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
Much to my wife’s embarrassment, I love talking about sewers. I love telling people that five thousand years ago, the ancient Indus River civilization, the Sumerians and Egyptians all had flush toilets. I love quoting physicians and health officials who say that a safe and effective waste water infrastructure saves more lives than penicillin. And…
Not long ago, placing an ad in the yellow pages was the only marketing decision that a drain cleaner needed to make. The rationale was simple; when a customer had an emergency, they would reach for the yellow pages and pick the first contractor that caught their eye. This logic led to bigger color advertisements…
High-pressure water jetters come in all shapes and sizes. There are massive trailer jetters with huge water tanks that blast out 4,000 pounds per-square-inch of pressure at 18 gallons-a-minute flow. There are gasoline-powered portable units that attempt to suck your garden hose dry while producing 3,000 psi. And, as we mentioned before, there are small…
Since the debut of high-pressure water jetters more than thirty years ago, it’s fair to say that they’ve revolutionized the drain cleaning industry. First, they put another arrow in the contractor’s quiver when he or she is struggling to open a grease, sludge or sand-clogged sewer line. Second, working in tandem with pipe inspection camera…
Q: I dread winter. Every time an arctic blast moves south, the pipes freeze in one of my buildings. What method do you suggest to thaw the pipes and get the water moving again? A: The first thing to do is insulate all your pipes, especially those located close to the outside walls. Then, when you…
Q. I handle maintenance for a fast food chain, and the grease clogs are wearing me out. I clear it with my snake, but the clog comes right back. Is there a better tool for clearing grease clogs for good? A. Nothing clears a clog for good, but the best tool to clear grease clogs…
“When you have hot water gushing through the kitchen ceiling of an historic landmark in mid-January, you don’t waste time fooling around!” That’s how Bob Schneider of Schneider Plumbing & Heating described the scene at a renovated hotel in Northampton, Mass., one frigid January evening. Pipes had burst between floors, flooding food preparation areas as…
Today we’re addressing one of the most common questions that the Drain Brains at General get asked: How do I load a cable into a drum? Watch this short 3-minute video with tips for properly loading a drain cleaning cable into a drum of a General Pipe Cleaners drain cleaning machine. More Information Contact the…
When it comes to clearing clogs with a water jet, there’s a nozzle for every job. Some nozzles are designed with maximum penetrating power, some are designed to pressure wash pipe walls and others are designed to handle tight bends. At General, we make our nozzles from hardened steel, so they last longer. Below…
“It takes longer to write up the bill than to unclog a drain with that tool.” That’s how Dale Smith describes the Kinetic Water Ram® from General Pipe Cleaners. The lightweight, compact device safely, quickly and cleanly clears clogged sinks, toilets and tubs with the power of compressed air. It’s also given Smith a clear…
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.
