fixtures aren’t delivering the level of water pressure you’re accustomed to? Maybe you’ve noticed that some of the openings of your shower head aren’t allowing water to flow through? These are common and often inevitable issues that affect plumbing systems. Without routine cleaning of your plumbing fixtures, you may be able to ward these problems off.

Issues like these are often caused by mineral buildup from the water. Small minerals can clog showerheads and sink faucets. You don’t have to run out to purchase a new shower head! You can deep clean your showerheads and sink faucets by unscrewing their aerators located where the water comes out and cleaning them.

In fact, when you remove them, you’re apt to find mineral deposits and small grainy debris. This gunk, though not germy like the buildup in drains, will affect the flow of clean water. By removing this debris, you can keep water flowing optimally when you want it to.

Don’t want to take apart the fixtures? You can actually try scrubbing them first with a toothbrush and the mixture of baking soda and white vinegar when mentioned above. You can typically dislodge that grainy material using this method. However, if you still notice that these fixtures aren’t working as well as they used to, you should plan to remove the aerator and clean it. Then screw it back into place. It’s not a difficult job–certainly nowhere as messy as cleaning your traps! If they continue to pose a problem, you may need your Arlington, TX plumber to install new fixtures.

How Frequently Should You Clean Your Drains?

Routine cleaning helps you keep your plumbing system clean and clog-free, but how often do you have to clean it? Often, this depends on the nature of your household. If you have a full house and the plumbing system is used nearly all the time, more frequent drain cleaning may be ideal. On average, our plumbers might simply recommend annual drain cleaning to keep your system’s pipes and drains clean. Of course, if you happen to experience a slow drain or clog, you should contact a plumber at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth so we can provide professional drain cleaning right away. Our plumber will bring everything needed to perform the job efficiently.

Maintaining Your Clean Plumbing System

Having gone through the trouble of cleaning your plumbing system or contacting an experienced plumber to tackle the job, it’s only natural that you’ll want to maintain the cleanliness for as long as you can. To that end, there are some plumber-recommended methods you can use to keep your drains cleaned and functioning optimally between professional cleanings.

Use Drain Screens

Drain screens are simply but highly effective devices that help prevent large pieces of debris like food particles and hair from slipping down the drains. You should outfit your kitchen and bathtub drains with them for sure. Ask any Arlington plumber–these screens are worth their weight in gold! Also, install a mesh sock over the discharge pipe from your washing machine; it will prevent debris from your laundry from flowing down your utility sink’s drain. You’ll be amazed at all the lint it catches that could otherwise end up clogging your plumbing system in that part of your home. These simple devices can be found at your local hardware store, home improvement centers, and even your grocery store.

Train Your Household

Be sure that all household members, especially kids, understand how easy it is for drains to become clogged. Everyone in your Arlington home should be cautious about what is introduced down drains. Never allow food particles to slip down drains and don’t wash down cooking oil or grease; it can turn to sludge in your pipes. If it doesn’t wash through the system right away, it can harden. Eventually, as more debris and grease winds up in the system, it can pose a stubborn clog that only your plumber will be able to dislodge.

Scrape Plates

Be sure that you scrape plates and remove all gunk from pots and pans before you set them in your sink for cleaning or place them in your dishwasher. Food particles are among the most common causes of dishwasher and plumbing system clogs. In fact, it’s important to clean your dishwasher so that it doesn’t lead to a messy clog. There are products on the market you can use to clean your dishwasher that will help you keep it working optimally and prevent any food debris from clogging your lines.

Benefits of Regular Drain Cleaning

By practicing good preventative maintenance like routine drain cleaning, you can keep your pipes clean and running smoothly. Remember that a serious clog can actually damage your pipes not to mention cause a buildup of unhealthy bacteria. With annual drain cleaning by a plumber at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth, you can keep your Arlington, TX, plumbing system functioning as it should. Each plumber on our team is equipped and trained to perform our drain cleaning services.

Keep expensive plumbing system repairs at bay and follow these tips to clean your household drains and plumbing fixtures. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth has years of experience and invests in top-of-the-line plumbing equipment. Any plumber on our team can quickly provide our drain cleaning solutions at your Arlington home. Contact us to schedule your drain cleaning or any time you need professional plumbing maintenance and repairs.