FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What Plumbing Services Can I Expect from N.W. Sewer & Drain?

We serve the greater Seattle area, along with all of the surrounding communities. Plus, we also help with both commercial and residential plumbing issues. Therefore, we are sure to provide a vast array of plumbing services. If you do not see what you need in this list, please reach out to us and ask. We may still be able to help!

• Pipe cleaning – we use hydro jetting and snakes to clean out pipes that are on the verge of clogging or that are simply building up from the inside with debris and minerals.
• Drain cleaning – we can come in and help clean out any of the drains in your home or business to ensure water is able to make its way down your sewer pipes without a problem.
• Pipe descaling – when the insides of your pipes fill up with minerals, they need to have that buildup removed or it can lead to cracks, broken pipes, and chronic clogs. With pipe descaling, we can remove that buildup and help restore the functionality of your pipes.
• Sewer camera inspections – with this, we come out and use a motorized camera to inspect the insides of your sewer pipes. We watch the live-feed CCTV images to see how the insides of your pipes look, and provide you with a copy of the video so you know how they look, too.
• Trenchless solutions – we have the expertise, training, and experience to provide your property with several trenchless solutions. We can reline a cracked or leaking pipe, and when necessary, we can also replace a sewer pipe through trenchless means.
• Replacing your water line – there are times where you may need to replace the water line to your home or business. We can help do this quickly and efficiently, so you can have safe water to drink and use.

Do You Service All of the Seattle Area?

We are some of the top plumbing experts in the Northern and Western parts of Seattle, but if you need help outside of that radius, we are still here to help! Just give us a call and let us know what is going on. From there, we can dispatch our closest plumbing technician to your area if the situation warrants an immediate inspection, and we can help diagnose the problem. We want to do everything we can to help in the most courteous, professional manner possible. No matter where you are located, we will always make sure to keep those standards during and after our visit.

How Does a Typical Visit Go?

In most instances, when you call the plumbers here at N.W. Sewer & Drain to come out for a problem, we will begin the visit with an inspection. We will look at what is going on, plus whenever the situation warrants it, we will also use cameras to inspect the pipes at the source of the problem. This will give us a live idea of what is going on so we can both diagnose and effectively repair the problem. The more we can see during the sewer camera inspection, the easier it will be for us to make repair suggestions. Once we figure out the problem, we will discuss what repair options you have to get the problem fixed as quickly, yet effectively as possible. Any questions you may have, we will answer as we go. Once we have figured out how you want to proceed, we will begin the repair procedure. Before we leave, we will always double-check that everything is working properly.

Is Trenchless the Best Method to Take for Fixing Pipes?

In most instances, it is in your best interest to have a trenchless pipe repair or replacement done. This is because of how many ways it can save you. First, it saves you a lot of time. The procedure to repair a leaky, cracked pipe can be as short as a few hours, instead of the days it used to take. Plus, it is only a few hours more to replace a pipe in many instances (your results may differ, depending on your property and sewer line, and the types of issues your pipes have). Second, it saves your property. In the past, we would have to bring in a lot of heavy machinery to dig a massive trench down to the sewer pipe on your property just to see what was going on. While excavating like this is still possible if the situation warrants this type of repair, most times, this is not necessary. We can often repair and replace pipes from a small hole dug off to the side of your property, and even sometimes from the street connection to your pipe. This leaves your yard intact and you not having to worry about anyone falling or having to redo your landscaping.

Why Could My Pipes Keep Clogging?

While there is no way for us to know why your pipes keep clogging without looking at them, there are many reasons that your pipes may clog up. First, if you put a lot of food down your drains, that can lead to massive clogging issues. This is especially true if you have ever put any type of grease down the drain. A lot of people believe it is safe to put some grease down the drain so long as they flush the pipe out with a little bit of hot water. This is not the case. The grease will get into the pipe and coat everything in the pipe, despite the hot water. Then, it will harden. This makes for a thick coating in the pipe and leads to chronic clogs in many cases.

Second, tree roots are another common cause behind clogs. Tree roots are quite invasive when they are in search of water. Once they find their way into your pipe, they are going to swell from growth. The root is going to soak up any water and nutrients it can from the inside of the pipe and send that back to the tree. The tree is going to respond by sending additional roots to the pipe, and the problem is going to progressively get worse. This could make it to where you face chronic clogs until the roots are removed from the pipes.

Third, old pipes are also commonly clogged due to the fact that they corrode over time. They are going to rust and have some mineral buildup inside of them just from time. However, the older they get, the more of these issues they are going to have. This can quickly lead to clogs, but it can also lead to cracked pipes and even full collapses if the pipe walls get thin enough.

Are There Any Common Signs of Leaks to Be Aware Of?

One of the most common issues we help fix are leaks. This can be a leak in your water line, or it can be a leak in your sewer line. Neither of them is good, but a leak in your sewer line has the potential to be much more dangerous. It is important that if you suspect a leak, you call us right away. If the leak is water, turn the water off at the main, then call us. If your leak is sewage, turn off anything in the area you can reach safely, then get out of the area. Sewage could make you sick, and is never worth the risk.

Leaks are often noticed by minor symptoms, such as appliances taking longer to fill than they used to or toilets not flushing adequately. However, you could also notice that your yard has a puddle without any new rainfall or that areas around the foundation of the building are wet for no reason. Always check these areas if you notice higher water bills or other symptoms that a leak could be happening. If you aren’t sure, call us and let us take a look. We can let you know if there is anything else to worry about!

Is There Any Way to Maintain My Pipes?

This is a great question that we wish we were asked more often. Maintaining your pipes is very possible. In fact, it should be done regularly. What type of maintenance you need depends on the current condition of your pipes. We recommend that you have your pipes inspected regularly so you know what the inside of the pipes look like. If they are clean, then you wait until your next inspection to see if they need cleaning. However, if the insides of your pipes are corroded, built up around the outside, or are showing signs of problems, we recommend you have them cleaned out on a regular basis. This is done through a few different means. We can snake out a pipe that has some type of debris stuck just until the debris is free, and your pipe should be fully functional once more. If you have a single area that is a problem with your pipes, we can replace that section. However, this is not common.

For most issues, we will clean out your pipes using hydro jetting. This is when we control a pressurized stream of water and move it up and down your pipe to blast off any type of debris that was stuck to the inner walls of your pipes. The pressure is gentle enough to not harm your pipe, but strong enough to clean the inside of the pipes thoroughly. We can also use this to remove some smaller issues with tree roots when they have made their way into your pipes.

Another way to maintain your pipes is to avoid putting any type of chemical down your drains. This can increase the buildup on the insides of the pipes and increase how much of your pipe has corroded. The contact between the pipe and the chemical can also cause issues like holes to develop in older, more brittle pipes.

Cleaning and inspecting your pipes can add years to your pipes. Even older pipes can last longer if they receive regular maintenance. If you are not sure what you can do specifically to maintain the pipes on your Seattle property, call us. We can come out and show you what can be done and how often to do it.

Is It Really Dangerous to DIY Plumbing Fixes?

While some issues can easily be rectified through DIY means, we do not recommend it. It is always best to have an experienced, licensed, bonded, and insured plumber do the work for you. If you happen to do the wrong thing, it can lead to many long-term issues. There are codes that need to be kept in mind when it comes to plumbing, and most people do not know those codes off the top of their head. It is our job to make sure everything is always done in a safe manner that can always pass inspection. If you want work you can count on, then give us a call when you need any type of plumbing service.

Reach Out to Us at N.W. Sewer & Drain Today

When you need any type of plumbing help, call us here at N.W. Sewer & Drain today. We are here to help you keep the pipes on your property running properly. We are also here should you face some type of unexpected circumstance with your pipes. Contact us today and explain what is going on. From there, we can figure out how soon we can get someone to your property to help.