The Different Ways to Fix a Broken Sewer Line

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Your local plumber offers more than rooter service. If you have a larger problem than a single instance of a clogged toilet, your plumber can take a look at your entire plumbing system, including your sewer line. Your plumber can insert a video camera down your pipes to find issues, such as sagging pipes or a broken sewer line. When your sewer line is broken, your plumber can repair it in the traditional way or use a trenchless method.

Traditional Sewer Replacement with Excavation

In the past, the only way to repair a broken sewer line was by excavating the entire damaged section. The damaged piping was removed then replaced with a new section of pipe. Traditional replacement is still used, but since the acceptance of trenchless sewer replacement in the plumbing industry, it’s been used less frequently. Traditional replacement can be expensive and uproot landscapes, gardens, and buildings, so plumbers try to avoid it.

Trenchless Sewer Replacement

The least invasive repair option is trenchless sewer repair & replacement. The first trenchless technology was created in the 1970s, when British agricultural engineer Eric Woods developed the pipe replacement technique cured-in-place piping (CIPP). He developed this method when he needed to repair a damaged air duct above his mushroom bed, as he couldn’t remove the pipe. Instead, he pulled a plastic-wrapped felt tube containing resin through the damaged pipe, then inflated it to fill the pipe. This hardened into a new layer, fixing the pipe without major construction.

In addition to CIPP, your sewer line replacement contractor will consider two other methods. Here’s what you need to know about those trenchless sewer replacement methods:

Sliplining

Sliplining uses the broken pipe as a pathway for the new pipe. The new pipe must be narrower than the broken pipe, so it can fit inside and be grouted into place. This turns the old pipe into an outer shell that is slightly larger than the new pipe, so if you want to upsize your new pipe, you’ll want the next method: pipe bursting.

Pipe bursting

Pipe bursting uses a bursting tool that pulls a new pipe along the broken pipe, dismantling the broken pipe open as the new pipe replaces it. The new pipe can be of any size, so this is the best trenchless option if you want a new pipe of a similar or larger diameter.

When you’ll need traditional sewer replacement

Trenchless sewer replacement requires an intact old pipe to work. If the old pipe is too damaged, misshapen with a pipe belly, or sags, you’ll need traditional replacement. Additionally, if your old pipe is close to the surface and not underneath gardens or buildings, it could be cost effective to use traditional replacement because it’s easy to dig a narrow trench.

When you can use trenchless sewer replacement

The fundamental prerequisite for trenchless sewer replacement is the old pipe being intact enough to act as a feeder tube. In most cases, if the old pipe can be a feeder tube, you can use trenchless repair.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating — Family-owned rooter service

To determine the best way to fix your broken sewer line, contact Ehret. Co Plumbing & Heating through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292. We’ll inspect your sewer line and talk you through the different repair options available.

Bad Habits that Damage Your Sink, Shower, and Toilet Pipes

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Everybody has bad habits. They’re hard to get out of because they’re often the easy way out of a situation. You might have a few bad habits when it comes to maintaining your plumbing and keeping your pipes in shape. Maybe you’re already aware of them, but you haven’t tried changing them. If your habits are causing increased need for residential plumbing services, you could save time and money by making a change.

Here are common bad habits that cause many of the problems residential plumbers see:

Overusing chemical drain cleaners

Your go-to tool for a clogged drain should be a sink or shower plunger. If those don’t work, you should try a drain auger. Only if those methods fail should you consider a chemical drain cleaner, because overusing chemical cleaners can eat away at your pipes. While the labeling on chemical cleaners might state that they’re safe for piping, they’re still formulated with powerful chemicals. They’re safe if used once in a while, but for more frequent cleaning, use non-toxic drain cleaners like DIY mixtures or enzymatic cleaners.

Rooter service providers typically use chemical cleaners as a last resort before recommending more intensive services (e.g. hydro jetting). However, most clogs can be taken care of with manual methods or an enzymatic cleaner that breaks down organic proteins. Enzymatic cleaners are especially effective for clearing hair out of your shower drain.

Flushing foreign objects down the toilet

This might seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how often residential plumbing services are called in to deal with clogs caused by foriegn objects. Some items might seem like they can flush, such as paper towels and antibacterial wipes, but your plumbing is made for specific purposes. The only things that should be flushed are toilet paper and human waste. Anything else can cause buildup and then obstruction.

Abusing your food disposal

It’s tempting to put all your food waste down the food disposal, but it’s not impervious to damage. First, you should always follow the proper steps: run water, turn on the disposal, put food down the disposal, then turn off the disposal and water. Second, you should keep in the back of your mind a list of what not to put down the sink. You obviously don’t want to put non-food down the disposal, but there’s also food stuff you don’t want to wash down.

Don’t put the following food stuff through your disposal:

  • Pasta, rice, and other food that swells with water
  • Grease, oil, and fat
  • Bones 
  • Potato peels
  • Chicken skin
  • Fruit pits

Putting the above through your disposal could cause pipe buildup, damage your disposal blades, and cause general havok in your plumbing system.

Residential Plumbing Services with Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides quick and professional residential plumbing services. We’ll fix your damaged sink and shower pipes, and can advise you on the best pipe care. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for 24/7 residential plumbing services.

Major Reasons You’re Running out of Hot Water

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You know something’s wrong with your water heater when your daily routine hits a major disruption: no more hot water. Maybe it takes longer for your water to heat, or it only hits a lukewarm temperature. Worse, you might not get any hot water. If your hot water supply is dwindling, contact a water heater repair & replacement expert to investigate.

Your dip tube could be broken

As you use hot water, the dip tube pushes new water to the bottom of your tank so it can be heated. This ensures that your cold water is heated before it mixes with the rest of the tank. If the dip tube breaks, cold water escapes before it’s heated. It immediately mixes with the hot water and lowers the overall temperature, resulting in lukewarm water.

Broken dip tubes are typically caused by old age or faulty dip tubes. If this is the came, you might find broken pieces of your dip tube in your showerhead, drain cover, or hair strainer. Regardless, if your hot water has run out and is only lukewarm, you should reach out to residential plumbing services for water heater repair.

You might need pipe insulation

If you live in an area with a cooler climate, the pipes leading from your water heater might need to be insulated. Foam insulation sleeves reduce the heat escaping your pipes by the time they reach your shower or sink. If your pipes aren’t insulated, you could be losing up to 4 degrees of heat. This means your water heater needs more time and uses more energy to bring your water to an acceptable temperature.

Insulating your pipes won’t take long (about three hours for a small house), and in addition to increasing your water temperature, will increase your energy savings. You can always have a residential plumber assist if you’re not sure about what insulation material to use or how to cut and secure it.

Your water heater could be too small or too old

If you’ve moved to a new home and never had an adequate supply of hot water, it’s likely your water heater is too small. If you had enough hot water in the past but suddenly it’s running out, your household likely increased its use. There’s also the chance that your heating element is broken or the water heater itself is too old. A water heater repair & replacement expert can do an inspection to determine the cause.

If the water heater is too small and you can’t change your household needs, you should consider a new water heater. For a household of 2-3 people, your water heater should be at least 40 gallons large. For 3-4 people, increase to 50 gallons. For 5 or more people, 60 to 80 gallons is ideal. Larger households might use multiple water heaters simultaneously, such as two 40 gallon tanks or one 40 gallon tank and one 50 gallon tank.

Ask your local water heater expert for help estimating the proper size. When in doubt, go a little larger than your estimations. It’s better to have more hot water than you need than to run out.

Water Heater Repair & Replacement — Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

For professional help with your water heater, reach out to Ehret. Co Plumbing & Heating through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292. We offer quality water heater services, and are experienced with both storage and tankless heaters.

Common Reasons Your Restrooms Smell Bad

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Public and commercial restrooms have a reputation for smelling bad. To keep customers from viewing your restrooms the same, you might follow a thorough cleaning routine. However, smelly restrooms can sneak up on you in areas you haven’t thought of cleaning. Or, if you regularly clean those hidden areas, bad smells might sneak up with damaged plumbing equipment that needs commercial plumbing services.


Here are a few common reasons why your restroom might smell bad:

The floor-waste drain is dry

If your restroom has a floor drain, typically a round or rectangular grate flush against the tiles, it could be dry. These drains are designed with a wet seal to trap the smell of sewage from wafting into the restroom. If you shine a flashlight into the grate, you should see the reflection of water. This is the wet seal. If the restroom is used consistently, the wet seal should remain.

If there is no water and your restroom hasn’t been used in a while, run the sink and flush the toilet. See if that refreshes the water seal. If that doesn’t work, you might contact a commercial plumbing services provider to check it out with rooter service. And if your restroom is used frequently but the water seal doesn’t appear, call a plumber. You could have a problem with your p-trap, which is responsible for holding the water seal.

Damaged caulking or toilet collar

Your toilet has a caulk seal between its base and the floor to prevent waste from seeping out. If the seal is damaged, you’ll smell the bacteria that escapes. You also might notice waste leaking outward. If your toilet is new or recently repaired, the seal could have been installed improperly. Apply a new layer of caulk around the toilet base to seal it off, or contact a commercial plumber for help. They also might remove your toilet to check for other underlying problems.

Another toilet area that could be damaged is the toilet collar, the rubber seal connecting the toilet bowl to the waste pipe. Over time, the seal wears out from constant use. In commercial bathrooms, the seal might undergo more pressure than those in residential houses due to high traffic. A professional plumber can reseal the collar and confirm if the damage is to be expected from constant use, or if there’s another issue.

Sink overflow has buildup

Nasty restroom smells are often associated with toilets and waste systems, but your sink could be the real culprit. If the smell seems to be emanating from your sink, it’s likely coming from your overflow hole. Every sink has a small hole that prevents water from overflowing. Even if it isn’t likely that a customer or visitor filled the sink past the overflow hole, water can splash inside. Over time, water waste can build up to create a stench.

A simple fix for smelly overflow holes is to pour one cup baking soda, then one cup white vinegar into the hole via a funnel. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then very carefully flush the hole with boiling water. Progress slowly to avoid burning yourself with the water or steam. If this doesn’t work, commercial plumbing services can identify the problem.

Commercial Plumbing Services — Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating can investigate your smelly restroom and provide quick service. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for 24/7 commercial plumbing services.

How to Clear Hair out of Your Shower Drain

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If you have long hair, you might have experienced a handful of clogged shower drains. Long hair has a tendency to cluster in shower pipes, creating a clog that grows with each shower. You can contact your local plumber for rooter service when this happens, or you can save the effort by doing it yourself.

Use a drain snake

If your shower drain is uncovered, hair could be roped around the spokes of your drain. Overtime, this could form a chain of hair and shower products. Insert a drain snake down the pipe and twist to catch hair around the snake’s ridges. Carefully withdraw the snake, especially if it’s made of tough resin and curls when it’s resting. It could flick upwards and splash you.

Make a couple passes through the drain if you suspect there’s more hair. You might have to partially reach into the drain to pull out hair clumps loosened by the snake but not caught. For this you should wear gloves.

Pour an overnight drain cleaner

When hair clogs are deep, residential plumbers recommend the powerful at-home treatment of overnight liquid cleaner. Clogs caused by organic material, such as hair and mold, can be broken down by enzyme-based cleaners instead of chemical cleaners. Enzymes are the safer option for pipes as well, because they don’t contain chemicals. Rather, enzymes feed on organic material, chewing through to make a path for water.

Enzyme-based cleaners also have the benefit of working past their use. The overnight result is a cleared drain with increased water flow. The long-term result is a shower pipe that continues to clean itself with the lingering enzymes. This makes enzyme cleaners great for monthly maintenance. Simply pour it down your drain once every four weeks.

For prevention, use a hair catcher

After your shower drain is clean and allows water to move freely, put a hair catcher in the drain. When hair flushes into your drain, it will spiral around the hair catcher. Once a week, take the catcher out and wipe off the captured hair. You might have to clean the catcher every few days if you use hair products that clog the catcher’s waterflow holes. Also, if your household has people with long hair, you’ll have to clean the catcher more frequently.

Family-Owned Rooter Service with Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

For professional help with your clogged drains, reach out to Ehret. Co Plumbing & Heating through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292. We offer quality rooter services, including water heater repair & replacement and trenchless sewer replacement.