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There are two parallel subsystems in your plumbing system: the first brings clean water into your home. The second is the drainage system which removes the wastewater from your house. The drainage system is sometimes called the DWV system because it is comprised of drains, waste, and vents.
The function of drain lines is to collect water from various fixtures, while waste lines collect toilet wastes and vents emit harmful sewer gases, thus relieving pressure from drain pipes and helping waste to flow smoothly. Drain and waste lines tilt downwards from various fixtures by means of gravity. The waste material is drained into the main sewer line, which in turn takes it to a sewage facility or to a septic tank.
It's not only vents which prevent hazardous gases from entering your house. An additional piece of equipment called a trap fills a similar role. Located next to each fixture is a trap, which looks like a piece of curved drainpipe. Whenever a fixture is used, most of the water flows through the drainpipe, but a small amount stays in the trap to keep sewer gases and odors from escaping.
Generally drainpipes are made of cast iron, plastic and, sometimes of copper. Drainpipes are larger than water pipes, ranging in size from 4 to 10cm. This helps reduce blockages and clogs. Toilet drainpipes are typically 10 cm in size, shower drains are connected to pipes which are 5 cm in length, and 4-5 cm pipes are standard for sinks and bathtub drains.
|tip-|Your Houston Texas Plumber can eliminate any particles or items that are likely to cause clogs by cleaning your drainpipes regularly.
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Regardless of their size, clogs still occur in large diameter pipes. Removing grease and hair from traps through their clean out valves is a good place to start when clearing a clogged drain.
Every waste line ought to contain clean-out valves, through which your professional Houston Texas plumber will be able to clean out the pipe. Ask your plumber to use his drain cleaning equipment to clear the clog, if it persists. Some common types of equipment for clearing clogs are plungers, plumber's snakes, toilet augers, and sewer tapes. To help prevent future problems, your Houston Texas plumber can clean your drains on a regular basis.
For other drain cleaning tips and drain related information, please contact your Houston Texas Plumber.
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