Blocked Toilet: When to Call a Professional

A blocked toilet can be a quick fix or it can turn into a plumbing emergency. We’ve all experienced the annoyance of a blocked toilet, and if you’re at home with a house full of people you want to fix the issue as quickly as possible. While fixing a clogged toilet might seem like a simple task, there are circumstances in which we recommend putting down the plunger and calling a professional, who can identify and fix the issue before it causes any more damage.

Call a plumber if:

• The plunger isn’t unclogging your toilet. This may seem obvious, but sometimes people start taking apart their toilets when plunging a blocked toilet doesn’t work. We never recommend DIY plumbing work unless you’re a professional, so for stubborn clogs, call a plumber you trust.
• Items that don’t belong in a toilet accidentally get flushed. People with kids have probably encountered this situation one too many times, and whether it’s a toy, a piece of clothing, or something else, foreign objects can easily cause major clogs and they can also damage your sewer septic lines if they actually get flushed. 
• You smell unpleasant odors coming from in or around your toilet. When there are small cracks or leaks within your plumbing, you’ll often smell the problem before you’re ever able to see it. Cracks and leaks cause staining, mold growth, higher water bills, and other damage to your plumbing system. So if you smell something you think is unusual, call a pro.
• Your toilet won’t stop running. While perhaps not a sign of a clog, a running toilet is a common problem, and whether it’s just a little trickle or a heavier stream of water, this wastes water and costs you money. Call a plumber who can identify and fix the problem. 

Advice from an expert plumbing wholesaler 

Keeping your toilets working properly is a vital component of an overall healthy plumbing system. Your plumbing system, just like everything else, requires regular cleaning and maintenance in order to keep it in top condition. For those of us who are industry professionals, we’ve seen the damage done by DIY plumbing projects gone wrong, which is why we recommend calling a professional when your toilet is blocked and you can’t fix the stubborn clog. 

For more information about wholesale plumbing supplies or if you have any questions, please contact Crosstown Plumbing today. We’re proud to be the preferred plumbing supply company for so many industry professionals in New Jersey, and our team is standing by and ready to help. We look forward to hearing from you.

Originally posted https://www.crosstownplumbing.com/blocked-toilet-when-to-call-a-professional/

The importance of cleaning your drains

Do you only clean your drains when they get clogged? While this is a common practice for millions of people across the country, any plumbing industry professional will tell you how important it is to clean your drains on a regular basis. It’s a small bit of preventative maintenance that keeps your plumbing system healthy and functioning properly, making it less likely that larger, more disruptive problems will arise.

Here’s why it’s so important to regularly clean your drains:

• Dirty drains can make your plumbing system deteriorate faster. When your pipes become coated with layers of grime they sometimes crack, and because you can’t see your pipes you’re unlikely to notice any cracks until they become big leaks. By then, extensive damage has already been done.
• Clogs cause slow drainage and standing water. We’ve all experienced slow-draining sinks and shower drains before – this means there’s build-up clogging your pipes and if you don’t flush it out, the drain may stop working entirely. 
• Cleaning your drains regularly mitigates unpleasant smells. Think about all the things that go down your kitchen drains and bathroom drains on a regular basis. These are not odors you want to smell in your home or in your office!
• Clean drains are essential for good hygiene. Slow-drainage, standing water, unpleasant smells: all of these issues can accumulate to create unsanitary conditions, and can sometimes pose health risks.

One of the easiest ways to help keep your drains clean is to use drain screens. They catch hair, bits of food, soap scum, and other debris that can cause clogs. Drain screens are affordable, come in a variety of sizes to fit most drains, and they’re easy to clean whenever needed.

When to call a plumbing company

It’s easy to keep the drains in your home clean with over-the-counter products. You can also pour boiling water down your drains once a week to free up any debris stuck to the sides of your pipes. Commercial drains in restaurants may require professional cleaning on a regular basis due to high amounts of food waste, grease, and oil in the environment. If you notice a strange smell coming from any of your drains, if your pipes are leaking, or if you’ve noticed standing water, we recommend calling a professional who can identify and treat the problem. 

If you’d like more information or advice on how to properly clean your drains, or if you have any questions, please contact Crosstown Plumbing today. We’re proud to be the preferred plumbing supply company for so many industry professionals, and our team is standing by and ready to help. We look forward to hearing from you.

Originally posted https://www.crosstownplumbing.com/the-importance-of-cleaning-your-drains/