Are Bath Bombs Bad For My Plumbing?

Are Bath Bombs Bad For My Plumbing?

After a long, hard day slaving at the office or dealing with the kids, nothing beats a nice, long soak in the tub. Many people like to jazz up their bath time with a brightly colored, scented bath bomb. While bath bombs are awesome for relaxing and easing away your stress, they may not be so good for your plumbing.

What Are Bath Bombs And How Do They Work?

Invented and patented in 1989 by Mo Constantine, co-founder of Lush Cosmetics, bath bombs are made up of a mixture of wet and dry ingredients that are compressed, molded into a variety of shapes, then dried. They were originally meant to be an alternative to bubble baths and bath salts, both of which can be irritating to skin.

While the exact ingredients of bath bombs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, most typically contain citric acid, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and cornstarch. The citric acid and baking soda are what cause the signature “fizzing and bubbling” effect when the bath bomb is dropped into water, while the cornstarch binds to both baking soda and citric acid, slowing the reaction and causing the fizzing to last longer. Bath bombs also contain other materials, such as scents, essential oils, fat or grease, and flower petals – even glitter can be found in some bath bombs.

As you can imagine, not all of a bath bomb’s ingredients are harmless to your plumbing. Here are some bath bomb materials that can be problematic:

Salt – Salt will usually dissolve in water, but not always, especially if the crystals are large. If salt doesn’t dissolve entirely, you may end up with clogs in your drains.

Oils – These ingredients are usually added to bath bombs in order to moisturize the skin, as well as to provide a fragrant scent. Even a little bit can cause issues with your plumbing, however – the oil can congeal and stick to the insides of your pipes, causing clogs.

Fat/grease – Like oils, fat and grease are sometimes added to bath bombs to moisturize the skin; they also help to maintain the bomb’s shape before it is added to the bath water. Fat and grease don’t dissolve easily unless the water is very hot, and therefore – you guessed it – they can also result in clogs.

Flowers, paper, glitter, etc. – These other materials obviously don’t dissolve in water, and can cause clogs. Even biodegradable ingredients (e.g. flower petals) can cause problems.

How To Use Bath Bombs While Protecting Your Plumbing

Bummed that your beloved bath bombs may be causing plumbing issues? Don’t worry – you can still use them; you just need to take a few precautions:

Use a nylon bag – Before putting it in the water, place your bath bomb in a sealable, fine-mesh nylon bag. The bomb will still fizz, and the bag will help trap the debris, flower petals and other things that may clog your drain. It can even help with the salt that won’t dissolve completely.

Read the fine print – Pay close attention to the ingredients before you purchase any bath bombs, and avoid those that contain oil, grease, or anything else that won’t dissolve easily.

Don’t use them too often – Use them just every once in a while, not every day (or even every week). Yes, we know they’re lots of fun, but your plumbing will thank you if you use them judiciously.

Are you guilty of using bath bombs a few too many times and have clogs in your pipes to show for it? If you’re in the Denver area, call Garvin’s Sewer Service for professional drain and sewer cleaning and to schedule regular preventative maintenance. We can clear your drains and sewers of clogs resulting from bath bombs or other materials that don’t belong in your pipes. We also offer emergency drain cleaning services. If you’re having trouble with your drains or sewers, call us today!

The Dangers of Drain Cleaning

The Dangers of Drain Cleaning

Every once in a while we have customers call us complaining that the drain cleaning service we provided broke their drain line. Because of this, I wanted to give more information about the dangers of drain cleaning to help homeowners, property managers and the like, better understand the process and impacts of drain cleaning.

How is Drain Cleaning Performed?

At Garvin’s Sewer Service, we use a Roto-Rooter(r) machine. This machine consists of a cable with blades on the end. When the machine is plugged into a power source, the technician uses a pedal to control the power as he guides the cable through the pipe.

A Little History of the Drain Cleaning Machine

The Roto-Rooter Franchise developed the machine used for drain-cleaning and it has been used for over 80 years. Garvin’s started as a franchisee of this organization and uses this type of machine still today. On average, we clean 40 drains per day, 365 days a year, and have for over 80 years. We aren’t the only one. Hundreds of thousands of drains are cleaned every year by thousands of drain-cleaning companies across the country.

In addition to this machine, often referred to as a snake or roto-rooter, there is something called a jetter or hyrdojet. This type of drain cleaning machine uses high powered water pressure to blast through clogs.

We believe blades and knives on a cable are the most effective against root intrusion in the sewer line. We also believe these snakes are best at clearing clogs – whether hair, food, scale or toilet paper. We use a jetter for jobs we think it is best for. In our experience, that is grease, core, mud, and sand.

How Does a Drain Line Break During Cleaning?

The blades on the end of the machine have a slight inward bend to them. They are sharp, and are often referred to as knives or blades and do exactly what you’d expect – they cut debris out of the line. These blades spin the circumference of the pipe, and should scrape the edges of the pipe clean.

On a main sewer line, a heavy duty machine is used with 4” blades, which matches the circumference of the sewer line. On inside lines, again the blades match the circumference of the line and range from 1 ½” to 3”. Typically, a smaller machine is used for these lines.

Because the knives spin through the circumference of a pipe, the only way they are able to break a line is:

  • The line is damaged already and the machine catches that bad spot and makes it worse
  • The line is damaged already and the machine scrapes off the buildup that is holding things together
  • The line is improperly plumbed causing the machine to turn back on itself or go the wrong direction

Can a Plumber Break a Drain Line?

Yes, a plumber can break a drain line, but it is not caused by the use of a drain cleaning machine. A sewer snake can get “stuck in a line”, and this can be due to an error by the drain technician.

Let’s face it, everyone makes mistakes and even the most experienced drain techs can get a cable stuck. This could happen if they give too much slack, have a old or weak cable, or misgauge the feel on the cable while running it. Remember, when a drain cleaner is running your line, he is doing it blind. He can’t see, he can only feel, smell, and look for clues based on how the water is draining and what he is pulling back.

Why Do Drain Lines Break?

Water is one of the most powerful forces on Earth. It built the Grand Canyon! Of course, the plumbing in your house isn’t thousands of years old, but that doesn’t mean water hasn’t caused corrosion on your pipes. Plus, water isn’t the only substance flowing through your drain lines.

Typically, we see drain lines fail when:

  • They have corroded from age
  • They have corroded from chemicals (use of chemical drain cleaners, water pH, etc.)
  • They have been impacted by root growth
  • They have been impacted by earth settling
  • They have been damaged by equipment such as from boring or trenching

Video sewer scope services from Garvin's Sewer Service

Who is Responsible for Broken Lines?

While there are times that a contractor is responsible for broken lines, you will find most have a Hold Harmless Clause for pre-existing conditions. Many homeowners simply don’t understand how drain cleaning or plumbing works, and therefore don’t understand the importance of preventive maintenance to reduce the chances of broken lines, either exposed through the drain cleaning process, or those that reveal themselves and require an emergency plumber.

Our Hold Harmless Clause states exclusions for our responsibility for damages caused because of pre-existing conditions and these include:

  • Leaking water pipes
  • Broken or damaged drain pipes
  • Plumbing code violations/outdated plumbing
  • Lead piping
  • Cast iron pipes
  • Galvanized pipes
  • Fixture damage such as cracks in toilets, tanks, supply lines or sinks
  • Hidden pipes such as bathtub p-traps and drum traps
  • Electrical lines and outlets – seen or unseen near plumbing

Other Dangers of Drain Cleaning

When a drain is cleaned, there is a chance that pre-existing conditions can be exposed, causing leaking and water damage. If a chemical drain cleaning product is used, such as those sold over the counter, like Drain-o or Liquid Plmbr, those can sit in the line and cause corrosion. High pressure water jetting can cause flooding if the lines are in poor condition.

However, the benefits of cleaning drains are significant. Left untreated, uncleaned drains can:

  • Cause sewage backups that negatively impact property and the health of the home’s occupants
  • The inability to use the plumbing including not having running water
  • Sewage and sanitary issues
  • Complete blockage of the sewer or drain line which requires emergency repairs – failure to do so can make the home uninhabitable

Preventative maintenance is the key!

Preventative maintenance not only keeps roots at bay to prevent bigger problems, but also allows a review of your current plumbing systems to support repairs rather than replacement.

Cleaning is ALWAYS less expensive than replacing the line and can be done in almost all cases of blockages/ clogs. How often preventative maintenance is performed will depend on your unique situation. How often roots get in your line, how many people live in your home, the length of your line, the material your sewer line is made of, the age of your home and plumbing… these all play a part in determining the frequency of cleaning.

For most people, an annual cleaning, or cleaning every other year is sufficient. Our drain techs are experienced in making a recommendation after cleaning your line about the frequency to consider.

The curse of the clogged sewer line

The curse of the clogged sewer line

Ghosts, zombies, bats and vampires! In October, all things frightening are bound to appear before month’s end. 

But there’s something scarier than Edgar Allen Poe read around the campfire.

Something more chilling than your favorite horror movie. Something guaranteed to strike fear in the bravest of hearts…

The hulking marauder that cares for no-one. That smelly destroyer from deep below: 

The Backed Up Sewer! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

Calm your racing heart. Fighting this beast is in our wheelhouse.

What causes a backup?

A sewer line gets clogged over many days or months. Think of your pipes as a potential Stephen King villain. If they get mistreated again and again, eventually you will receive epic payback.

Thankfully, your plumbing system will often warn you that something wicked your way comes:  Your bathtub may be slow to drain, your sink drains could get sluggish and your toilet or sink could gurgle. 

Worst of all, you could smell foul odors from a drain or appliance. Ick—time to get help! 

Five things that can cause sewer line backup are:

  1. Roots
  2. Oil and grease
  3. Foods like eggshells
  4. Pumpkin seeds or pumpkin parts (beware!)
  5. Flushable wipes, sanitary supplies, paper towel

ROOTS: As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, thirsty tree roots can break into your pipes and grow tiny hair-like threads that ball up and clog your main line. It’s best to get the roots cleaned out of your system at least once a year by a company like Garvin’s.

FOOD: Your kitchen garbage disposal should only be used to get rid of bits of leftover food when rinsing dishes. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not good to put eggshells down your disposal. Of course, never pour oil or grease down your sink drain. Coffee grounds and rice cause problems too, and even at Halloween, seeds, pumpkin guts, gourd and squash skins are a no-no. Put all of these in the trash, not through your pipes.

This includes the health smoothie your spouse makes you every morning! You hate it; you want to pour it down the shower drain in secret. But, it may contain pumpkin or carrots and all sorts of fiber. Trust us, it will COME UP AGAIN (true story) and create a plumbing disaster.

TRASH: In almost every restaurant bathroom, you see “be kind to our pipes, only flush toilet paper” signs. The same is true for your home. Don’t flush paper towel, sanitary products, wipes, toys, loser Halloween candy, or any trash besides human waste and toilet paper. No. Not even once!

What do you do during a backup?

Say that smoothie comes bubbling up in all its orange glory from the shower drain. Your toilet overflows in a disgusting tidal wave, or your basement drain backs up and foul water threatens your belongings. 

What do you do?

  1. Don’t panic. You will get through this.
  2. DO NOT flush toilets or do laundry. Limit your water usage.
  3. Remove any valuables that are threatened by the backup. (In fact, keep these items off the basement floor/out from under the sink always.)
  4. Call Garvin’s Emergency Drain and Sewer Service.
  5. Contact your homeowners insurance to see if sewer line back-ups/clean ups are part of your policy, if you think that is needed. (We have a few referrals in mind for restoration, carpet/floor, drywall, etc. who we have vetted if you need them – just ask.)

Why call Garvin’s?

We are a third-generation, family-owned company with over 80 innovative years of service history! For eight decades, Garvin’s of Englewood and Denver has cared for people just like you who need an ally in an emergency. 

We employ leading industry practices for drain cleaning. We use reliable products. Our service doesn’t hurt plants or wildlife or cause problems with metal or plastic plumbing. Our 30-member staff includes several of the best plumbers in the metro area. We’ve seen it all and know how to help. Contact us today.