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Rooter Service. What is that? Why Rooter?

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So what is Rooter Service?  This seems to be a buzz word these days.  All the plumbers now are doing rooter service, not to mention those national chain companies; Roto and Mr.  –  Well What is it?

Rooter Service originated because roots where the main culprit in old plumbing clogs.  Property owners needed something to cut through the blockage.  Several versions of a hand held snake, a long cable with cutting blades on the end were fabricated early in the twentieth century.  Then in 1934 Samuel Blanc, took one of these cables a step further and attached the other end to the motor of his wife’s washing machine.  Samuel had created the first Drum Auger which his wife named “The Roto Rooter”.  By the time he received his patent, two other machines also received a patent; The Royal Street Sewer Cleaning Machine and a small kitchen size “Niard” (Drain spelled backwards).  Rooter service was a new and booming business.

Sam Blanc pushed his machine name hard and promoted it along with other services.  Drain cleaning simply started to be called; Rooter.  Therefore, Rooter Service was born.

Today roots aren’t as common a nuisance as they were in the early days of plumbing, but still are a big problem.  Buildings that were constructed say, 50 years ago or longer, can be subject to roots in their drains.  The reason for this is the style of pipes used.  Old original plumbing were either clay or cast iron drain pipes.  Basically, these pipes had a male and female end.  They were slid together with hopefully a bonding agent to make the seal water tight.  However, over the years as the ground has shifted, contracted and expanded, those connections are not so water tight anymore.  They may not even be broken or separated at all, simply a microscopic hole may have opened up.  Now a root finds its way into that hole and runs wild.  That one little hole can give that root an opening to enter a root’s dream environment.  Moisture, dark, warm, that root is in heaven and grows accordingly.

Do roots in the drain mean I need new drains?  NO, definitely NOT!  As I pointed out above, roots may just be coming into the drain through a small, almost invisible opening.  Annually or more often you may need to have “Rooter Service” to them cut out.  Also, there are a couple of pretty good chemical treatments that can keep the roots from coming back.  A new procedure is available too that relines the pipe.  That may block the roots entrance too.  So do your research before paying thousands to tear up your yard.

So, rooter service.  A name coined by an inventor, that now explains a process.


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