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Do I need a sewer repair?

sewer scope inspection denver image of technician with camera machine

Do you need a sewer repair? First, let me start by saying we are NOT the company to tell you that you need a sewer line repair. Just because it’s in our name, doesn’t mean we are pushing sewer services on people like Big Pharma pushes everything with a profit margin. Nonetheless, we wanted to cover what really are problems with the sewer or drain lines and when it is a matter of companies trying to make a buck. 

Do you have a sewer line problem, really? 

If your sewer or drain line is backing up or holding water (it won’t go down), there is a problem. Sometimes we have customers say that we caused their line to break and that “there was no problem before we came.” This isn’t true. There is 100% a problem before we arrived if 1) the line is backing up or not draining and 2) you called a professional to fix it. 

Now, on the contrary, if your sewer or drain line is NOT backing up, then it isn’t broken. This may sound like a no-brainer, but I have had customers tell me that their sewer line is broken but there are literally no reasons for them to believe that. One customer hadn’t had the drain cleaned yet to determine if it was a simple blockage and the other saw a sink hole in her yard, but her sewer was working fine. 

First things first 

Once it is determined whether or not there is a sewer line problem, then an attempt should be made to clean the line. This is an important step because the plumber can typically determine at that time if the line is simply clogged and then clear it, or that it is not able to be cleared. 

There is an important note here that not all plumbers, and in fact I will say that MOST plumbers are not drain cleaning specialists. This means they may give up, or decide it is easier to do a repair than try to clear the clog. 

It is 100% ok to get a second opinion, especially if they are not a drain specialist or if they are suggesting a sewer repair or replacement. 

Get a second opinion on your sewer scope

We always suggest getting at least one additional opinion/bid when you are told you need a repair or replacement to the line rather than a cleaning. This step can save you thousands of dollars, and I am not exaggerating when I say this. 

If you are in the greater Denver area, Garvin’s is happy to take a look at any estimate and video provided to give a free second opinion. If you aren’t given a written estimate or video, that is your first red flag. 

In most cases sewer lines can be cleaned rather than replaced, and we are specialists at opening lines that others have determined need replacement. In fact, we only suggest sewer line repairs for: 

  • Complete line closure due to roots (roots are penetrating more that ¾ of the circumference of the pipe for greater than one foot). 
  • Core (closure of line due to extreme levels of debris) 
  • Construction or foreign object debris that can’t be pushed through 
  • Creating a new access point for the sewer line 
  • Breaks in the line / Failed lines 
  • Replacement of Orangeburg 

What about what the other plumbers told me? 

There are opinions out there that say drain or sewer lines should always be replaced due to roots or bellies in the line, but we disagree – to a point. Most of the time, a sewer line can be cleared of roots. We only recommend replacement when they have completely closed the line or broken the line. 

In regards to bellies, we have seen sewers with 100 foot bellies (low spots in the line) that never fail because the customer does annual preventative maintenance. These services cost pennies on the dollar, making the cost of replacement unnecessary.  

This may not be true in the case of real estate transactions, however, as we have seen people be required to replace sewer lines with bellies in order for them to sell the home because it is a risk the new homeowner doesn’t want to take. This isn’t unusual, just as a new homeowner wouldn’t want to take a risk with an old water heater or furnace, old roof, etc. 

Garvin’s Sewer Service can help! 

As always, because we are known for our ethics and expertise, if you have questions, we are here to help with our professional opinion. Give us a call if we can be of assistance. 

sewer scope inspection denver image of technician with camera machine

The Top 3 Reasons to Schedule a Sewer Scope Inspection in Denver

What is a sewer scope inspection & why get one?

A sewer scope inspection is the best option when you want to know what’s happening inside a sewer pipe. A sewer scope, also called a sewer camera inspection or simply “scope,” is a tool used to inspect the inside of a sewer line. Unlike a roto-rooter machine or jetter, it doesn’t clean the line; instead, it lets you see the condition inside the sewer line without having to dig it up. 

A sewer scope or camera inspection runs the full length of the sewer line. With a sewer scope, you can determine:

  • The condition of the sewer line (excellent, good, fair or bad)
  • What the sewer line is made out of (clay, cast iron, plastic, or Orangeburg)
  • Any problems with the sewer line (such as roots, bellies, offsets or breaks)
  • The length of the sewer
  • The sewer line access point

For the best results, we recommend a sewer cleaning beforehand. The camera footage won’t be usable if the sewer line has too many obstructions that block out light. For example, if the pipe is full of water, the camera will only see water and things floating in it. It won’t show cracks, offsets or other problem areas. A sewer scope inspection may be ineffective if your sewer line is completely blocked or broken. Instead, your best option would be a sewer line locate.

The top three reasons that homeowners in the Denver area schedule a sewer scope inspection:

  • You are buying a property and want to know if the sewer is in good condition.
  • You are having frequent plumbing problems and want to know the reason.
  • You aren’t sure about an aspect of your sewer line and want to see what’s going on.

Why book a sewer camera inspection for a real estate transaction?

Whether you are buying or selling a property, a sewer scope is very helpful. No one wants to purchase a property with constant sewer line back-ups or a broken sewer line. A camera inspection will give you a look inside to confirm the line is in good working order.

How can a sewer scope help resolve ongoing plumbing problems? 

If you’ve been dealing with ongoing plumbing issues, like backups, more frequently than once every six months, we recommend a camera inspection. The problem may result from an issue in your sewer line that a sewer scope can catch.

Should I get a sewer scope to see what’s going on in the line? 

If you are curious about your sewer line, a sewer scope can answer some questions, like the line’s condition and what it’s made of. Sewer specialists can also use it to determine what repairs have been done in the past.

We suggest that if there isn’t a problem, don’t look for one.

What happens if there are problems with the sewer line?

If the sewer scope finds problems, or we can’t see in the line because it still isn’t open after cleaning, we recommend a sewer line locate. A line locate lets us know where to dig (depth and location) to determine the problem.

When there are problems with a sewer line, we usually recommend a sewer line cleaning instead of a sewer line replacement. We are specialists at opening lines that others have determined need replacement. We only suggest sewer line repairs or replacement if there is full failure of a section of the sewer line due to blockage or breakage or if you need to add an access point for proper maintenance.

What’s the difference between a sewer scope and a sewer line locate?

A scope is like eyes; it allows us to see inside to determine the condition of a drain line. A locate is like ears; it allows us to hear a sound to mark the direction and depth of the line. After a sewer scope inspection, you’ll receive video footage of your sewer line. After a locate, there will be markings on the ground noting where the sewer line runs. he same piece of equipment, with different attachments, is used to provide these two services.

If you have additional questions about sewer scope or sewer location services in the Denver, Colorado, area, contact us! We’d love to share our expertise with you.

About the Author:

Kris Jordan is the General Manager of Garvin’s Sewer Service serving the Denver metro area. She is the third generation to work in this family business started in 1940 by her Great Uncle Russell Garvin. Garvin’s prides itself on reliability and honest, knowledgeable staff.

 

A Guide To Sewer Line Preventive Maintenance in Englewood, Colorado

A Guide To Sewer Line Preventive Maintenance in Englewood

Not all plumbing problems are quite the same. A slow drip from your bathroom faucet, or a water heater that’s not quite as hot as it once was, amount to slight inconveniences. Other problems don’t just cause mild headaches; they can cause catastrophic damage. A sewer line backup falls squarely into the latter category. But Garvin’s Sewer Service, the same company you trust for sewer replacement in Denver, and sewer drain cleaning in Englewood, offers a preventative sewer line maintenance program that can combine with a bit of due diligence to protect your home or business.

What Causes Sewer Backups?

Sewer clogs and backups come from two broad categories: man-made, and natural. Homes and commercial sewer systems alike are susceptible to man-made clogs. Oil and grease builds up from the food we cook or the materials with which we work. Things go down the drain or are flushed down the toilet, that shouldn’t be. The dirt that’s washed off of everything from our hands to our pets and cars also collects in drains, then in sewers.

But Mother Nature isn’t exactly lending us a helping hand either. You can be exceedingly careful about what goes down the drain only to find that root incursions are slowly choking sewer lines to a trickle. Neglected long enough, those root incursions will lead to clogs and backups.

Preventing Sewer Clogs and Backups

What can you do to prevent sewer clogs? More than you think—especially since we’re here to help when you need us.

Preventing Sewer Clogs Starts Indoors

Clog prevention starts with you. Be mindful of what goes down drains and toilets, taking special care to minimize things like oils and grease, and never flushing things that shouldn’t be flushed (including “flushable” wipes and kitty litter). Watch growth near sewer lines. Check for cracks and leaks in indoor pipes. But, just as importantly, call us for regular Denver drain cleaning, since clogs can happen despite your best intentions and efforts.

Preventing Root-Based Sewer Clogs

Nature is relentless. Absent drastic measures that remove or actively kill vegetation, you will end up with root incursions in your sewer lines. So while our sewer cleaning methods are capable of dealing with man-made clogs, they’re specifically designed to clear out root growth. How often you have this done is determined by several factors, from usage patterns to climate and weather, plus what’s growing on your property and how fast it grows. Many homeowners in the Denver area call us every six to twelve months.

Wondering what you can do between visits? Keep your drains clean (trees can “feed” on all kinds of waste runoff, promoting growth). Use a product like RootX, which inhibits root growth without using toxins. And in extreme cases, it may be worth your while to consider sewer line replacement.

Sewer Service in the Denver Area

From sewer scopes that pinpoint the source of chronic problems, to drain cleaning and sewer repair services, home and business owners in the Denver area have relied on the professionals at Garvin’s Sewer Service for fast, reliable responses to a wide variety of plumbing and sewer problems. We’re at your service any time of the day or night—just as we’ve been for more than seven decades—so reach out to us today!

To flush or not to flush: How will it affect my need for drain cleaning?

dreamstime_xxl_10290097To flush or not to flush – UPDATED: what belongs in your trash and NOT your sewer. Follow this advice and you won’t need drain cleaning from a professional as often.

1.       Unwanted medications.  Well, in our drug happy world, the thought of unwanted medication may seem confusing. I mean, we even keep prescriptions past their due dates as our “just in case” pills (as though we can’t get a new prescription at the drop of a hat). When flushed, some of these medications can end up in our waterways. We don’t want to just haphazardly throw them out though either, as we have social concerns about them ending up in the hands of a youngster or dumpster diver. Your best bet? Dispose of them in ashes, old coffee grounds, kitty litter or other like items. It’s kinda like adding a little bit of wood alcohol to rubbing alcohol so we don’t drink it. What can you add to the medications to make them worthless?

2.       Grease. We aren’t talking John Travolta here, but we are talking his hair. Grease from meat fat, & cooked foods (even skin & hair products) can build up on the sides of your pipes just like they do on the arteries of your heart. Don’t think that trick of running hot water and turning on your disposal while you dump it down the sink drain helps either. It’s the plumbing equivalent of washing a hamburger down with a beer; it may clear your throat, but the damage comes later down the line.

3.       Hair. Ok, so my teenage daughters with their long, straight hair don’t care that their hair daily is being accumulated in and around the sink as they brush it, down the shower drain as they wash and color it. Check your stoppers frequently and clear them out before they form that clog that slips down the pipe and starts growing. I won’t leave out the extra hairy man either. You should do it too, sir.

4.       Tampons. Gross, I know, to talk about. Ladies, they say they are flushable, but not in your house! Please wrap all used feminine products in toilet paper and dispose of them in the trash.  Done. One of the biggest clog culprits!

5.       Chemical drain-cleaning products & bleach. I have pictures of my technicians with facial and arm burns from cleaning a line that a person tried to unclog with a toxic LIQUID sold at grocery & home stores. Would you use acid to dissolve food lodged in someone’s esophagus?! I hope not. Bleach kills critical bacteria that breakdowns your waste and both can cause line corrosion over time as well.

6.      “Flushable” Wipes. While hygiene wipes say they are flushable, we find them clogging sewer lines all the time. They don’t break down like toilet paper does. While they are ok for occasional use, they shouldn’t be used on a regular basis.

Drain cleaning, as we perform it, is a safe, natural solution for clearing unwanted matter out of your sewer system. If you ever have questions, please don’t hesitate to call.

Garvin’s Sewer Service, Denver (303) 571-5114

Happy New Years! Make a Resolution To Take Care of Your Plumbing

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On behalf of Garvin’s Sewer Service, we’d like to wish you a happy and healthy new year! 2017 will make the 77th year that Garvin’s has been serving the people of Denver and all along the Front Range. We started with rooter service back in the days of less-than-awesome public plumbing, continued with excellent drain cleaning, and then continued our growth with full plumbing services.

As we’ve done for the past seven decades, Garvin’s has resolved to take care of the people of the Front Range when it comes to their plumbing and sewer problems. But we’re also dedicated to helping our neighbors avoid problematic plumbing as much as possible. That’s where this blog comes in, helping you make the best decision when it comes to your freshwater and wastewater. Let’s take a look at some simple resolutions that can make your life easier in 2017.

Compost!

Strangely, composting is one of the most effective ways to take care of your drains and prevent the need for constant drain cleaning. The fact is, garbage disposals are best for incidental food particles that fall down the drain, but there are many food items that aren’t meant to be ground up. The most common offenders are potato peels, mango peels, and other fibrous materials that the disposal simply wasn’t designed to handle. (If you don’t believe us, read your manual. Most say that you shouldn’t try to grind these.)

What should you do with all of these peels? Compost them! Composting cuts down on what goes to the landfill, and it’s a great way to get nutrient-rich dirt for free. Trust us, it’s a great way to get rid of your peels, and if you have kids it makes a great learning experience.

side-thinsinkBe Aware of Warning Signs

If you’ve lived in your house for any length of time, you’ll probably notice when something starts to change. Years ago the water in the kitchen sink drained in a minutes, and now it takes three. Toilets never clogged before, but now you’re having to use the plunger three times a week. Cleaning hair from the first foot of the shower drain simply isn’t fixing the problem like it once did. When you notice that the efficiency of your fixtures is slowly going downhill, maybe it’s time to call a drain cleaning service and have them send everything on its way.

If you’ve just moved into a house, you might not be aware what to look for. After all, you might blame the clogged toilets on the toilet design; maybe you got one of those inefficient low-flow toilets from 1995. But if the house you just moved into is newer than that, it could be that the previous owners simply abused the drain systems more than they should have. And if your house is old and predates the use of PVC (before the 1960s) there’s a good chance that any house-wide problem mean that the iron pipes have given out. Give us a call and we can perform sewer cleaning as well as using a sewer camera to perform a sewer inspection.

Keep That Grease Out Of The Drains

Ah, c’mon, you knew this one was coming. We harp on it quite a bit, but that’s only because we want to deal with the sewer cleaning problems you can’t avoid. This is one you can deal with preventatively. Bacon grease is one of the most obvious offenders, and all you have to do is toss it into the trash instead. Oil is another, because, as slick as it is when it heads down the drain, it can solidify when it hits cold pipes. Do that enough times and you’ll need drain cleaning, or even more involved sewer cleaning. Most people swear they’ll change their habits in the future, but they fall away like so many New Year’s resolutions. Make this the year that you treat your drains better!

Give us a call when you’re having trouble with your sewer system, but we also want to help you prevent some problems that are easy to avoid. Make a New Year’s resolution to take better care of your plumbing, and at the same time you’re taking better care of your home as a whole.

 

 

 

Some Common Questions We Get When Performing Drain Cleaning Services

fb-drainWhile we work with our hands all days long, we also work with people. That’s why we spend so much time hiring the right plumbers and training them on how to best enter a person’s home and interact with our wonderful customers.

One aspect of dealing with customers is answering their questions. While some people will often show us the sink that’s having problems and walk away, other will be asking questions all the time. While we do have to concentrate on the job at hand, we certainly don’t mind the occasional question. After all, it’s your home and your pipes; you have a right to know what’s wrong with them! Here are some common questions we get from customers.

Customer: “Could you wear booties?”

We understand that your home is important to you, and just because you’re having plumbing problems doesn’t mean that you’ve stopped caring about your carpet. Garvin’s trucks have a supply of slip-over covers that go over our boots, which are especially handy during the wet seasons like winter and spring.

Customer: “What do you need to know?”

Some customers won’t even wait for us to ask about the problem. They’ll get things started off with a question of their own, asking us if there’s anything that we should know. How do we answer them? With questions of our own.

  • When did the problem start?
  • Did anything cause the problem to start? For example, did something go down the drain that you weren’t expecting?
  • Did you already try to fix it yourself in any way?
  • Are there any drain cleaners that could still be lurking in the clogged drain?
  • Are all of these outlets working? (We may have to plug in the drain snake.)
  • When was the last time you had any plumbing services performed?

side-thindrainCustomer: “Are you licensed? Insured? Bonded?”

All of these are very good questions to ask plumbers. We’re happy to say that every plumber that Garvin’s employs is licensed, and each is insured and bonded through Garvin’s.

Customer: “How much is this going to cost me?”

Honesty, we don’t know yet. It might simply be the cost of a service call. It could be more if we have to perform drain cleaning. If the problem isn’t just a single drain running slow, it could be that your main sewer pipe is blocked. If it is, the cost is obviously going to cost more than if we are simply clearing out one stopped drain.

Customer: “How long do you think this will take?”

Once again, we’re not sure until we take a look at the problem. A simple drain cleaning for one fixture could take as little as 30 minutes, but that will increase if the problem is worse. During emergency plumbing services, such as a backed up sewer or burst pipe, it could take many hours. We certainly don’t want to rush things and miss a problem that we could take care of now. After all, paying for one service call is always better than paying for two!

Customer: “Can You Tell When It Punches Through?”

Many customers have already tried to fix the problem themselves and are unable to do so. Maybe they had a 20-foot manual sewer snake and weren’t able to dislodge the problem in their kitchen sink. So if they’ve already fought that drain dragon, they might imagine something as hard as stone blocking the passage of their water.

To tell the truth, the answer most often is “no, we can’t tell when the drain snake punches through.” For indoor drain cleaning, we’re most often using an electric power drain snake that is incredibly powerful. It’s so powerful, in fact, that it punches through the drain clog and keeps on going. While we might be able to feel the twists and turns in the pipes, it’s unlikely we can feel the break in the clog. After we send the snake down the proper distance, we’ll pull it back, hook everything back up, and send down a sinkful of water. Clog gone, problem solved! (Performing rooter service on the main sewer line can be a different story. As powerful as our electric snakes are, roots can be very tightly packed, and clogs filled with the weird stuff people flush can be very tough. Sometimes we can really feel the sewer snake working on those!)

Customer: “Can I help?”

Once you engage our help, your problem is now our problem. While we might have some questions for you, it’s best if you simply let us do our jobs. For insurance reasons, we’ll take it from here!

If we’re performing drain cleaning for you, we have no problem with you asking us what’s going on. We have no problems talking about our jobs. Do you have any questions about these questions? Contact Garvin’s right here!

 

 

 

How To Prevent Drain Cleaning On Thanksgiving

thanksgivingThanksgiving is here once again, and that means food, family, and friends. If you’re hosting, it also means a large number of people in your home that might not know the rules about how to treat your plumbing. That means there might be trouble in your future, and while we’re here to help if something goes wrong, we’d rather give you some advice so that the relaxing holiday isn’t ruined. Here are some of the biggest mistakes people make during Thanksgiving.

Pouring Oil Down the Drain

In the last five years deep frying a turkey has really taken off. We have to admit that it tastes great when done right, but it’s dangerous and it leaves a huge amount of oil that you need to discard. What do you do with that oil?

Some people pour it down the sink or toilet. Don’t be those people. The oil will cool in your drain (it is November, after all) and harden, causing problems that could show up immediately. This single act could cause you to need emergency drain cleaning. It’s also a huge problem for the public sewer system and the water treatment plant.

What should you do with it? A quick Google search reveals free drop off locations for the oil so that it can turned into biofuel. Easy as pie. Mmmm, pie.

Starchy and Fibrous Foods

Garbage disposals are something of a misnomer. While “garbage” might be in their name, you’re certainly not putting tissues, used markers, and Snickers wrappers into them, are you? But garbage disposals aren’t even meant for all foods. Truth be told, they should be called “Occasional Soft Food Scraps Disposals.”

Some of the biggest threats to garbage disposal are foods that are either fibrous, starchy, or both. These include celery, asparagus, and all forms of potato peels. At that point you garbage disposal might be broken, and your drain could be clogged. Time to call a plumber for professional drain cleaning.

Oh, and avoid putting anything from a pumpkin (that one you used to make pie. Mmmmm, pie.) down the drain or garbage disposal at all costs. Here’s an entire blog on why pumpkins are so bad on your plumbing.

Absorbent Foods

While you’re probably not making a whole lot of rice and pasta for Thanksgiving, there are still absorbent materials that you might want to avoid putting down the drain or disposal. Chances are you’re having stuffing, which can expand to twice its size when put down the drain. We’d suggest running the garbage disposal immediately after putting any bread product into it.

Bones

Bones are one of those iffy parts of owning a garbage disposal. Some disposals say they handle chicken bones, but is it really necessary? What are the largest of the turkey bones that it can handle this Thanksgiving? You kind of have to ask yourself if it’s worth the chance of breaking your garbage disposal and getting those hard bits stuck in your drain. Using the trash can makes the most sense.

We hope you have a great Thanksgiving and hope you have no need of an emergency plumber! But if something goes wrong, please give us a call. We’re there for you every day of the year.

 

4 Most Common Reasons the Front Range is Calling Their Local Plumber

dreamstime_xxl_28259605When you think of drain cleaning and plumbing services, you probably associate sewer cleaners and plumbers with the last task that they performed for you. Did they replace a toilet for you? Were they plumbing contractors who installed all the pipes in your new home? Or was it 3:00 am and you needed an emergency plumber?

The fact is, as plumbers and sewer cleaning experts, the technicians at Garvin’s Sewer Service handles all of the above and more. Here are the most common reasons that we are called to homes and businesses all across the Front Range.

Plumbing

Drain Cleaning: Drain cleaning might be the most common reason that people in Northern Colorado contact Garvin’s. After all, everyone suffers from a clogged drain at some time or another, and when the “sinks only” plunger doesn’t work and the chemical drain cleaner fails (as they almost always do), people pick up the phone and call 303-571-5114.

The necessity for drain cleaning has many causes, depending on the fixture at hand. Kitchen sinks are the main culprit, as people try to wash down grease, and that starts to accumulate mere feet below the sink. Showers clog because of the all the hair that goes down the drain, as well as soaps and shampoos that don’t disintegrate as thoroughly as you might expect. Toilets are far too often thought of as an “immediate trashcan,” in that people want what’s in them out of their lives immediately. Unfortunately, sometimes those things come back! That’s when they call Garvin’s Sewer Service.garvins 1

Pipe Repair: Something is always going wrong with pipes. They might have been installed improperly, or unforeseen damage can cause them to break, sag, or come apart at the seams. When this happens, leaks can occur that can allow freshwater to ruin your flooring or sewer water to leak into your walls, neither of which is particularly appealing. At the first sign of trouble — yellow spots on the ceiling or walls, bad smells under the sink, or visual drips — contact Garvin’s and we’ll be there to get your pipes back in order.

Sewer Service

Sewer Cleaning: If it doesn’t have to do with freshwater pipes and plumbing problems, were usually involved in the cleaning of wastewater pipes. If drain cleaning doesn’t clear everything out, the problem might be in the house lateral line, where all of your wastewater heads after it leaves the sinks, showers, and toilets. That’s when it’s time to send down the sewer snake, which is also known as  rooter service.

Depending on the situation, sometimes we send down whirling blades that dig into clogs. Other times we might use a sewer jet, which sprays high-pressure water all along the pipe. Most often we’re fighting roots that have gotten into the sewer line looking for water, and other times it’s a grease clog that has grabbed “stuff” that people have flushed down the toilet. Either way, the clog is gone when we’re done, flushed away in the city sewer system.

Sewer Scope: Sometimes sending down the sewer scope, also called the sewer camera, is the best thing to do. This often occurs when rooter service has failed and a broken sewer pipe is suspected. Garvin’s performs this add-on service at the request of homeowners buying a pre-existing home or to offer a second opinion as to the state of the sewer line.

Whenever you’re looking for the best in plumbing services and sewer cleaning, contact your local plumber. Garvin’s will take care of your problems!

Make Use of Grease and Cooking Oil and You Won’t Need Sewer Drain Cleaning Quite So Soon

dreamstime_xxl_15189984If you’ve been reading the Garvin’s Sewer Service Clog Blog for any amount of time, you know our disgust for grease. After all, grease that heads down the kitchen sink is one of the main reasons that people need sewer drain cleaning sooner than they normally would. (The oil that some people pour down their toilets during turkey fryer season doesn’t help things, either.)

While grease is obviously a pain for homeowners, you might think that we love grease. After all, grease gets us into people’s home for drain cleaning, and that makes us more money. But we’re not that kind of sewer service. While we’ll be your emergency plumber, we’re also your neighbors and have been for more than 75 years; we’re much more interested in helping you prevent those problems that we can and being there for you in your time of need for unpreventable problems.

But let’s get back to grease. If you’re not sending grease and oil down your drain, what are you doing with it? We’ve given some ideas before, such as waiting for it to cool in the pan and then wiping it off with a paper towel and into the trash. But there are so many uses for grease and oil — some you can do in the home, some industrial — that you might want to reconsider before throwing it away.

Cook With It

The simplest and most common use for kitchen grease is to cook with it. People have been cooking with grease for thousands of years, making foods tastier and finding a use for something that otherwise would have been thrown out.

The downside to cooking with grease is pretty obvious, though…health issues. There are good oils and there are bad oils, and grease is one of those bad oils that will clog up your arteries (and no, your local plumber can’t clean out your arteries with a sewer jetter like we can with your drain pipes). So while lard might liven up those deep-fried french fries every so often, it’s best to not cook with it much.

Recycle It

garvins 2One good thing to do with grease is to recycle it. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy a pouring it into your recycling bin (we repeat: do not do this!). In Boulder county you can drop off grease and cooking oil at the Eco-Cycle Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials at 6400 Arapahoe Rd. (303-444-6634). After Thanksgiving there are often cooking oil drop off locations around Denver.

What About Restaurants?

Restaurants use a lot of cooking oil, and it usually ends up in one of two places. The yellow grease is mostly oil and is captured before it heads down the drains. Grease and oil that does make it into the drain pipes is captured by grease traps, rots, and becomes brown grease. Brown grease is almost always headed directly to the landfill. Yellow grease, on the other hand…

What’s It Made Into?

Depending on the demand, restaurants can pay to have yellow grease taken away or have a company pay them for it. Back when diesel fuel prices were getting to be around $4.00 a gallon, the yellow grease was very valuable because of people making it into biodiesel and driving their cars on it. While that demand has leveled off somewhat, yellow grease is still commonly used in the production of rubber, detergents. soap, and makeup. It is also used to feed livestock.

Grease has many uses, and the last thing you want is to have it clogging up your pipes and causing a demand for premature drain cleaning. Still, no matter how vigilant you are with preventing oils and grease from going down the drain, there will always be a buildup over the years that causes you to call your local plumber. When that time comes, Garvin’s will be there!

April 25th: National Plumber’s Day!

 

dreamstime_7666152Here’s a fun website for you: It’s checkiday.com, and it catalogues all of the weird “National Whatever Days” you might have heard about. Did you know that June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day? Or that September 21st is National Pecan Cookie Day?

Well, we’d like to welcome you to April 25th, National Plumber’s Day! It’s a day to say thank you to any plumber you meet, or to send flowers to your local water service expert.

Is having plumbers around really that important? Oh yes!

We’re There When You Need Us

Many plumbing calls we get are emergency situations. Now that doesn’t always mean that people are up to their knees in sewage, but when your toilet won’t flush…well, what would you call it other than an emergency? Plumbers are quick to help whether you’ve lost access to water coming in or when the water won’t leave your house (even when you nicely ask it to leave).

We Keep People Healthy

Did you know that thousands of people across the world die every day because they don’t have access to clean, safe water? And do you know why so much of that water is polluted? With ⅓ of the planet’s populations not having access to a toilet, much of the sickness is coming from tainted water supplies. It’s something that most people don’t think about in the United States, and you’ve got a plumber to thank (on April 25th and beyond) for helping to keep you and your family healthy.

Never take a plumber for granted! Here at Garvin’s Sewer Service we’ll take care of you when you need drain cleaning and sewer cleaning. Happy National Plumber’s Day, everyone!