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A plumbers view – Super Bowl 2016

Sunday, February 7th was Super Bowl 50 Sunday in San Francisco. By now you may know The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 at Levi’s Stadium.

What’s that got to do with plumbing? I hear you ask. Well plenty; according to the Scott Tissue company, the toilet is flushed more during halftime than at any other point during the year. That’s 90 million flushes, using 350 million gallons or 1,323,000,000 litres of water, which is the same amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in seven minutes.

Now, that is…..a Super Bowl!

I’d like to know how many blocked drains happened on Super Bowl Sunday!
Superbowl 2016

Water Saving Tips for your Garden

water plants
Did you know about 35% of household water usage occurs in the garden?

In my daily rounds the common theme is how the spring has unfolded, the gardens are in bloom, the Jasmine flowers have come and gone. We’ve had very little rain lately on the coast but, after recent temperatures reaching 36 degrees, our gardens are dry.

It helps if you know the needs of your plants. More plants die from over watering than lack of water so don’t drown ’em.

So here are a few water saving Do’s and Dont’s:
– Do choose water efficient plants and grasses.
– Do mulch your garden.
– Do install a drip feed system to water the gardens and lawns. It’s pretty easy to do. If you need a hand just ask us.
– Don’t water in the heat of the day. Heat = Evaporation and the watering process can burn your lawn and plants. Water early or late. Cool is good!
– Don’t assume the garden needs watering. Check the soil to see whether its dry before turning on that hose.
– Don’t water for long periods if your garden slopes. The water just runs off. Allow it to soak in!
– Don’t water on windy days especially with sprinklers and fine sprays. Wind increases evaporation.
– Don’t water everyday, if its practical give em a drink twice a week to encourage the roots to grow deeper
– Don’t water for 1-2 weeks after a good soaking rain.

– Don’t forget to drink yourself. Personal hydration is even more important!
Kanga Paws

Broncos and Cowboys Long Weekend

The October long weekend brings a sporting feast to Sydney. NRL fans will descend on our city for the Grand Final between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Lone Drainer and Pronto loves cowboys and horses. My heart says Cowboys but the head says Broncos.

The Epsom Handicap will be run at Royal Randwick. I’m tipping Sadlers Lake with the great Jim Cassidy riding. Whilst in Melbourne, the AFL sees the Hawks Hawthorn up against the Eagles from West Coast. Go Eagles!

What ever you’re doing, have fun! And if you have a plumbing emergencyyou can call us!
The winner

Happy Plumbers + Great Service = Happy Clients

We have a great team of plumbers here at The Lone Drainer and Pronto! They are good at their job. They Love their work. We call it “Furk”! Having FUn..at..woRK

On Monday afternoon, 27th October 2014, I got the following email:

Hi Dave,
Thank you so very much for taking my phone call early this morning and organising Chris and Leigh to come to my house so quickly.

Chris and Leigh arrived, knocked on my door, introduced themselves with smiles and put me at ease that my sewerage problems would be fixed.

Such a relief. I could not have had nicer people to arrive on my door step. Both well mannered and very pleasant people to talk to.

I also had a problem with my kitchen sink tap. Unfortunately I had to leave Chris at the kitchen sink as I had to go to work. He did a good job and I now have a brand new tap looking at me! Both men were very efficient.

Again, thank you for being so prompt and getting the job on its way.

Kind regards,

Julie B. Randwick NSW

Leigh and Chris with Plunger

Leigh and Chris with Plunger

My Plumber is a Wizard

Sometimes its great to laugh at ourselves.

I’ve always loved the Wizard and this is a good one!
Wizard ID Plumber

Stop Leaking Taps

As a plumber, the majority of house calls I make have to do with leaking taps. Obviously in most cases it is correct to call a plumber but some times we are called to houses to carry out a simple plumbing job that takes five minutes which could have easily been completed by anyone with a little know-how.

Here are a few pointers that can help to avoid problems like these:

  1. Treat taps gently. They should be turned off with thumb & forefinger. If you are having an arm wrestle turning your taps off, stop it!
  2. Try to repair a dripping tap if you can. Always turn the water supply to the house off first!
  3. Simple repairs can be done by anyone. Don’t forget the o-rings, tap washers, tap seats and fibre washers. Lubricate them all.
  4. There are so many types of taps available today, even the pros need to seek advice.
  5. There is no shame in not being able to repair a dripping tap. I have seen plumbers who are grown men cry over leaks like these.

Flush with Facts #3 Thomas Crapper

Thomas Crapper was a plumber in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries who founded his own company in Chelsea, London in 1861.

Contrary to popular belief, Crapper did not invent the flushing toilet; that is said to have been invented by Sir John Harrington. Crapper however did make several patents relating to drain improvements, water closets and manhole covers. His plumbing business was quite successful, and supplied plumbing to members of the royal family, a feat for which many incorrectly believed he was knighted.

Although he did not invent the flushing toilet, Thomas Crapper & Co did successfully market and mass produce them.  As soldiers passed throughout England during WWI it is believed that the slang term “crapper” was created due to the Crapper & Co’s logo being displayed everywhere.

 

https://www.thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au/index.php

Stormwater drain blockages

Send it down Huey! As Sydney gets through another day of torrential rain and some eastern parts of this country are getting their best rainfall for more than a year, its important to keep your stormwater gutters, downpipes, grates and drains clear.

My own roof gutters were overflowing yesterday ’cause the leaves from our deciduous tree were blocking our down pipes.
Blocked stormwater

Who turned off the hot water?

Who turned off the hot water?… That was the call today from the residents in a block of 82 home units.

Our clients shower tap was leaking; a 1/2 bucket of hot water every minute and needed new washers.

So, “Where does the Hot Water turn off?” asked The Lone Drainer. “I don’t know”, replied our client! What followed was a search for the hot water shut off in all the usual places; under the vanity basin…. no; under the kitchen sink…. no; in the bathroom ceiling…. no; what about the duct in the hallway…. no!

Next, The Lone Drainer called the maintenance manager’s mobile, courtesy of the Emergency Number notice in the foyer. When he finally responded, The Lone Drainer and Pronto already knew that the valves in the cupboard shut off all the units on the other side of the hallway, but not ours.

“The hot water shut off valve should be in that duct” said Al the manager. “It’s not!” said The Lone Drainer. “Any suggestions?”

“So you’re gonna have to shut down hot water for the whole building” says Al.

Woman in shower cap Now there is a protocol for shutting down water to a building with 82 units at midday. Normally it’s a notice on the board and in the lift a couple of days in advance. Not today!

I had Pronto go to the foyer and buzz every unit to tell those that answered that the hot water is gonna get turned off in 1/2 hour for about 1/2 an hour.

By the time we shut down the boiler, drained the building then removed the shower tap and re-washered it, replaced O-rings and lubricated the moving parts, put the tap back together and turned the boiler valves back on, an hour and 15 minutes had gone by. Luckily only 18 of 82 residents came looking for the reason they had no hot water on this cold Sydney day.

Moral of the story:

Know where your hot and cold water turns off…. And make sure it does! Now, that sounds like a job for The Lone Drainer and Pronto!

Don’t play Noughts and Crosses when you have sewer problems

Take the guesswork out of excavation!
Today’s post comes courtesy of Dr Marc Dussault, The Exponential Growth Strategist. At his recent Exponential Business Building Bootcamp, he showed a series of “impossible pictures” from Swedish Artist Erik Johansson. This photo was of particular interest. This is what we want to avoid with the use of Vaporooter when tree roots get into and block your pipes and drains.

My car is powered by sewage

Methane powered beetle

Methane powered beetle

This post was brought to my attention by the ever vigilant Richard Piper. When you ring our office for help you may speak to him. Tell him you enjoyed this post; I did!

Sewage powered VW Beetle hits the road in Bristol! A Volkswagen Beetle powered by gas from sewage has taken to the road for the first time in Britain.

This converted Beetle car runs on methane gas. The Bio-Bug was launched on Thursday by Wessex Water, which is generating methane from human waste at a sewage treatment works near Bristol.

The company claims the prototype is able to cover 10,000 miles annually on the waste from 70 households.

If the trial proves successful, Volkswagen will consider converting some of its fleet of vehicles to run on biogas.

Mohammed Saddiq, of GENeco, a Wessex Water subsidiary which runs the biogas plant at Avonmouth, said: “Our site has been producing biogas for many years, which we use to generate electricity to power the site and export to the National Grid. With the surplus gas we had available we wanted to put it to good use in a sustainable and efficient way. We decided to power a vehicle on the gas, offering a sustainable alternative to using fossil fuels which we so heavily rely on in the UK.

“If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas as it performs just like any conventional car. It is probably the most sustainable car around.”

The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association said the launch of the Bio-Bug proved that biomethane from sewage sludge could be used as an alternative fuel for vehicles.

Lord Rupert Redesdale, the association’s chairman, said: “This is a very exciting and forward-thinking project demonstrating the myriad benefits of anaerobic digestion (releasing energy from waste). Biomethane cars could be just as important as electric cars.”

Last month Volkswagen announced plans to conquer the green market with a new generation of hybrid and electric cars.

Plumbers love your pets

Your Dog and Dealing with Internal Renovations

Dogs and cats find renovations very stressful: there are strangers in their home changing things, moving things around and disrupting their routine. Some of the risks involved range from escape behaviour, bad dog behaviour, territorial behaviour and the general stress of strangers and loud noises in their space. You also have the risk of injury or the potential of your fur baby being exposed to toxins. Unlike the tradesman, there are no protective masks or clothing for your pet.

Lead and Asbestos, as most of us know, are bad for us, but it’s just as bad for our pets. Years ago it was common for house paint to contain high levels of Lead in addition to Asbestos in our walls. Startlingly before 1970 most paints contained up to 50% lead. Disturbing the paint during renovations can be risky business and you need to ensure you keep yours, and your pet’s, exposure levels down and leave this sort of job to the experts!

Lead and Asbestos will only resurface if it is disturbed; your tradie could unintentionally do this and create a risk. If you’re renovating be sure to follow these simple steps to make sure your family and pets are safe from Lead and Asbestos.

Step 1 – Look into how much asbestos you will have to work around and whether your paint contains lead. The most likely places to find lead paint will be on the kitchen and bathroom cupboards, window frames, skirting boards, doors, architraves, picture rails, exterior walls, gutters, metal surfaces and fascias.

Step 2 – Use the appropriate tools and equipment for the task at hand. Protective clothing is a must! A respirator, disposable coveralls, disposable overshoes, a hat, and gloves will protect you from any dust containing lead. Find somewhere to keep your pets safe while the renovations are happening, a relative, friend or a doggy daycare is always a good idea to get the pets out of the house.

Step 3 – Prepare fully for interior or exterior work. Get experts to deal with Asbestos as there is a multitude of legislation governing the tampering and removal of Asbestos.

Step 4 – Deal appropriately with paint containing Lead. Use techniques that minimise the creation and dispersion of dust or fumes. Large portions of dust or wastewater that contain lead can contaminate the house and garden so it is best not to dry sand or use abrasive blasting. It’s always safer to avoid creating the dust as opposed to cleaning it up after as dust containing only 1% lead can be harmful.

Step 5 – Use a 3 bucket wet cleaning method to eliminate any left over chemicals.

Step 6 – Dispose of contaminated waste appropriately.

This Blog Post was kindly supplied by the Friendly Team at Paddington Pups, Queensland’s Number #1 Doggy Daycare Centre.

Antonio Gaudi water conservationist

Barcelona 2010

To visit Park Guell and see the home and creative brilliance of Antonio Gaudi is a special treat.
Gaudi created Park Guell for the citizens of Barcelona. It has gardens and homes with a view of the city and the Plaza.

The Plaza is a meeting place for the people of the city and the brightly coloured mosaic seating around the manmade plaza had a secondary purpose. The dry Mediterranean weather usually meant excess water used on something as soothing as a fountain for the citizens and visitors to the city was a waste of water. That didn’t phase Gaudi.

The water catchment created by the Plaza was a brilliant idea to collect any rainwater that fell, and through an underground filter and the storage system, the rainwater was then piped to the mouth of a Mosaic dragon lying in a garden with a fish and lily pond at the bottom of the beautiful staircase.

The ergonomic design of the seating around the Plaza, which was beautifully decorated in mosaics, was incredibly comfortable to sit back, relax and talk with friends and family.

Gaudi’s design allowed any water from those brief showers to fall to the back of the seating and then get channelled off quickly into a gutter on the outside of the seating and then dispersed to the dry garden areas below through a series of “spitters” hand carved in stone.

Absolutely Beautiful!

Park Guell Lion

Park Guell Lion

Rain lions

Rain lions

Sydney Water fights tree roots in sewer pipes

Sydney Water, the guardians of our main sewer pipes, are constantly waging war against tree roots in our main sewer lines!

Many clients from Double Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Edgecliff, Woollahra, Paddington, Rose Bay, Point Piper and Darling Point, residents with lots of trees and tree roots growing in the sewer pipes around their homes, report Sydney Water are systematically surveying the mains around their neighbourhood.

If you have a tree root problem on the branch to the sewer pipes for your home, they will advise you.

To cut tree roots from your sewer pipes before it becomes a plumbing emergency follow their advice.

To keep the tree roots out of your sewer pipes you should seriously consider using Vaporooter.

Drainoscopy technology works for a shoe fit!

All plumbers know that apart from looking after our hands, our feet are equally as important. No feet, no action!

I was busy speaking to the smart Real estate property managers of Bondi Beach about the benefits of having a great plumbing team like The Lone Drainer and Pronto, look after their emergency plumbing repairs and the benefits of using Vaporooter for sewer tree root control.

As I walked down Gould street I came across The Running Company Bondi. The owner Chris Chapman had a smile as big as Bondi and it was only minutes before he had me on his treadmill, filming my walking/running gait with some simple, but powerful video tools.

Buying shoes from someone who actually knows about running shoes makes a huge difference. Chris’ advice was so professional and made so much sense. Chris had me on his treadmill in each different shoe I tried on, to check how my feet were landing with his video equipment. Buying running shoes from a shoe expert who is also a runner makes a lot of sense. Since a bad lower leg injury about 14 years ago, I have been suffering with knee and hip pain whenever I run. When Chris showed me the running analysis he uses I realized why.

As with advice on emergency plumbing repairs, if you’re wearing the wrong pair of trainers you could be setting yourself up for all sorts of problems in a few weeks, months or years from now. It seems most sales people at the big chain stores just don’t know this stuff, which is why it’s important to get checked now before you get injured. If you suffer from any sort of knee pain or shin splints when you run, or want to prevent future problems I highly recommend you spare an hour of your time and come along to meet Chris at The Running Company Bondi.

The importance of getting the right advice about plumbing repairs or your trainers is self evident. Oh, I made a decision about my new runners pretty quickly!

The drainoscopy camera survey makes it easier for our clients to also make an accurate decision about their plumbing problems!

A place for inspiration and relief

In previous blog posts on urinals  and toilets, I showed you a field goal in a urinal that helped to reduce spillage, and also the infamous ‘fly in the urinal’ at Schiphol Airport. So once again, courtesy of Exponential Growth Strategist (http://www.ExponentialPrograms.com) Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com)  here is another photo, this time of  an unknown location in Amsterdam. This is just another example of how we can all take life a little less seriously and enjoy ourselves a little more.

A place for reflection

A place for reflection

 

The next time you come across an interesting bathroom or other plumbing related installation, please take a picture and forward it to me – this blog is a collaborative effort from people travelling all over the world to bring you a mosaic of photos, articles and facts that are curious, intriguing and fun.

 

Draining the “Coffee makers lane”

  Our Venetian correspondent is at it again!

As you have seen in previous posts, Holy S – – T ! A Gondoliers impression and The latest sewer notes and history of Venice, Gio, the Venetian Gondolier, knows how much our readers love to see how waste water and sewer is moved around Venice.

Hey mate!
I’m so proud to be on the site that I decided to send you more stuff about Venice. Here is first of all a picture of my lane ” calle del Caffettier” ( the coffee maker lane) while a draining is on the go.

As you see on the first pic our local plumber has the drain hose on the left side of the lane with all the pipe going over the bridge.

Venice pumping waste

Venice pumping waste

Then you see how the pipe goes to the drain boat in the canal where it empties into a tank to be taken for treatment.

Venetian drain boat collecting waste

Venetian drain boat collecting waste

Then a picture of our proud fire patrol just after the draining of a boat that sunk because the owner did not drain the rain out…. shame!

Venice fire team to the rescue

Venice fire team to the rescue

That is all my friend.

See the statue of our Lady on the top of the wall near my house? Isn’t it a corner of paradise?

A special piece of Venice

A special piece of Venice

Yes it is Gio. Thanks for sharing it with us!

More from Venice 2

St Marco drain boat

St Marco drain boat

Now Giovanni knows his way around the lagoon and the Grand Canal and all the other canals of the beautiful city of Venice.

His impressions of the sewers and sights of Venice along with his images of the way sewer is transported from the grand homes and palaces along the canals is always educational.

Apart from being a wonderful host and waterman, this excerpt from a recent correspondence underlines just how well our correspondent in Venice knows his way around his water bound city.

Hey Dave!
So can you imagine that Sophie the daughter of a friend from Evans Head, came to visit me in Venice?
Yesterday we had a great evening and this morning I had to wake up early ‘cause I had a commitment with a Norwegian novelist. He is writing a novel about somebody escaping from an island in the lagoon of Venice with a gondola, so he had to check out if it was possible for somebody to do it without knowing anything about a gondola before the moment of the escape.

I took him out on my gondola this morning at 8 for some research and now I’m back. I took these pics on the trip.

Gondolier at rest

Gondolier at rest

So dear readers, this gondolier knows his S – – T.

Please enjoy some more images of Venice courtesy of Gio.

Cruise ship at anchor Venice

Cruise ship at anchor Venice

What do you know about your gas supply?

Winter starts tomorrow and if gas is your preferred method of heating then read on…

Natural gas is a great resource to have in any home for ovens, cooktops and hot water heating. However leaks in a high pressure gas line can be extremely dangerous especially if they go unnoticed or are allowed to continue unchecked. The massive explosion in Bondi Junction last year is an example of how horrible a gas blast can be.

If you live in a building with multiple gas meters, it is really important to know where your gas meter is and how to turn it off. Make sure all the gas meters in your building are labelled or numbered clearly, so that in the event of an emergency, you can turn your gas off safely.

Which gas meter is mine?

Which gas meter is mine?

Here are some pointers to detect gas leaks early so that appropriate measures can be taken to avoid major damage.

  1. If you suspect a gas leak, mix some bubbles using detergent with water, and cover the suspect area. If bubbles expand, you have found the leak.
  2. Don’t ignore a gas leak. Gas can be dangerous! Not to mention your bills will be increased.
  3. Disconnect your plugged-in gas heater in summer.
  4. When reconnecting the heater in winter and the bayonet is difficult to plug in, it is probably dusty. Dust and lubricate the connection, then try again.
  5. Don’t mess around with gas. If you are not sure don’t touch!

If you are not sure when it comes to a gas pipe problem, always call a licenced plumber and gasfitter.

7 easy ways to extend the life of your Water Heater

Have you found yourself in a situation where its winter and you head home for a shower after work, or after a rugby or netball training session, turn on the hot water tap and the water is cold?

There are many plumbing fixtures around your home, the bath or hand basin, kitchen sink, of course the toilet. Some homes, offices and small business  have multiple toilets, showers and basins.

As we move into the cooler months the average hot water heater becomes more important for all these plumbing fixtures to work.

Its easy to take these often ignored assets in your home or office for granted, but some simple actions will prolong the life of your storage water heater.

Replacing your  hot water heater can usually be unexpected and sometimes expensive, but in today’s fast moving world we can easily ignore this vital cog in our daily routine.

So be sure you are aware of the following:

  • Where is your water heater? You need to know where it is!
  • Is it gas or electric? You need to know!
  • Can you turn off the gas or electricity?
  • Can you turn off the water supply to your heater?  Try it! Check this valve or tap works
  • Is it  a mains pressure storage heater or instant (continuous)?
  • If it is mains pressure, have you released the Temperature and Pressure Relief valve (T&PR valve)?
  • Keep the area around this heater clean and clear. Keep long grass, paint cans etc.   well clear.
T&PR valve on mains pressure external gas water heater

T&PR valve on mains pressure external gas water heater

See the “hook” on the Temperature and Pressure Relief valve, lift it and hold it up for 30 seconds at least every three months. If this is working properly, it will discharge the hot water whilst you hold up the hook, then stop when you let it go. It is normal for it to discharge water while the heater is heating. Then the water should stop!  Be careful the hot water doesn’t scald you.

Our water heater is a friend, if you are ever unsure about how your water heater is performing, or have any questions about any of the things we have outlined here, contact a professional plumber for guidance.

Remember to engage a licensed plumber to attend to your hot water heater.

https://www.thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au/hot-water-services.html

Burst water hose floods house.

It’s Saturday night in the city and we received an emergency call from a long term client, “HELP we have a tap over the kitchen sink that is leaking lots of water and flooding our kitchen.”

Now on a Saturday night, this sounds like a job for “The Lone Drainer and Pronto“! We were at the house within 30 minutes to repair the leaking tap!

The kitchen sink mixer tap had exploded, gushing water everywhere, and our clients who were having a peaceful dinner, could not turn the water off!

The 2 valves controlling hot and cold water supply to the kitchen sink flickmixer style tap, and the water meter at the front of the property could not be turned off. Both the taps had seized and the water just kept running out all over the kitchen!

Something to aim for….a fly on the wall

In a previous blog post  He aims, he shoots, he scores, I showed you a field goal in a urinal to reduce spillage. Some people were wondering what the original one at Schiphol Airport (http://www.schiphol.nl/) looks like… So once again, courtesy of Exponential Growth Strategist (http://www.ExponentialPrograms.com) Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com)  here is the infamous fly in the urinal at Schiphol Airport!

 

a-fly-at-schiphol-airport

 This blog is all about having fun with everything having to do with plumbing, plumbing services and plumbing repairs. If you come across anything that you think my readers would enjoy – please send it to me via a comment on this blog. In advance, I thank you for making this a top blog for plumbing aficionados!

Plumbing Products – Bio-Clean and Vaprooter

Plumbing Products Have Come a Long Way: A Look at Some Products and Their Benefits

Sir John Harrington, the godson of Queen Elizabeth I made a new invention for his godmother: Sir John created the flush toilet and built it for his godmother. This all took place in 1596, according to history records.

Alexander Cummings obtained the first patent for a flushing toilet in 1775. Toilets started gaining popularity, and a city wide sewer system was constructed to handle the flow of refuse. As science advanced, it was recognised that poor sanitation caused diseases and in 1880 the officials of the day decided that toilets and sewer systems were not luxuries but priorities to control human waste and disease.

Jumping to modern day plumbing, the innovations and possibilities are endless when you have plumbing services like The Lone Drainer and Pronto, experts in the field of plumbing with 40 years combined experience. Any type of renovation, plumbing emergency or plumbing need can be taken care of with just one phone call to The Lone Drainer and Pronto.

Sewer lines brought whole new problems to society that had not been faced before. Many old trees had roots that sometimes stretched for a block. These roots invaded the sewer lines because the roots are attracted to the plumbing pipes where they find a constant source of moisture. Today there is a product that eliminates this problem for you. Vaporooter is 100% safe and has been used successfully for more than 40 years. Paying for repairs is much more expensive than using Vaporooter to prevent the problem in the first place. Vaporooter stops tree root blockage from occurring.

Are you tired of having plumbing problems where roots have crushed, cracked or blocked your sewer pipes? It gets very expensive trying to keep up with repairs. So call The Lone Drainer and Pronto plumbing services and get insurance on your drains with Vaporooter.

Older homes with older pipes can produce a foul odour, but there is a way to solve that problem. The plumbing services of The Lone Drainer and Pronto have a product that will solve this problem for you faster than you could have ever imagined. You will no longer have to be embarrassed about the odour coming out of your pipes when you use Bio-Clean. This environmentally friendly bacteria waste eliminator will get your pipes spotless and odour free. What a relief it will be to walk into your home and smell the cut flowers instead of sour old pipes!

Bio-Clean performs several functions such as cleaning out the hair in the drains and pipes, and dissolves paper and cotton without using toxic chemicals. This environmentally green solution to an ageless problem is safe, will clear most of the obstruction in the drains and pipes and will not damage your pipes and/or fittings. Bio-clean is friendly to your plumbing pipes and drains.

Just what is your peace of mind worth when the plumbing goes on the blink and the missus is upset because your drains are blocked? Call The Lone Drainer and Pronto, and keep the peace in your household with Vaporooter and Bio-Clean.

Trumpets and toilets

The 2010 Pumper and Cleaner Environmental Expo held in Louisville Kentucky February 24th-27th 2010

We went to Louisville to see how the best of the best plumbers in the United States, look after their clients. If you have blocked sewer drains, blocked sewer pipes caused by tree roots in your pipes, or tree roots in your drains, or overflowing toilets, the experts we met at Pumper Cleaner 2010 know how  to fix your problem.
As the name of the show suggests, the focus is on pumping and cleaning up on that other topic very close to my heart, sewerage, that’s right S – – T; because in our game S – – T happens.

Our short YouTube video shows some of the equipment on display and how it is used.

Enjoy the trip!

Music by Chuck Mangione, “Give it all You’ve Got”

Don’t Let Tree roots Take Over Sewer pipes!

Today’s post is courtesy of Joe from Woollahra Sydney.

Joe had constant problems with the trees around his Sydney home, and tree roots growing in his sewer pipes, blocking them repeatedly. He would need drain cleaning several times a year to cut the tree roots, as the London Plane trees around his home tightened their vice like grip on his sewer pipes and drains. When this happened, the sewer would overflow in his home and on some occasions the raw sewage would come up in his kitchen sink!

Joe found a way to deal with the tree roots in his sewer pipes, to stop them re-growing and blocking his sewer line.

Now, Joe and his wife Elizabeth, both teachers, travelled to South-east Asia to help those less fortunate and during their travels over summer visited Cambodia and in particular the ancient city of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century.

 

Joe at Angkor Wat Beware of tree roots!

Joe at Angkor Wat Beware of tree roots!

Joe was astonished by the power of these tree roots and how they could almost consume these ancient buildings. He couldn’t wait to share this and other images with us.

Joe says, “Don’t let tree roots take over your drains and sewer pipes!”