Sewer Cleaning is an important task that should be done regularly to prevent clogs, sewage backups, and other costly issues. Regular cleaning will also lengthen the lifespan of your sewer pipes. Platinum Plumbing uses several methods to clean sewer drain lines. One method is hydraulic cleaning, which involves inserting a nozzle at an access point and blasting water with high velocity.
Clogged drains clearly indicate that it’s time for a sewer line cleaning. The most common causes of blocked drains are food waste, grease, and other solids that don’t break down in the pipes when they enter the water and sewer system. In addition, discarded hair and paper products can block the insides of your pipes.
Most clogs begin in the trap beneath toilets and drains for sinks, tubs and showers. They may also form in the curved channels inside drain lines. These traps help to prevent sewer gases from entering your home, and they are designed to hold a small amount of water that helps keep waste and sewage flowing properly. However, if these traps aren’t properly maintained, they can become full of debris that can’t escape.
A simple clog that affects only one drain or toilet is usually easy to resolve by plunging the drain and using a snake to push the clog through the trap. However, if your whole house seems to be affected at once, it’s likely a more serious problem that starts further down in the pipe.
For larger clogs, professional grade drain cleaners can be used to dissolve stubborn blockages and sludge in your pipes. Some of these products are so powerful that they can actually cause damage to your pipes, though, so you should always use them sparingly and with caution.
If you’d rather not use chemical products, you can try to unclog a drain with an old-fashioned wire hanger. Take the end of the hanger and snag it down the drain, then twist it around to entangle its head with whatever is causing the clog. Once the clog is broken up, you can pull out the hanger and dispose of it. If your clogged drain continues to back up or flow slowly, you should call a plumber for a more thorough plumbing cleanout. A plumber can also use a power auger to break up large clogs. These long, narrow tools plug into your drain and are controlled by a motor that moves the cable forward as it is fed down the pipe.
Foul Odors
A foul sewer smell is one of the most recognizable – and noxious – household odors. It’s also a sign of a serious plumbing issue that can lead to health, safety and property issues for your family or guests. If you’re experiencing these odors, it’s time to call for professional home services.
Foul odors come from food and gunk that line pipes. The rotting foods attract bacteria that release foul odors, and the gunk can lead to clogs. You might notice this odor when you run water in your sink or toilet, but it can also happen when a drain isn’t being used for long periods of time.
If your sewage smells bad, you might have an empty P-trap. The trap is designed to prevent sewer gases from entering your house through the drains, but it can fail if not properly maintained. A clogged vent pipe, poor installation or blockages, and missing traps can all lead to a dry trap.
Other foul odors can be caused by failing or overloaded drain lines. Overloaded lines can cause a buildup of organic material, which can produce a rotten egg odor. It’s important to have your lines regularly cleaned with a powerful tool like a sewer machine or Bio-clean. These tools remove the most stubborn clogs and blockages while restoring proper water flow.
A rotten egg smell can also indicate that there is a gas leak in your home. If the odor is strong, it’s crucial to evacuate your home immediately and call your utility company for assistance. A plumber can test your home for a natural gas leak and make necessary repairs to ensure your safety.
If you’re experiencing these odors in your office, there may be a problem with your vent or sewer system. The foul odor is often caused by hydrogen sulfide, which is produced during the anaerobic breakdown of organic matter by bacteria. It has a characteristic rotten egg smell, and prolonged exposure can be toxic to humans. A plumber can check your drains and vents for possible problems and repair them as needed.
Sewage Treatment Plants
Sewage treatment plants are huge facilities that clean waste water through a variety of chemical, physical and biological processes. The process involves separating solids from liquids, then treating the water biologically to break down organic matter and disinfecting it using chemicals like chlorine. The treated water is then released into surface waters or used in agricultural and industrial activities. The wastewater treatment process is necessary to limit pollution, prevent disease, and protect the environment.
The treatment plant consists of multiple stages, each of which is critical to the process’s success. During the first stage, solids are removed from the water through screening and mechanical separation. The next step is the aeration phase, where the sewage is mixed with sludge that has been separated from previous wastewater treatments. The bacteria in the sludge are then given plenty of food and oxygen through agitation and mechanical aeration. After a few hours, the bacteria will have decomposed most of the organic matter in the sewage and the liquid will be clearer.
After the aeration process, the liquid sewage flows into a sediment tank where any remaining solids are separated from it. The water is then treated biologically, again with microorganisms to break down any remaining organic material. Once this is done, the water is disinfected using a variety of methods, including ozone, chlorine and ultraviolet light.
The disinfected water then flows into lakes, rivers or streams and is used to water gardens and crops. It may also be used in industrial processing or for irrigation. To protect the environment, strict regulations are in place to control the amount of toxic chemicals that can be discharged into the sewer system from factories and other sources.
Many people also use package sewage treatment plants at home, which are small units that process sewage from households. These systems are a good alternative to septic tanks, but they can have their own problems. Oftentimes, these sewage treatment systems are located too close to the house, which causes the sewage to back up into the drains. It is important to properly maintain these plants to keep them running efficiently.
Dirty Water
Dirty water is not only bad for humans, it’s also hard on the environment. Whether it’s running off of a construction site, natural stream or water dumped into lakes or rivers, contaminated water is a huge problem. It can kill off organisms like fungi and bacteria that are necessary for the ecosystem to function. It can also lead to algal blooms, which deplete oxygen supplies and cause fish to die.
Despite being hard on the environment, dirty water is even harder on people who live in rural areas. Project Maji, a nonprofit that works with villages in Sub-Saharan Africa, has found that villagers living close to polluted sources of water like ponds, swamps or dry riverbeds are more likely to get sick from disease. This leads to medical expenses and loss of supplementary income, which can push families into an inescapable poverty trap.
The CDC classifies dirty water into three categories, depending on the level of contamination. Category 1 dirty water is unsanitary and contaminated by a wide variety of substances, including chemicals, metals, and bacteria. Exposure to this water can lead to diseases, serious health conditions and even death. Category 2 dirty water is a byproduct of industrial processes and contains dangerous chemicals that can pose health risks if exposed to it. Category 3 dirty water, or black water, is extremely harmful and contains harmful bacteria that can lead to disease, severe illness and even death. This category of water is typically the result of flooding or sewage back-ups.
In this lesson, students will use a mixture of soil, leaves and paper to simulate the condition of water that has been contaminated by pollution. They will then test different methods to separate the dirt from the clean water, using sieves and filters. They will also investigate how contaminated water can be cleaned by visiting a wastewater treatment plant.
