Vlog

• Tree roots can cause all sorts of havoc with blocked drains and drain repairs
• Simply jetting away and clearing the tree roots is not always the best solution. In some circumstances it may provide a temporary fix but may end up costing more in the long run with the same recurring problem. 
• At Plumbdog we look for long term solutions which ultimately saves our customers time and money
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

The Job: Blocked Toilet

In today’s video, our Plumbdog Richard is on a property in Huntingdale, Western Australia. Today’s job is to fix a clogged toilet, which perpetually keeps blocking up. The toilet installed in the bathroom seems to be pretty old, typical for these older toilets, the waste goes from the bathroom in an old earthenware pipe.

The toilet clogs are that the tree roots have penetrated underneath the pipe, where it forms a connection to the ceramic toilet pan.

The cleaning of the roots using a high-pressure jet will only be partially possible because if it hits the ceramic connector point on the pan, it will smash. Our customer was presented the customer with two possible options to deal with the situation.

Option 1: Remove the Toilet Pan

The first way is to remove the toilet pan and put it through a high-pressure water jet and then into the drain. The high-pressure water jet will ensure to clean the roots out. But the problem that this step comes with is that the pan will have to be replaced on being removed, making this step a temporary fix. The other issue with this step is that the roots will only be temporarily removed, as they will grow back. Cutting the root is like giving a haircut, which means it needs to be periodically done. Every time the roots grow back, the pan will have to be replaced, and also the drains will have to be cleared, making this process not very feasible.

Option 2: A Better Option

The next option suggested by Richard, which is not only more practical but permanent, is to leave the root-infested pipe in the ground and instead install a new ‘P- trap’ suite, which will make for a gateway for the waste to go through the wall instead of the floor.

In simple terms, this will serve as installing a brand new PVC pipe, which will be connected to the old earthenware pipe externally. On getting customer approval, Richard starts digging and gets to work.

Richard puts his gear inside the pipe, and its output being visible on the CCTV shows us how the roots are still inside the pipe. Richard now removes the toilet pan using a jackhammer from the concrete, and in the process, it breaks from the point where the ceramic joins the airway. Richard gets rid of the roots inside by removing the pan, and also gets rid of the base and replace it with a new one.

While drilling and taking out the old PVC, Richard finds out that this was realigned before, which means that the roots have been here for quite some time. But realigning was not the permanent fix, and therefore the process of installing the P- trap’ suite is so important.

To help the future plumbing jobs, Richard also installs an inspection point which they can directly put the drain gear inside and complete the drain cleaning. In the end, Richard successfully replaces the new toilet suite, installs the P-Strap suite, and what he is left with is the root infested earthenware pipes.

• It’s fun for our Plumbdogs to get our paws dirty and dig things up but we need to be safe and know what other services lead into the property.
• Watch as Richard shares some knowledge that any good plumber should know when taking on a job like this.
• Learn how you can check your pipes for a gas leak using this simple method with simple materials you should have at home.
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Another day for our top dog Richard as he headed off to Wilson, WA for a water leak detection job.  There was already an initial visit to the property, and he was able to identify where the burst water pipe and fixed it with a temporary repair.  Two to three weeks later he comes back to complete the work, and that is to lay new supply pipes.  This would mean he would have to dig around and that is why he brought an excavator for the job.  Part of what he needed to do was to locate all the other supply services such as the water, electricity, and gas supply. On one side of the property, Richard would have to manually dig through this small corner area where the gas meter is. Armed with his good old shovel he uncovered the Atco gas main line. However, while digging he was able to notice something that was not supposed to be in the picture, he smells gas. From a burst water pipe, we have now a suspected gas leak too!

Licensed Plumber and gasfitter. . . All rolled into one

Plumber’s hat OFF and now gasfitter’s hat ON! Since Richard was able to expose the gas pipes he will now investigate where the leak is coming from.  He was able to uncover an old rusty galvanized pipe connected to a pretty new yellow PVC pipe.  It is quite simple on how to find a pipe leak; all we need is some soapy water. Mix regular dishwashing detergent with water and place them in a spray container. After making the mixture, spray it on the pipe then wait and observe.  He saw that bubbles started to form on the rusty part of the galv pipe and he could even hear a faint hissing sound, thus confirming the leak.  Bubbles forming in an area is an indication of leak and this needs to be reported.

Gas leak = Alarm bells

Before he continues any further with his digging, he will need to report the gas leak to ATCO gas by calling their helpline so they can dispatch a technician onsite. Due to the nature of the problem, it will be deemed as an emergency and will need to be dealt ASAP, within the next hour or so. Important reminder: any gas leak should be reported right away to a gasfitter or the supplier.

The work done by the previous technician was not a great job job. Instead of extending the new pipe up until the rusty galvanized pipe they just had it cut up to a certain portion.  The leak would have been avoided if they replaced the entire line.

We have all the gear and every idea and that’s why we believe we are the best maintenance plumbing experts in Perth. Licensed plumbers and Gasfitters, give us a whistle!

• This job started as a simple Blocked Toilet
• The blockage was in the main line and it was concrete!
• Check out our jetter at work with the CCTV drain camera
• Watch more of our VLOGS here.

In the video, you’ll notice that our obedient Plumbdog Darius said that he already sorted out the toilet to get it working but when you have a nose for this type of job, he double checked the line for the toilet and found more problems. To the average person or even a less experienced plumber, they would have called it a day which would only cause more problems in the future.

The Plumbing Problem

Concrete in the drains! Now we are used to seeing tree roots, hair and all sorts of usual things creating the need for drain cleaning and drain clearing but concrete is an interesting find. Presumably the concrete entered the drain when the bathroom was renovated.

The Video

In the video, Darius shows us the drain through our CCTV drain camera and gives us a walk through with commentary of the discovery process where he determines where the drain is blocked and why it’s blocked. Then we get to see our water jetter at work clearing through the concrete and dirt.

A couple of interesting points to note which we are always proud to say. Apart from the skills and how easy Plumbdog Darius makes the job look through the camera, our water jetters are custom made locally with power. We’re often called in to take on jobs which others say can’t be done. Imagine being told you had to dig up all the pipes to get this problem solved when we were able to get this done with minimal fuss.

On top of that, notice how far down the inspection opening was for the toilet. We’ve raised it to ground level for easy access in the future which also helps to stop sand getting into the drain. We also found an illegal square junction rather than a Y junction in the drain.

Working With Maintenance Plumbing Specialists

How many times have you called out a plumber only to find that they need to be called back out for the same problem a few weeks later? This would have probably been the same case if someone else was called out to the job saving time and money in the long run and the inconvenience of having to arrange another day off to get the plumbing done at home.

This is why we say we have all the gear and every idea! We are able to sniff out and fix the problems rather than needing to call out other specialists, we are the specialists in our field.

• Good Plumbdogs don’t just dig up dirt, we get our paws dirty and fix things back up again
• Being a plumber isn’t just fixing pipes, we have other tradie skills like concreting too
• Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In this VLOG, one of our top dogs Darius is on the job where pipes have been damaged from tree roots.

Blocked Drains – Tree Roots

Tree roots are one of the common causes for blocked drains. In some instances after the problem area is detected, the problem can be easily fixed but in this instance it’s not as straight forward as blasting some difficult roots with our custom high powered water jetters.

Not all blocked drains are the same. At this location, not only was the pipe broken and needing replacing, Darius has had to break down the concrete driveway to get access to the broken pipe.

If you’ve seen his work before, you know Darius takes pride in his work and does a great job in minimising damage to the property.

More Than Just A Plumber

We pride ourselves in being maintenance plumbing experts and we’re really good at it. On top of that, check out the job that’s done on the driveway. From the start to finish, the breaking down of concrete is done neatly and properly causing minimal damage to keep the properly looking in good condition. After the job is done, another tradie isn’t called in to re-concrete the driveway. Darius has not only re-concreted, he’s done a great job and taken pride in making the driveway look great. This is the standards that we hold to our Plumbdogs.

Another Great VLOG from Darius

In the video in this link, he fixes a burst water pipe inside a brick wall cavity and you will be impressed with how little space he needs to get the job done.

Check out the video here

All The Gear & Every Idea

At Plumbdog, our Perth Plumbers have All The Gear & Every Idea. Our plumbing skills, training and experience coupled with the latest in equipment and technology is why we believe we are the maintenance plumbing specialists that even the professionals turn to.

If you’re in the greater Perth area and your plumbing is letting you down, give us a whistle!