When is it Required and Determining the Cause
Main line sewer cleaning is only required when the sewer gets clogged which can happen for a number of reasons. However, it is important to understand the symptoms that point towards a clogging sewer. For starters, a clogged sewer will lead to slow running drains, despite the number of times that you try cleaning them. Apart from this, any gurgling sounds produced by waste pipes every time you flush your toilet point towards the need for main line sewer cleaning.
This will only be determined, however, after you have eliminated all other possibilities of sluggish drains, which includes blocked vents. After this, you can ask to have a visual inspection done of the main line sewers. This is usually done with the help of a mini sized camera. These inspections prove to be very useful in determining the cause of a clogged sewer line.
Mechanical Cleaning Methods
The professional help which you might seek out may employ a variety of tools, which they have at their disposal to perform a main line sewer cleaning task. One tool which is specifically useful in performing this task is an auger. It is similar to a toilet or sink auger with the only exception of being longer and of using power to operate. This tool is mounted onto trucks and is inserted in sewers in different sections. Another tool which proves to be useful in main line sewer cleaning is a high pressure water jet. This tool is capable of forming a pressure of 4,000 PSI which means that it is quite capable of being able to blow out any obstruction, including tree roots.
Chemical Cleaning Methods
Small drain lines are much easier to clear, where you can use simple household chemicals which are caustic in nature. Furthermore, the quantity of caustic chemicals that will be required to perform main line sewer cleaning will be too great to perform it safely. There are many plumbing solutions which recommend the use of Copper Sulphate. This helps in killing tree roots which are the main reason for using chemical cleaning methods. But the problem with this trick is that it flushed away very quickly which is why it needs to be poured in frequently. Also, a lot of municipalities do not approve of this method. Alternately you can make use of killing foam to get rid of tree roots.
