Gene's Water and Sewer | Twin Cities Water & Sewer Systems

Knowing how the system works will help you clean and maintain yours. According to the EPA, one in four households in the United States today use some form of a septic system to dispose of household wastes, and with this figure comes great accountability. It is the responsibility of each individual homeowner to periodically maintain, inspect, and care for their own septic system, a task which not only can adversely affect the homeowner, but also the environment and future environmental health of the surrounding community. With every septic system comes four main parts, which are described in detail below: Main Household Drain Pipe: This pipe channels all household liquids and wastes from bathroom and kitchen sinks, toilets, and most other drains to the second part of the system, the septic tank. Septic Tank: Left untreated household wastes can detrimentally affect the absorption field and clog perimeter drains. Usually made out of concrete or fiberglass, the septic tank offers a place f...

What to do and how to prevent them A sewer backup problem can be disheartening and disgusting. Waking up one morning to find your basement or bathroom flowed with raw sewage can be a terrible experience. Furthermore situations like this can cause toxic black mold growth, which can be a large health hazard. It is important to know what to do when your home experiences a sewage backup, and how to prevent it. Step 1: Deal With the Issue Quickly Immediately discontinue use of all water inside and outside of your home. You may even want to turn water supply off to toilets and sinks if you have children so they do not accidentally make the problem bigger. Ask to use a neighbors facilities if you must, but don't continue to use water lines as the blockage will not allow water flow and will continue to cause more damaging sewer backup. Find out what the phone number is for your local Emergency Services Division is and give them a call. This number is not 911 but rather the local number you...

Sewers systems are not perfect. Problems with a sewer system can result in health hazards for the whole family. There are different degrees of sewer problems, and different ways to deal with them. Regardless of the type of problem, it should be addressed as soon as possible. Slow moving drains and clogged pipes can be the result of a home plumbing backup. Backups are more inconvenient than anything, and typically do not cause any lasting damage. Backups can typically be taken care of with a plunger or commercial drain cleaning products. Some backups are more severe and may require a professional to assist in the repairs. Backups may occasionally require the drains to be snaked, and most professionals are equipped with the tools to do this type of repair. The real problem with sewers is a backflow. Wastewater can come up through bathtubs or sinks or toilets even when the plumbing is not actively being used. This is usually indicative of a blockage in the main lines. Backups cannot be fi...

There are Alternatives if the Right Company is Used. Pneumatic, or air powered, Hole Hogs are essential tools for many aspects of construction and repair. The Hole Hog may be used by contractors, water repair companies, electric companies, and even cable television installers. The Hole Hog helps to keep driveways, pavement, and landscaping intact when a repair or installation is taking place. Using a Hole Hog can help to keep costs low because the tunnels made are self-contained and already clean, lowering cost of labor time and clean up. A Hole Hog is a machine comprised of one unit of high alloy steel which is then used to burrow under existing structures or sections of earth. The design is simple and does not have any welded areas or moveable pieces that may be easily damaged during use. Because the design of the Hole Hog is unique and allows for air to be passed more accurately, the speed and efficiency make the Hole Hog a wiser choice than traditional digging tools. A pneuma...

Not Every Plumbing Company is Setup for In Depth Problems No matter what a homeowner does or doesn't do, many will be exposed to the horrible event of a raw sewage back up. A raw sewage back up is what happens when the waste water that is supposed to go into the pipes to be processed by the treatment plant, back flows into the bathroom and living quarters. The cause of these sewage backups may not always be readily apparent. Sometimes the cause may be when tree roots grow into the pipeline and cause breaks. Other times it may be due to a construction mishap or a problem with the structure of the piping itself. For those families with children, it could even be the side effect of a foreign body being flushed down, such as a toy that was too big, causing a blockage to the line. Problems of sewage back up can be worse than a homeowner might be aware. Not only can the fumes and odor smell bad, waste water can cause lung and air passage irritation. More serious health risks are being ex...

...Can Save the Homeowner a Lot of Money, Time, and Headaches Plumbing repair is a lot like surgery; the less invasive, the better. As the cost of building material rise, the cost of every home repair and plumbing repair has also increased. There really is not an inexpensive method to making plumbing repairs, especially if the damage is inside the walls, foundation, or buried at basement level. Fortunately for the homeowner, there are newer non-invasive methods to detecting leaks and pipe damage that before required busting through walls and demolition of the foundation in extreme cases. Many water and sewer line repair professionals utilize high tech cameras that can be slid along pipes to view potential problems, while others can "see" through walls. This use of technology does cost the customer some, however, when examining the cost savings of not needing to reconstruct plaster walls, sheet rock, painting, and labor, it is a much more beneficial method of repair. Many of t...

Most homeowners never give the plumbing a second thought until a loss of pressure or worse happens. Leaks can be very cheap to repair or very costly depending on where the leak occurs. If a leak does occur after the shut off valves from under the sinks or toilet it should only take a few dollars to fix. The homeowner can get into trouble with a costly and destructive leak if it happens to be inside a wall, foundation, or within the underground pipes. 100% of the time, newer home construction should never have any type of leak. As time passes, normal wear and tear, harsh chemical pipe cleaner, and debris can take a toll on pipes whether they are the older cast iron pipe, copper pipe, PVC pipe and so on. Some homes actually have clay piping that may need to be serviced and/or replaced, but this type of pipe is usually used for waste water. Most regions have different building codes from one another regarding the depth a pipe is buried, the type of pipe material, and even how pipes are fi...