Clogged Drains & Drain Cleaning Terms

While our plumbers will always take the time to explain our services and answer any questions you may have, we realize it still helps to have a glossary of terms you can refer to when you have a clogged drain or need drain cleaning services.

Understanding Drain Cleaning & Other Plumbing Terms

Trying to find plumbing solutions, but feel like everything sounds like a foreign language? We get it. Nobody wants to play a guessing game when their drains are backing up or their septic system is acting up. That’s why we’ve broken down the most common terms related to drain cleaning, clog removal, and plumbing repairs. Whether you’re dealing with a minor clog or a major backup, here are some terms you need to know.

Common Pipe Features & Access Points

These help with functionality and maintenance:

• P-Traps, S-Traps, U-Traps: A curved pipe that creates a water seal, designed to capture debris and prevent sewer gases and odors from entering a home. The name comes from its shape, which resembles the letters “P”, “S”, or “U”.
• Cleanout: An access point installed in a drain line that enables a drain cable access to clean out clogs and blockages.
• Septic Riser: A vertical pipe with a cover that extends from the ground to the top of a septic tank’s lid.
• Sewer or Pipe Belly: A low area or sag where a sewer line or pipe has lost positive slope, impairing flow.

Tools & Techniques for Clog Diagnosis & Removal

• Auger: A plumbing tool, sometimes referred to as a snake because it is a long, thin, highly flexible cable, which can be inserted into the drain to locate and remove a blockage.
• Snaking: The process of inserting a long, thin, highly flexible cable, known as an auger, into a drain and moving it through the pipe to locate and remove drain clogs and blockages.
• Jetting or Hydro-Jetting: The process of using high-pressure water to clear and clean sewer and drain lines. The high-speed streams of water cut through debris, grease, and other buildup.
• Scoping:The process of using a specialized camera to traverse drains and pipes and find the exact location and cause of the clog.

General Drainage & Wastewater Flow

These terms relate to how water and waste leave your home:

• Drain: A pipe or channel that carries away water or wastewater. In addition to sinks, tubs, showers, and toilets, dishwashers, washing machines, and even refrigerators have drains.
• Sewer Line: A pipe that carries wastewater and sewage away from your home.
• Septic: A system used to collect and treat wastewater and sewage for homes not connected to a city sewer.