Over the years, our customer service staff has collected tips to avoid various problems, tricks to get you out of jams, hints on the right tool for the right job, and so on. This Ask the Drain Brains blog is a selection of some of those hints and tips. You can search by category, for instance, Drain Cleaning, Sewer Cameras, Water Jetters, Cool Plumbing Tools and more.
Feel free to ask a question or to add a new tip or idea. Just click on the Contact button below.
– The Drain Brains
Several years ago, my wife and I were driving to Washington DC and saw scores of bucket trucks heading south on I-95. A category 4 hurricane was ravaging the Florida coast at that very moment, and thousands of contractors with their drain cleaning tools and machines were heading south towards the affected areas, ready to…
Contractors out in the field are always looking for one tool that does it all. Our ClogChopper® is a great tool that can be connected to almost any drum, flexible shaft or sectional style machine, and cuts through obstructions in the pipe. Our ClogChopper has four features that make it the “all-star” attachment – it…
Drain cleaning professionals ignore new technology at their peril. As in most industries, if your competition has equipment that is better, faster, safer, and more professional, it puts you at a serious disadvantage. One need only look at the history of our industry in the past 30 years to see the truth in these statements. What…
In 1967, a handful of plumbers from the southside of Pittsburgh got together to form the Associated Master Plumbers of Allegheny County (AMPAC) with the modest goal of creating a space for local plumbers to share ideas and experiences from the field. More than 50 years later, AMPAC has grown to become Pennsylvania’s largest school…
Last year, General Pipe Cleaners celebrated 90 years in business. We’ve had a lot of fun reflecting on the great product innovations that have led to where we are today, but we thought it was just as important to remember some of the people who’ve helped fuel General’s success. One person that comes to mind…
Although this might seem like a trick question to many drain cleaners and contractors, there are two trends developing in the plumbing world that could change your answer AND your perspective on water jetters! First, more and more contractors are telling me that most of the grease that is gumming up the plumbing in today’s…
When General Pipe Cleaners trains a new Drain Brain for our customer service department, one of the first things that we teach is how to recommend the right drain cleaning tool for the job. After all, this happens to be the most important step to successfully opening a drain, and opening the drain is the…
It’s time for the Drain Brains to reach into the old mailbag and provide easy answers about our tough tools! Here’s today’s question: We use a large drum-type drain cleaning machine to clear tree roots. But my buddy swears by his sectional drain cleaning machine to do the same job. What’s the difference? And which…
In this series on how to NOT break your stuff, we’ve talked about how your attitude towards the job, as well as the quality and type of equipment that you use, can affect the longevity of your tools. Contractors who are patient and careful on the job and who practice preventative maintenance after the job…
In this series on How to NOT Break Your Stuff, we’ve talked about how your attitude towards the job, as well as the quality and type of equipment that you use, can affect the longevity of your tools. Contractors who are patient and careful on the job and who practice preventative maintenance after the job…
Check out our Pro Tool Selection Guide or chat with a Drain Brain! We can help you by answering any questions about our products you may have.
