Are Bath Bombs Bad For My Plumbing?

Are Bath Bombs Bad For My Plumbing?

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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!

Can You Flush Cat Poop Down the Toilet?

Can You Flush Cat Poop Down the Toilet?

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Are you a cat person or a dog person? It’s a debate as old as time. Dogs are generally friendlier and more trainable than cats, while cats are more independent and self-sufficient than dogs. 

Another plus for dogs is that you can house train them (most of the time), while cats need a litter box. And let’s face it – no matter how much you may love cats, cleaning out the litter box is a gross job! Which leads us to ask the question – can you flush cat poop down the toilet?

Cat Poop & Public Health

You may think flushing your cat’s poop down the toilet is easier and more sanitary than throwing it away, but think again – cat feces has a lot of germs associated with it, not the least of which is a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.

This parasite is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals, but members of the cat family (including domestic cats) are the only known definitive hosts in which the parasite may sexually reproduce.

Toxoplasma gondii can cause the disease toxoplasmosis. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis vary; most people who become infected show no symptoms at all, while some may develop swollen lymph glands or muscle aches and pains that may last for a month or more. 

The disease can cause serious health problems in pregnant women and individuals who have compromised immune systems – these people need to be cautious around cat feces, and avoid contact with it.

Because of the health hazards associated with cat poop, it’s important to avoid contaminating the public water system with it and ALWAYS bag it up and throw it away – NEVER flush it!

Cat Poop & Plumbing

Human waste and toilet paper are the only things that should be flushed down the toilet – flushing cat poop can result in clogged plumbing lines or even a backed-up sewer line. Nobody wants that!

And then there’s the matter of the cat litter. When you flush cat poop, some cat litter always comes along for the ride. Depending on the material it’s made out of, kitty litter can expand up to 15 times in size after coming into contact with water or other fluids – that will almost certainly clog up your plumbing!

And what if that kitty litter happens to dry out while in the plumbing lines? It will harden like cement, resulting in serious plumbing issues. 

What about brands of kitty litter that claim to be flushable? Better to be safe than sorry, and dispose of it properly by putting it into a biodegradable bag and throwing it away. 

Bottom line: Don’t flush cat poop. We know it’s tempting to do so, and you probably think a little bit can’t possibly hurt, but don’t do it. Trust us on this.

Schedule a Sewer Line Inspection Today

Wondering what’s in your sewer line (besides cat poop, that is)? You can find out with a sewer line camera inspection! This service will enable you to determine if there are issues with the sewer line, and should be performed if there have been repeated problems or if you’re buying a home. 

You can also prevent plumbing problems in the first place by performing regular sewer line cleaning. We’ve been providing both sewer line inspection and sewer line cleaning services in the Denver area for years, and have seen it all. If you’re having trouble with your sewer line, contact us today!

Why spring is the perfect time for sewer line maintenance

Why spring is the perfect time for sewer line maintenance

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Trees look so gorgeous covered with snow in the winter, don’t they? In the autumn they appear to bed down and take nice, long naps. In the spring, they shelter smaller plants. They host birds in their branches.

Trees: Our peaceful manufacturers of oxygen.

Not so fast. Trees also have a less heroic side. 

Deep under the soil, roots grow expansively to help the trees survive. In the spring, some of those roots reach hungrily for water and nutrients like sightless, pale worms. The sneaky tendrils scavenge into cracks everywhere to ferret out liquid survival.

Roots are creeping towards your clay or concrete sewer pipes as you read this. Whispering through the dirt. Maybe some are already in your pipes spanning them and feeding on your household waste, just waiting to cause clogs in your sewer line.

That’s a bit dramatic. And… we do need trees! However, it’s a proven fact that roots can be destructive little buggers. We know this, yet so many of us just ignore them. We go about making pancakes or fitting our Labradoodles with red sweaters like the horror underground is not happening.

Why then are we so very surprised when our sewer lines back up into our showers or basements with tides of smelly yuck? 

An ounce of prevention…

Is worth… well, you know the old saying. Preventative sewer maintenance is worth its weight in platinum. Getting your sewer line routinely inspected and cleared of roots with a bladed cable just makes sense. 

Every spring, plumbing and sewer services in the Denver area get tons of calls about root problems and maintenance. So, now is the time to get ahead of the curve and get your main line cleared of those roots before they precipitate your own personal, foul-smelling drama. 

It won’t hurt the trees…

We promise. But getting your sewer line cleaned will most certainly help your household. Using a bladed cable to “roto-rooter” or cut through the roots in your main line and push the plant matter into your city sewer will get rid of not only the roots, but anything else that might have gotten tangled up in the roots over time. 

This method is more thorough and effective than “jetting” your sewer line with water.

Of course, you still won’t want to flush the following down your toilet:

  • Huge wads of TP
  • “Flushable” wipes
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Diapers
  • Paper towel

Getting your pipes bladed out isn’t a license to abuse your pipes. Take care of them by being prudent about what you flush and pour down the drain. Then, root maintenance will help keep your line clear and prevent standing ankle deep in who-knows-what one day. 

It’s best to schedule maintenance every 12 months or more often if you have a large family or a ton of trees. 

It seems like an endless cycle…

If you call Garvin’s we can help you determine what your best long-term preventative maintenance solutions might be. 

Most times, removing trees is costly, unsightly and mean to birds and squirrels.

Another option in reducing invasive root problems is using a non-toxic product like Root-X which foams into your main line to kill roots between main-line cleanings. Root-X is non-caustic and will not harm pipes, septic systems or vegetation above the ground. Other root eaters only sit on the bottom of the pipe, not reaching the top where the roots are growing in.

Confused or unsure about your options? Just ask. Our knowledgeable staff is here to help.

Our video shows we have a problem…

Perhaps another company came to examine or “scope” your sewer line recently and they’re recommending extensive repairs or pipe replacement. They may claim your pipes are broken and need to be excavated. Is replacing your entire sewer line or large portions of it necessary?

We would be happy to view your video and give you a second opinion. Many sewer and drain companies in the Denver Metro area are honest, but some are not. Some simply lack expertise.

We will tell you the truth. We will view your video, explain what we see and brainstorm solutions to your current sewer line issues. Sometimes we can even save you money. Read how we saved one family thousands of dollars in potential repairs by reviewing their scoping video.

Scope, blade, review and repair

At Garvin’s, we are truly sewer line specialists. We know our stuff and we’ll help you steer away from excrement in many forms. We’re here for you all year long to offer preventative maintenance or the right repairs at the right time. We’ll clean your drain, not your bank account. Call for an appointment today.

What can go wrong with plumbing in a newer home

What can go wrong with plumbing in a newer home

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You love the thought of a new home. New kitchen. Open floor plan. The office with a view. The yard with so much potential!

Perhaps you’re getting ready to leave your current home behind, or you’ve purchased a new house and you’re excited to settle in.

Once-upon-a-time we covered what can go wrong with plumbing in older homes. Unfortunately, even though a new home seems like a fairy tale dream come true, things can still go awry.

Here are 5 plumbing issues that can occur in new homes—even Camelot.

  1. Roots: You heard us. Even new builds can have root issues in pipes. Roots can enter your sewer line in two ways: through the normal, healthy joints or through or through a break in the line. While we hope there are no breaks in the sewer line of your new home, it’s possible that on a new build, the ground can adjust and cause a line to separate. If you have a sewer back up, we can clean and camera the line to make sure it is clear AND that there are no problems with the sewer line itself.In Colorado, our long periods of drought mean plants get powerfully thirsty. So, it doesn’t take much for new plants to seek out the available water in a home’s sewer lines. While we’re on the topic, some trees and shrubs have particularly aggressive roots, so it’s important to think about what types of trees and shrubs you will plant around your new home, if you have a choice. Poplars, elms, oaks and juniper shrubs can cause particular issues. Remember that a new tree will have a root system that extends 2-3 times farther than the crown of your tree. Think of what those roots will do to plumbing while planning your landscaping.
  1. Blocked drains: During construction, builders sometimes aren’t careful about ensuring construction debris stays away from plumbing. Building “leftovers” can make their way into your plumbing and partially or entirely block drains, creating headaches for future homeowners.
  1. Leaky faucets: When you move into a new home, check each sink, shower, tub and outdoor faucet to ensure they aren’t leaking. You may have broken fixtures or need new washers or fittings. Even tiny leaks can add up to big water loss over time.
  1. Running toilets: Toilets that make noise when you aren’t in the room are sad, unhealthy toilets. Wish you could test your toilets for leaks? You can! Do the blue dye test in as little as 15 minutes to see if your toilets need the help of a professional. We’ve put together a short video to show you how.
  1. Inspection protection: Want peace of mind? Be proactive. Ensure all of the afore-mentioned issues don’t become your issues when you move into a new home. Call a friendly, reputable company like Garvin’s to do a sewer inspection and a professional walkthrough. We can perform any needed maintenance and help ensure your new home is in great shape when you move in.

Whether you’re dreaming of moving into a castle with a five car garage, or downsizing to a townhome with a smaller yard, Garvin’s Sewer Service in Englewood can help you with all of your plumbing and sewer service needs. We proudly serve homeowners in the greater Denver and Boulder areas and are excited to be expanding more in the north, serving Brighton, Broomfield and Evans, Colorado. Our services are speedy and priced right and our technicians are top-notch. Call 303-571-5114 today, or contact us for a quote.

How to prepare your plumbing for the holidays

How to prepare your plumbing for the holidays

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The last goblin has disappeared into the night and now the winter holidays are coming: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, to name a few. Are you planning to get together with friends or family?

We thought so. It’s time to get prepared! Unpack the good plates and holiday linen, make sure the fireplace works, dust off the table leaf, take the dog in for a bath and… get your pipes ready to handle all those people! 

Sinking feelings

Hungry this morning? Did you make a big egg scramble with hash browns and bacon? Remember all that yummy bacon grease that was left in the skillet? Were you a tiny bit tempted to pour some of it down your kitchen drain to save time? Even the littlest bit with hot water?

Please don’t do it! 

Putting oil and grease down your kitchen drain can create clogs and lead to a big old sewer back up in your future. That grease may liquify with hot water and go down your kitchen sink. But eventually, it will cool off on its journey through your pipes and solidify. After a bit, layer upon layer will build up in your pipes and then you’ll have a mess. Maybe right after candle lighting, dessert or opening gifts.

So always, always, let that grease cool off in a disposable container and put it in the trash, not down the sink.

Garbage in, garbage out

Your garbage disposal can be a great friend, grinding up bits of food to help flush them down to your main line. It can be a friend IF you treat it properly. The problem: Most folks want to quickly throw everything down their disposal. 

Truthfully, you just can’t. You see, your disposal is like a toothy amusement park ride for food. 

SAY WHAT? 

Have you ever been to a county fair or maybe Six Flags and climbed aboard one of those spinning rides that push you against the wall like a fly while the bottom drops away from your feet? 

Food in your disposal gets pushed against the sides of your disposal by that same spinning or centrifugal force as it grinds. If it’s the right kind of small food, your disposal will grind it up and cold water will wash it down your pipes and away.

If it’s the wrong kind of food, it will get slammed against the sides of your disposal and stick there, eventually making your whole sink smell nasty. Or, that food will wind up stuck just a little further down in your drain trap or pipes and cause a clog. 

Your disposal is meant to help you get rid of little bits of food as you rinse plates. It’s not meant to grind up big chunks or take care of clog culprits like these:

  • Eggshells
  • Coffee
  • Meat
  • Celery or fibrous foods
  • Potato skins or fruit pits
  • Grits or heavy grain foods
  • Grease and oil

Watch this video from Southern Living for a for an informative list of additional foods NOT to put down your disposal.

Tank toilet trauma

New towels, plenty of pillows, cleaned comforters: check, check, check. You want your friends and family to be comfortable staying at your house. Keeping them happy can extend to your toilet paper (T.P.), but did you know some kinds of T.P. can cause your pipes to clog more quickly?

Choose septic safe and highly biodegradable tissue to keep your plumbing in shape. Click here for a list of the fastest dissolving brands of T.P. (Yes, some of your favorite brands are on the list!) Many of these tissues are made from non-tree sources which is better for our environment too.

Just in case the unthinkable happens and your toilets back up this holiday season: Keep our number handy. Garvin’s of Englewood is available anytime to help you during an emergency.

Frozen – Let it go!

Prevent frozen pipes this season. Be sure to check your outside hose bibbs soon, disconnect all of your hoses from the outdoor spigots and let them drain. Where possible, turn off the water to your outside hoses for the winter.

According to Apollohome.com, leaving your hoses attached to your hose bibbs can retain the water in your faucets. The water can freeze and expand during cold spells, crack your bibbs or burst your pipes. You don’t want to have to shut off your water and deal with that mess during the holidays.

To keep pipes inside your home from freezing, keep your thermostat set to a minimum of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maintenance makes merry

Want to be worry free? Consider getting your drains cleaned by Garvin’s to ensure your house is truly ready to receive extra guests this season. Our drain cleaning machine uses a tightly wound cable with sharp blades on the end. The blades spin at a high rate of speed through your drain line, cleaning the full circumference of the line to push out or destroy blockages.

We recommend you get your sewer line cleaned once per year to maintain your drains.

Reach out all year long

Garvin’s of Denver and Englewood serves the Denver metro area. We are family-run and trusted by many of your neighbors. Contact our sewer and drain cleaning team at 303-571-5114 and let us help you get ready for the holiday season. 

The Dangers of Drain Cleaning

The Dangers of Drain Cleaning

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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.

Tips to keep your plumbing fixtures in top condition

Tips to keep your plumbing fixtures in top condition

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Nobody likes a plumbing surprise. Surprise retirement or birthday celebrations with cake, yes, but grey water or sewer shocks aren’t fun. To help, we want to let you know what to look for to possibly prevent plumbing excitement.

Sneaky Leaks

Once in a while it’s good to take a peek beneath your sinks to see if moisture is harboring there. Look behind your washing machine and around the base of your dishwasher as well. Have you noticed a slow running or clogged drain? Is there unexplained wetness near a pipe in your basement? That’s not normal. You shouldn’t ignore any of these signs. They mean your sinks, dishwasher or bathtub may be crying out for some tender loving care. Garvin’s can help you keep on top of routine maintenance so that small problems don’t get bigger.

Trembling Toilets

Does the toilet quake when you run the bath? That’s not a good thing. Does your commode make noise and start to run when left by itself? Yeah, that’s not great either. Your noisy toilet might have a slow leak inside or outside that needs attention. You may be wasting precious water and a larger leak could cause damage over time. Garvin’s plumbing contractors of Englewood specialize in complete solutions that can ease your mind and bring peace to your plumbing.

Dyspeptic Disposals

It comes as a great surprise to most people that garbage disposals aren’t really for garbage. Coffee grounds, rice and large quantities of food should not be put down your drain even if you have a disposal. The disposal can help your pipes handle small quantities of food as long as you run plenty of cold water with them. Anything more and your disposal can get indigestion and your pipes can become compacted with food residue over time. You may notice your disposal leaking from underneath your sink, detect an awful smell that won’t go away or observe your sink draining slowly—all signs of an ailing disposal. Get these issues tended to quickly to prevent mold growth or pipe breakage in the future.

Caustic Chemicals

Garvin’s Sewer Service has been handling the yuck of clogged drains since just before the start of World War II. When we started in 1940, Bing Crosby was popular, the average price of a new car was $850 and women wanted to wear nylon stockings! That was a LONG time ago. So, you can trust us when we say you shouldn’t use common harsh chemicals to unblock your clogged kitchen or bathroom sink. Such cleaners are bad for the environment, can harm plumbing and can be dangerous to people too. Instead, it’s better to clean the pipes beneath your sink. Don’t want to do it yourself? Let us remove the residue, built-up hair or grime for you. We have the tools, expertise and the stomachs to face down stubborn clogs, eliminate them and make your pipes run clear again.

Sewer Service Plus

Garvin’s might be best known for sewer service, but we’re also some of the most trusted plumbing contractors in the entire state. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a small leak in your toilet or you’re up to your ankles in water, Garvin’s is ready to take care of all of your plumbing repairs. Call us today: 303-571-5114.

Why clay sewer pipes may cause issues in some homes

Why clay sewer pipes may cause issues in some homes

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Grab your swimming suit

We’re going to take a trip in the hot tub time machine! 

What? Ok, we’re referencing the 2010 sci-fi flick where four friends wind up in the past after time travelling in a damaged Jacuzzi. Not an Academy Award-winning flick, but it is fitting for a plumbing company to travel in a hot tub.

We’ll use our own tub to cruise through some famous cities to understand the history of clay pipe before we talk about why these pipes may cause issues in your home.

It will be interesting, we promise. And you’ll get to relax in a hot tub!

A quick trip through time

Stop one, Babylonia: Let’s look over the shoulders of tired archaeologists as they discover the first clay pipe in a small city in what is now the region of Iraq and Syria. They have been laboring to unearth baked clay pipe that snaked through a truly ancient temple constructed in 4000 BCE. Hard to believe pieces of the hardy pipe survived to the early 1900’s to be catalogued and photographed by this team!

Next, let’s blast to the year 2000 BCE to Ephesus (it’s now Turkey). Here, if we take a peek beneath the houses in the rich section of town, we can see hand-formed clay pipes that carry cold and hot running water and sewage. Posh, no hauling from the river! 

Turn up the jets, we’re going to Rome! (Are your fingers wrinkled yet?) Ancient Romans used clay pipe to carry water short distances. In fact, you could fill your water bottle from any modern public water fountain in Rome today and your thirst-quenching quaff likely is being carried by aqueducts constructed in 19 BCE! That’s some infrastructure.

We’re almost done. Let’s take the bubbling tub to the U.S. where savvy engineers in Ohio first made clay pipes by hand in 1849 and then started to mechanize production by the late 1800s. Pipes were made locally because they were very heavy. Eventually, enough railroad systems were built to carry regionally made pipes efficiently throughout the U.S. One such clay pipe was in use for over 150 years in Oceanside, California.

Why so much devotion to clay?

As you can see, clay pipes have been used for a long time around the world. Clay has always been available to be mixed with water, formed into pipes and fired in a wood- or coal-fired kiln to become vitreous or glasslike and impermeable. This process makes the clay pipe sturdy and resistant to chemicals. They can also handle a lot of fluid pressure and the pipes are environmentally friendly. 

The downside of historical pipe

As wonderful as clay pipes might be, they present issues. As we’ve already mentioned, they’re heavy to move. They can crack under pressure. They have to be put together with joints. Tree roots love to grow between those joints, making the pipes break and crumble. Clay pipe can also snap when the ground shifts—especially in Colorado where our soils are laden with ever-expanding bentonite. Material can corrode inside the pipes and cause the area inside to become smaller—the result can be a troublesome backup.

When should clay pipes be replaced?

Sometimes when you call for sewer line cleaning in Denver or Englewood, your Garvin’s technician will discover clay pipe leading into your home. These pipes are most common in homes built before 1980. They can be serviceable or badly damaged. When should you replace your old, clay pipe?

  • Constant backups into a tub or sink
  • Strange smells from your front yard or basement
  • Inspection reveals a sewer pipe is compacted, sagging, or broken beyond repair

How can we help?

Garvin’s provides honest sewer cleaning service and emergency drain cleaning. We’ll thoroughly inspect your line with a video camera snake and provide you with a DVD. We can discuss any issues while viewing the video. If you have a DVD from another company, we can give you an opinion on that too. 

Bottom line: If your line doesn’t need to be replaced, but just needs a good cleaning, we won’t try to sell you a new line. We clean drains, not bank accounts.

If you do need a new line or line repairs, we’ll talk you through it. You can trust our 80 plus years of experience. We most commonly install seamless PVC pipe, or plastic liners so that you won’t have to worry about your sewer line for years to come. 

  • PVC pipes can last up to 100 years and are impervious to sneaky tree roots breaking them apart. 
  • In the right situation, plastic liners can eliminate the need for costly digging and unearthing of pipe. 

Reach out to Garvin’s at 303-571-5114 or contact us online for all your plumbing and drain cleaning needs. Just don’t ask us to fix your hot tub.

Common Plumbing Problems When Buying an Older Home

Common Plumbing Problems When Buying an Older Home

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Indoor plumbing was invented by the ancient Romans, and when you buy an older home, there are times when you’re convinced your pipes and drains were installed by Julius Caesar himself. Ugly tile or an outdated wallpaper border are the least of your problems. Plumbing that’s outdated, or that has ceased to work properly, can cause you big headaches. So for sewer cleaning service in Englewood, and a host of other plumbing repair services big and small, turn to the plumbing contractors in Englewood you can trust: Garvin’s Sewer Service.

Outdoor Plumbing Issues

Some homeowners are diligent about maintaining their indoor plumbing, only to forget about (and then fall short on) maintaining things outdoors. We can help with that. Sewer cleaning can address clogs that build up over years, or decades, worth of use. If you’ve already had a sewer inspection done, we offer a free second opinion video sewer inspection, too.

Common Indoor Plumbing Problems

Maybe your outdoor lines are safe and sound. What kind of problems might you face in your new home’s indoor plumbing? Grab a cup of coffee (or an aspirin). It’s a long list.

Pipe Replacement

Older homes often use outdated pipes, necessitating water line replacement. While uncommon nowadays, lead pipe still crops up in some older homes. The galvanized pipes that replaced lead were also prone to corrosion and lead to discolored water. Polybutylene pipe had replaced galvanized and was in use up to the ’90s, but it had a problem too: exposed to water for prolonged periods, which the last we checked was the purpose of the plumbing pipe, it tended to break down.

Pipe Clogs

A home that’s fifty years old and still has most of its original plumbing has seen a lot of things go down the drain and the toilet. Some of those things shouldn’t have gone down the sink (starches, cooking grease), so a good drain cleaning can make your drains flow like new. And if you’ve ever had a toddler (or just been an absent-minded adult), you know things get flushed that shouldn’t have, from Matchbox cars to so-called “flushable” wipes and other things we won’t mention. We can help!

Leak Repairs

Pipes have joints that fail, and sometimes the pipes themselves can break or develop dangerous wear. Faucets and fixtures have washers and other parts that wear out. The leaks that result are no joke since they can lead to mold and mildew, structural damage, or belongings lost to water damage. 

Other Common Problems

Things go out of date. They don’t work as well as they used to, or stop working altogether, like a sump pump that’s been neglected in your basement for decades. So give us a call if you need garbage disposal repair or replacement, a new dishwasher pipe, fixture repair or replacement, or nearly any other plumbing fix you can think of!

Plumbing Maintenance in Englewood, Colorado

Speaking of maintenance, we want to help you enjoy your home for many years to come. To that end, we offer plumbing maintenance services to keep your sewer lines free of roots that can cause clogs and serious damage. We’ll set up a plan, remind you ahead of time, and show up right on schedule so you never have to second-guess—and so you spend less over time on repairs. For a wide range of home plumbing needs, turn to a name that Englewood homeowners have trusted for 80 years. Call Garvin’s Sewer Service!

5 Tips to Prevent Plumbing Problems

5 Tips to Prevent Plumbing Problems

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It’s amazing in 2021 to ever imagine life without indoor plumbing. Many of us, especially first-time home buyers, seemed to take plumbing for granted. Owning a home for the first time and noticing things like water pressure and slow drains made us realize just how little we know.

The first time we get a clogged drain, we may run to the store, grab a bottle of the strongest drain cleaning gel we could find and pour it in hoping to avoid the sight of whatever that gross clog is. And we do this with no idea that it could do more harm than good. At the first sign of garbage disposal issues, we might run to the local hardware store and look up videos for how to install it, instead of trying a few quick fix solutions.

Being a homeowner is a lot like being a parent – we learn as you go. Until we start researching ways to be proactive instead of reactive, we may be spending a ton of money, time and energy. With that said, let us save you a headache with 5 tips to prevent plumbing problems before they start.

Clean your drains.

Gavin’s Sewer Service recommends having a professional do a sewer drain cleaning to remove any grease, hair, and/or other items that could be causing it to become backed up.

Fix your faucets.

Did you know according to emergencyplumbersca.com that one drip every two seconds from your faucet or shower head can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water annually? These small drips turn into big leaks fast and not only can waste water but make your bills skyrocket!

Test your water pressure.

If your water pressure isn’t right, it doesn’t have to stay that way! Bad water pressure can put a strain on your pipes as well as be inconvenient. Professionals can help you get your pressure back on track. (Did you know cleaning your shower head can remove the mineral deposits blocking the holes and can help your water pressure as well as keep your water heater running better, for longer?)

Look under your sink.

Often you can see a leak or crack when it’s small and manageable. The big trick to plumbing problems are locating them and fixing them while they’re small. Big problems lead to big leaks and lots of surrounding damage.

Other helpful ways to prevent plumbing issues include making sure the only thing flushed down your toilets is toilet paper and human waste, having your system inspected if you have mature trees on your property, and check your appliances for water leaks.

Questions or concerns you’d like to ask our drain and plumbing experts? Give us a call today at 303-571-5114. Let our 80+ years in the industry help you with your first time homeowner concerns.