Indianapolis plumbers stumped: Howald’s fix
That’s grease clogging this 3” pipe. The customers had several Indianapolis plumbers out from three separate companies over the last year to try to address the symptoms related to this issue.
A plumber well-versed in their trade knows about the drainage fixture unit chart or DFU chart. It’s used to size drainage piping accordingly to the amount of water that fixtures put into the drainage system. This pipe was oversized for the amount of water going into it, but the plumber (possibly handy-man) thought…the bigger the pipe, the less likely it is to clog!
When drainage piping is plumbed and vented correctly (the appropriate pipe size, adequate fall, correct fittings to encourage flow) the pipe will self-clean as water drains though it. It spirals though the pipe, knocking any debris loose that may try to get stuck.
I cut out the 3” PVC and downsized it to 2”. I added wye-combo fittings where there were once tee fittings, replaced sharp-turn, 90-degree fittings with 45-degree fittings, corrected fall-issues, vented it properly, and corrected various other code issues discovered.
Now the drain pulls a suction-tornado and makes a suction noise when it drains. That’s a GOOD DRAIN.
I don’t like putting band-aids on repairs. I like to fix them for the long-term. Sure, it might cost a little more upfront, but it’ll usually cost you less in the long-run if it’s addressed correctly by a professional. The customers spent more money on drain-cleanings over the last year then they did on having the issue permanently corrected.
Larry’s slogan with our plumbing department holds true: Trust your flush…to us!