DYNAMIC DRAINS
309 Ava Dr.
Brenham, TX 77833

Plumbing in Brenham

Brenham, Texas was founded in the mid-1800s and is considered the Birthplace of Texas. That means there is a lot of wonderful history here. That also means lots of homes or businesses are here with antiquated plumbing and drain systems. These systems are aging and will need more repairs and replacements as time goes on. Most people will notice the aging or corrosion of fixtures and exposed plumbing in a home or business but there is a whole other system hiding underground and underneath, be it a pier and beam or a slab on grade structure.

Many older homes and businesses in Brenham still have sewer systems made of cast iron, clay, or concrete … or often a mixture of all 3! As these sewer systems age, they degrade and will eventually need repairs or replacements. So how do you determine if this is needed and if it is needed, how do you accurately locate or clean them if they clog up, being they are underground and often have poor or no proper access points? Blueprints do not list the location of the underground sewer system for residential and commercial building blueprints are not always accurate. This is where having the latest in technology to properly locate these hidden underground lines will make a difference. Our plumbers not only have the necessary experience working with these older plumbing systems in Brenham, but also have the tools to properly diagnose, locate, and offer solutions for needed repairs or replacements. Dynamic Drains of Texas has multiple locating devices, sewer cameras of varying size and application, and an arsenal of drain cleaning equipment so that we can find out exactly what is going on and pinpoint exactly where the issue is underground. This allows us to offer repairs instead of just full replacements. If a full replacement is needed, we do offer that and even have trenchless options. In short, we have more options than an average plumbing and drain cleaning company.  

Clogged Sewer Lines

Many of the calls we get in Brenham are for clogged sewer lines. In these situations, a common story we hear from the customer is, “This happens once or twice a year; we just need it snaked out.”  Here is where we are different: we do not, “just snake out” a drain. We offer a proper cleaning and inspection of the drain to determine what caused the clog and where. Sewer and drain cleaning technology and processes have come a long way in the last 20 years. We stay at the forefront of that technology and our customers appreciate it, too.

Old Way To Snake A Sewer

The old method of drain cleaning is to use a cable that is between ⅝” to ¾” thick wound up inside a drum that spins at 200-250 rpm (revolutions per minute) as it is hand fed by the operator down a sewer line. On the end of the cable is a blade that comes in various designs for different types of clogs. The operator will run the machine until the water level starts to drain down, indicating the clog has broke free. But is the sewer line truly clean afterwards? Why did it clog up? Where did it clog up? The old method required experienced guessing to determine this. Or if the plumber was fortunate enough to have a sewer camera, they would offer to run it down the sewer for an additional fee to determine why the line clogged but most people would assume if the line is flowing, why bother. That is similar to a doctor offering a medication but not finding out for sure what the actual issue is.

Better Way to Clean a Sewer Line

We always run a camera as a part of our drain cleaning service, if possible, so that we can offer a warranty and be able tell what caused the issue and where it happened. This is why we call it a “No Guesswork Approach” to drain cleaning. By running a camera down the drain after it is flowing, we can then determine what caused it and where the issue is. Very rarely does a sewer line “just clog”. There is always a reason and it usually isn’t a recent issue.

Technology & Drain Cleaning

The old method and machines are still used today and they have their place. We choose to use a different method: Hydro-jetting or High Speed Drain Cleaning for most clogs. The use of water with a hydro-jetting machine or our high speed drilling machine to remove a clog, be it grease, soap, tree roots, grout, or whatever, is much safer, quicker and more efficient. We don’t waste our time or the customer’s valuable time guessing as to what and why it happened.

If a kitchen drain clogs up, it has usually been a long time coming. This is regularly evidenced here in Brenham on the older homes with cast iron drains for their kitchen and washing machine drains. What we typically find when we use a hydro-jetter instead of a cable to unclog a cast iron kitchen drain is lots and lots of black sludge due to age and use. Often we find that in the past if the line clogged up, the customer has had a plumber run a sewer cable down the line once or twice a year to deal with it but it has never truly been cleaned. They assume that this is the only option, short of replacement, because in the past that has been the only options they were given. We offer a cleaning so thorough that we will give a one year warranty against the line clogging again, if we are able to unclog it and run our camera. That is how much we believe in our service. We will remove the sludge and can even descale the pipe to remove naturally occurring scale that builds up on cast iron. But, if the line is damaged beyond what a cleaning can do, we offer that repair, too. More often than not, we can clean the line better than ever and provide a great warranty to back it up.

Sewer Line Replacement Options

So what about replacement of sewer mains in the front or back of a property? What if the sewer line runs directly underneath a tree or a large concrete patio or parking lot? What if there are major utility lines like city gas mains ran very close in proximity to or on top of the existing sewer line? Unlike underground fresh water lines that can more easily be rerouted in these cases because they do not rely on gravity to work, a sewer line must have proper slope to work as designed and to not clog. Therefore, a tree or utility line in the path of a sewer line can create more difficulties and elements to contend with than a fresh water main reroute. The traditional method for this type of project required having to possibly break a lot of concrete and dig a trench to expose the existing sewer. Aside from being a lot of physical labor and causing disruption to a large area, digging a traditional trench can create other hazards with exposing high pressure gas mains, cutting roots of large trees, or accidentally cutting a phone or electrical line. “Call Before You Dig Utility Locating Service” is one of our required steps in order to provide an accurate estimate for sewer line replacement but that doesn’t eliminate the hazards.

Trenchless Drain Repair

What we at Dynamic Drains of Texas offer is an option that does not require digging a long trench. We offer a TRENCHLESS option that can replace a sewer line without digging up the entire line and utilizes a thicker, more heavy duty pipe than traditional schedule 40 PVC to replace the existing line. The new line is pulled through the existing sewer line splitting the old one as it does this, thus replacing it completely, even if the old line is cast iron, concrete, or clay … or all three combined! If the old line has some areas of concern, such as a partial collapse or break, as long as the cable that pulls the new pipe can navigate the old line, it can be replaced with this method. We have videos demonstrating this technology on our YouTube channel. The type of material used in Trenchless sewer replacement is HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) . The type of connection system for the ends of the pipe is fusing, not solvent welding like PVC pipe is, making it a much stronger and longer lasting bond because it is made into one solid pipe. What this means to the property owner is less potential for issues in the future and a much stronger pipe that can handle ground shifting and will never allow roots to infiltrate. Our warranty on sewer replacements is 5 years against breaks or sags and a 2 year warranty against clogs. We will also install a new cleanout at both ends of the sewer line and all the work will be inspected afterwards to confirm it is in good shape.

As you can tell, we offer many great options for plumbing and drain repairs for the residents and businesses of Brenham. We will determine what the actual issue is that is causing the problem and provide more than one solution. Brenham is a growing town and as time goes on, more of our homes and businesses’ aging infrastructure will need more attention, and we offer options.