Before you decide to fix your clogged dishwasher by yourself, it’s important to understand why it’s clogged. You may need more experienced help from a sewer and drain cleaning company in Colorado Springs.

Here are the top 4 reasons for a clog in your dishwasher:

1. Garbage Disposal

Did you know if you’re using your garbage disposal incorrectly you can actually cause your dishwasher to clog? Many do not know that garbage disposals are not intended to dispose of every piece of garbage on your plate. In fact, there’s only a couple of things that can go down your garbage disposal without damaging your pipes and hoses.. 

The garbage disposal and dishwasher share a hose that allows water to move out of the dishwasher. If this hose is clogged by some food or grease it can cause the water to stay in your dishwasher and eventually overflow.

Try running your garbage disposal and water to see if you can remove any food that may be stuck. If this doesn’t work, you should call a sewer and drain company right away.

2. Drain Filter

Are you seeing food residue on your dishes after the dishwasher is done? Then you may want to consider checking your drain filter.

Your drain filter can easily get clogged with bits of food that will not only cause residue on your dishes but can also cause the dishwasher to not drain completely. 

Check your drain filter and give it a good clean out before putting it back in its place. If your still noticing that your dishwasher is not draining properly, give us a call and our professional sewer & drain cleaners will come take care of it.

3. Clogged Drains

Occasionally when your dishwasher stops working, there’s nothing wrong with it; sometimes the problem is far bigger.

If your dishwasher isn’t draining properly, your kitchen sink is clogging up or water is gurgling back into your kitchen sink after a cycle, you may have drain problems that are more significant than your dishwasher. 

Be sure to call a professional sewer and drain cleaning company in Colorado Springs before your problem goes from bad to worse.

4. Sewer Line

Unfortunately, just like drains, a sewer line damage is much larger than a simple clogged dishwasher and a sewer line repair will be more extensive. 

Broken sewer lines can prevent all of your Colorado Springs homes pipes from draining properly, thereby creating a sewage backup that will lead into your home. 

Damaged sewer lines are very common in older homes, but can also be seen in newer sewer lines, with tree root infiltration or a drain clog that was never fixed. 

Contact a sewer line repair company immediately to prevent further damage.

Sewer and Drain Cleaning Company in Colorado Springs

While there are many small things that can cause a dishwasher to clog, it’s always best to call in a professional for help.

No matter what is clogging up your dishwasher, the experts at Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning are here to help. With over 18 years of experience, you know you’re in good hands. Contact us today for your free quote!

The post Top 4 Reasons For a Clog in Your Dishwasher appeared first on Whitney Sewer.

A home inspection allows you to negotiate with the seller about the serious issues you may find or allows you to escape your contract all together if there are too many serious structural problems, safety issues, etc.

Although you, as the buyer, will be paying out of pocket for the inspections, getting inspections is crucial in the buying process so you know if you will have serious issues to deal with after you purchase the property. Since you are the one paying for the inspection, there are a few inspection options you can choose. 

Here is a list of 5 of the most important inspections to do before you buy your new home in Colorado Springs.

General Inspections

General home inspections are the most common home inspection done. 

A general home inspection will cover features of your Colorado Springs home that are visible to the eye. This ranges from roofing, driveway erosion, safety concerns such as fire and carbon monoxide alarms and various other things. 

Your inspector will then write a report detailing his/her findings and recommendations of how to proceed to bring the home up to standard.

A standard home inspection will cost around $500 – $700.

Before choosing your inspector, be sure to look over their reviews and credentials.

Sewer Scope Inspection

Unlike a regular home inspection, sewer inspections deal with problems not visible to the eye that may be underneath the house.

Oftentimes, sewers don’t show signs of any problems until it’s too late. Usually sewer companies, such as our team at Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning, aren’t called in until drains are backing up or even worse flooding your home with sewer water.

Our team at Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning in Colorado Springs performs sewer drain line video inspections by using high tech cameras to go beneath the surface of your property. This allows us to see if the water and waste are flowing in the right direction, if maintenance needs to be performed or if there are any disruption such as tree roots that need to be cleaned out and repaired.

Sewer repairs can be in the thousands of dollars depending on the damage done, while an inspection can range from $100-$250. It may seem unnecessary, but you’ll be thankful you spent the money if you buy a home with major damage.

Radon Testing

A naturally occurring radioactive gas, radon can increase the risk of lung cancer. 

According to the EPA nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. has elevated radon levels and scientists estimate that 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide each year are related to radon.

Radon gas can build up in enclosed spaces, such as basements, and with so many basements in Colorado Springs homes, performing radon testing as part of your home inspection is wise.

Radon tests take 48 hours to show results and can be anywhere from $100-$200.

Lead-Based Painting

In 1978, the federal government banned the use of lead-based painting. However, many homes in Colorado Springs built before 1978, and even some after, still have lead-based paints in them. 

Lead-based paint can cause serious health conditions, even death. Replacing lead-based paint jobs is not cheap, so if you’re looking at an older home in Colorado Springs you should consider getting a lead-based paint inspection.

Chimney Inspections

Many homeowners want a wood-burning fireplace and their home, just don’t forget about getting a chimney inspection before closing.

Some older chimneys don’t have the proper liners or the structure could be falling apart. Both of these problems could cause serious damage and health issues. 

A chimney inspection will be able to see these problems and can make sure that your chimney is running smoothly.

Sewer Home Inspections in Colorado Springs

If you’re purchasing a new construction or a resale home in Colorado Springs, it’s important to remember that while the home itself may not have any issues by just looking at it, you never know what’s lying underneath.

As we mentioned, sewer problems can cost thousands of dollars to repair and often go unnoticed especially if you purchase a home with only 1 or 2 residents and you move in a family of 5. 

Before you purchase your Colorado Springs home, make sure to get a sewer drain line video inspection done. 

Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning has served the Colorado Springs area since 1972. Our focus is to provide our customers with excellent levels of service from your first call to the end of your inspection. To schedule your sewer inspection, contact us today.

The post What Home Inspections To Do Before You Buy appeared first on Whitney Sewer.

Let’s be honest, pipe problems are not fun — or pretty for that matter.

We’ve all probably dealt with the unpleasantness of a backed-up sink, clogged toilet, slow drainage, overflows, and usually people’s first instinct is to reach for Drano because we all love a quick fix.

However, you should think twice before you make that decision. Although Drano may cause temporary relief, it can cause further damage over time.

4 Reasons Why You Should Not Use Drano

Drano Damages Plumbing Systems 

The chemicals in Drano continually produce heat until the clog is fully dissolved. This can cause your pipes to soften, as the Drano eats away at the glue holding the pipes together and eventually leads them to break.

When this happens, you will be left with a hefty cost for replacement repairs rather than a clogged drain.

Drano Can Burn Skin, Irritate Eyes, and Hurt Your Lungs 

Drano works by combining chemicals and burning/corroding any organic tissue.  If you use a plumbing tool such as a plunger, after using Drano, it can splash up and burn your skin, or worse get into your eyes.

The chemicals produced by Drano can also produce fumes that users breathe in and can infect your lungs. This makes conditions not only difficult for you but others as well.

Drano Is Not As Quick of a Fix As You Think 

While your problem may subside after pouring Drano, this is usually a temporary relief as the issue is likely to come back.

If you decide to use Drano as a quick fix but notice continuous clogging, it’s definitely time to call the experts.

For example, a fairly common problem are tree roots growing into pipes. This not only damages your pipes but wreaks havoc on your home. Drano certainly can’t shred and flush tree roots or replace damaged pipes. If your Drano solution isn’t doing the trick, chances are there’s a much bigger problem underneath.

Drano is Bad for the Environment 

Not only does Drano present potential bodily harm, but it’s also bad for the environment.

Drano contains lye and other extremely toxic materials that can make their way out of your sewage system and into rivers, streams, and oceans.

If you notice clogs and plumbing issues think twice about resorting to Drano. The experts at Whitney Sewer can identify and repair your drain and/or sewage problem plus we offer free quotes. Major clogs like hair, paper, wipes, and food need more than a liquid agent to get them flowing again, which is why you need a full-service solution.

There are a few telltale signs as to when you need to call a drain/sewage service.  These include frequent blockages, gurgling in the drains, a persistent odor, damp or muddy patches, and the dreaded flooding or “back up”. If any of these things are happening to you, store-bought products are not likely to fix the problem.

If you are experiencing any of these problems, contact Whitney Sewer and Drain before things go from bad to worse.  No matter how severe the issue is Whitney can solve it from start to finish, meaning you will work with one company for the duration of the project. If you do use Drano before reaching out, please let us know so that we can take extra precautions to not get it on skin or in eyes.

As soon as you hear that distinctive, dreaded gurgle, call up the pros rather than reach for the Drano. Your home will thank you for it.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Use Drano appeared first on Whitney Sewer.

Sewer & Drain Preventative Maintenance

Single family homes do have more control over preventative maintenance of drain and sewer systems.  After all, you probably don’t have to worry about a very large number of people putting who knows what down the drain.  Yet as the adage goes, prevention is the best cure, and preventing a backup with proper maintenance is as important as other maintenance issues in your home.

Drain vs. Sewer Cleaning

There is a difference between drain and sewer cleaning.  Drains are mainly in a home and are part of the system that carries wastewater to a sewer.  Drains are not susceptible to obstructions like roots but are usually clogged by what goes down sinks, toilets, and bathtubs.  These items can be fairly normal and still cause clogs and abnormal items are almost guaranteed to cause a problem.  Simple rule:  don’t flush something that isn’t designed to go down a toilet.  Even a few strands of hair in the sink can cause clogs, something people can easily overlook.  Keep drains clean by using a back-up remover once a month and for commercial buildings, have all drains professionally cleaned once a year.

Drain cleaning is a simple task compared to sewer cleaning, especially when it comes to commercial buildings.  Sewer lines take wastewater from drains and sends it into the city sewer lines.  These lines can be clogged from oil/grease, physical objects such as wipes, or tree roots looking for water and nutrients.  While an obvious solution is to never plant trees near sewer lines, this isn’t always an option.  Case in point, a townhome community surrounded by trees but the entire main line behind a building has to be replaced because roots have completely blocked the line and is causing backups in multiple units.  Or a busy commercial building has a lot of people flushing a lot of items down the toilets causing a massive clog.

So, how often should your sewers be cleaned? To avoid a costly major repair, sewer lines should be preventatively cleaned every 18-22 months.  If you are experiencing frequent plumbing issues, you might want to have the work performed more frequently.  If you see sewage backups, smell odors, hear gurgling pipes, or water is backing up it is time to call a professional immediately.  While these problems can arise very quickly, then generally occur gradually.  By keeping sewer lines cleaned out, you can keep these problems from happening in the first place.  Even if an issue seems minor, remember that it can turn into a major problem.

The post How Often and Why to Do Sewer Maintenance for Both Residential and Commercial Buildings appeared first on Whitney Sewer.