By Bob Baker Drain Cleaning • • • 0 Comments

Jetting away your problems

This is Important

Jetting drain lines is a method of cleaning and unclogging plumbing pipes using high-pressure water streams. This technique is commonly used for sewer and drain cleaning, and involves inserting a specialized hose into the pipe and blasting it with high-pressure water to remove any debris or buildup.

The jetting process is typically performed by a professional plumber or drain cleaning service, who will use specialized equipment such as a jetting machine and a video inspection camera to identify and locate the blockage. The jetting machine then pumps water at high pressure through the hose and into the pipe, scouring the walls and dislodging any obstructions.

Jetting drain lines is an effective way to remove stubborn clogs and blockages, and can also help prevent future issues by thoroughly cleaning the pipe. However, it is important to note that jetting should be done by a trained professional, as improper use can cause damage to the pipes or even lead to injury.

urinals
By Bob Baker Drain Cleaning • Plumbing • • • 0 Comments

Why No One Talks About Urinals Anymore

URINALS AIN’T NO ONE’S FRIEND

URINAL CLEANING DONE RIGHT

 

In every commercial restroom in the world you’ll find a urinal, at least in the men’s room anyway. With all that’s going on in the world, that could actually be a very bad thing. Check out this article from the Chicago Sun Times. Something to think about the next time you enter the men’s room.

Wearing a mask in public restrooms should be mandatory during the pandemic, researchers say, because there’s increasing evidence that flushing toilets – and now urinals – can release inhalable coronavirus particles into the air.

The coronavirus can be found in a person’s urine or stool, and flushing urinals can generate an “alarming upward flow” of particles that “travel faster and fly farther” than particles from a toilet flush, according to a study published in the journal Physics of Fluid Monday.

“Urinal flushing indeed promotes the spread of bacteria and viruses,” researcher Xiangdong Liu said in a press release. “Wearing a mask should be mandatory within public restrooms during the pandemic, and anti-diffusion improvements are urgently needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Liu and other researchers from Yangzhou University in China simulated urinal flushing using computer models and estimated that, within just five seconds of flushing, virus particles could reach a height of more than 2 feet off the ground.

“Potentially, it could contaminate other surfaces you would touch – the handle, the tap,” said Charles Gerba, a professor of virology at the University of Arizona. “The concern is also – was there anything left over from the person who was there before? Aerosolization from the previous user you may potentially inhale?”

Some of the same researchers released similar findings in June, focused on toilet flushing. Through another computer model, the researchers found that thousands of particles can come out of the toilet within 70 seconds of flushing, and that some can reach higher than a foot above the toilet bowl in half that time.

“It is reasonable to assume that the high-speed airflow will expel aerosol particles from the bowl to regions high in the air above the toilet, allowing viruses to spread indoors causing risks to human health,” the researchers said at the time.

The studies are interesting but unsurprising, as research on particles kicked up in “toilet plumes” has been around for about two decades now, said Joshua Santarpia, a professor of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center specializing in bioaerosols.

“The more interesting thing to me was that I hadn’t considered the urine issue – whether SARS-CoV-2 was shed in urine,” he said.

Coronavirus found in urine, stool

Many people aren’t aware that toilets and urinals can release particles into the air, let alone that genetic material from SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes the disease known as COVID-19 – can be found in patients’ urine and stool, Gerba said.

“It’s probably been overlooked – urine contamination,” Gerba said. “Smallpox, Zika virus are excreted in the urine. What’s surprising is that a respiratory virus can be excreted in the urine.”

At least two studies – one in Tokyo and one in Guangzhou, China – have found coronavirus RNA in patients’ urine. Studies published in the journals Gastroenterology and The Lancet also found coronavirus RNA in patients’ stool, even weeks after the patients showed negative results in respiratory samples. One study in and around Beijing, however, did not find any evidence of virus in 72 urine specimens.

It’s still unclear whether COVID-19 can transmit through urine and infect another person, Gerba said.

“Is there enough virus in the urine to worry about? Does enough get aerosolized? Those are questions we need to look at,” he said.

The researchers at Yangzhou University argue that transmission in a public restroom has already happened. They cite local news reports of a couple, who work at a food market in Beijing, contracting the virus at a restroom nearby.

“What’s worse, two of COVID-19 reemerging confirmed cases in Beijing have been reported to be infected from a public toilet, which practically proves the danger from the public restroom,” the researchers wrote.

Can the coronavirus disease spread through air?

Health experts believe the virus mainly transmits through respiratory droplets when someone coughs or sneezes, but the World Health Organization says that “short-range aerosol transmission . . . cannot be ruled out.”

Researchers measuring the amount of viral aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals found that while the concentration detected in isolation wards and ventilated patient rooms was very low, it was higher in the toilet areas used by the patients, according to an April study published in the journal Nature.

The researchers recommended that room ventilation, open space, sanitization of protective apparel, and proper use and disinfection of toilet areas could effectively limit the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols.

“I think there’s a lot of strategies and interventions that could be developed if it really turns out that there’s significant risk,” Gerba said.

For now, the next best step would be to put the researchers’ computer model to the test to see if flushing a urinal actually kicks virus particles up into the air, Gerba and Santarpia said.

“Somebody should really validate some of this experimentally. It’s a model, and there are a lot of assumptions,” Santarpia said. “More work needs to be done.”

FULL ARTICLE

Best Plumber in Calgary
By Bob Baker Drain Cleaning • Plumbing • • • • 0 Comments

BEST DAMN DRAIN CLEANER IN CALGARY

THAT’S RIGHT! THE BEST

BAKER IN ACTION

drain cleaning contractor

A list of Calgary’s top drain cleaning companies

Baker Plumbing in Calgary is one of city’s premiere drainage contractors. Providing drain cleaning, inspections and solutions since 1956. With a entire arsenal of augers, cameras, locators, snakes, steaming and jetting equipment, along the knowledge and expertise required to get the job done right the very first time. If you have a plumbing issue related to plugged, foul smelling, or slow drains, call Baker Plumbing today

 

LISTED BELOW IS JUST SOME OF THE COMPLEX SYSTEMS THAT MAKE UP YOUR DRAINAGE. DON’T RISK DAMAGE AND GREATER EXPENSE!! CALL A PROFESSIONAL PLUMBER TODAY!!

DWV systems maintain neutral air pressure in the drains, allowing free flow of water and sewage down drains and through waste pipes by gravity. It is critical that a sufficient downward slope be maintained throughout, to keep liquids and entrained solids flowing freely towards the main drain from the building. In some situations, a downward slope out of a building to the sewer cannot be created, and a special collection pit and grinding lift “sewage ejector” pump are needed. By contrast, potable water supply systems operate under pressure to distribute water up through buildings, and do not require a continuous downward slope in their piping.

Every fixture is required to have an internal or external trap; double trapping is prohibited by plumbing codes due to its susceptibility to clogging. Every plumbing fixture must also have an attached vent. The top of stacks must be vented too, via a stack vent, which is sometimes called a stink pipe.[1]

All plumbing waste fixtures use traps to prevent sewer gases from leaking into the house. Through traps, all fixtures are connected to waste lines, which in turn take the waste to a “soil stack”, or “soil vent pipe”. At the building drain system’s lowest point, the drain-waste vent is attached, and rises (usually inside a wall) to and out of the roof. Waste exits from the building through the building’s main drain and flows through a sewage line, which leads to a septic system or a public sewer. Cesspits are generally prohibited in developed areas.

The venting system, or plumbing vents, consists of a number of pipes leading from waste pipes to the outdoors, usually through the roof. Vents provide a means to release sewer gases outside instead of inside the house. Vents also admit oxygen to the waste system to allow aerobic sewage digestion, and to discourage noxious anaerobic decomposition.[further explanation needed] Vents provide a way to equalize the pressure on both sides of a trap, thereby allowing the trap to hold the water which is needed to maintain effectiveness of the trap, and avoiding “trap suckout” which otherwise might occur.

A sewer pipe is normally at neutral air pressure compared to the surrounding atmosphere. When a column of waste water flows through a pipe, it compresses air ahead of it in the pipe, creating a positive pressure that must be released so it does not push back on the waste stream and downstream trap water seals. As the column of water passes, air must freely flow in behind the waste stream, or negative pressure results. The extent of these pressure fluctuations is determined by the fluid volume of the waste discharge.

Excessive negative air pressure, behind a “slug” of water that is draining, can siphon water from traps at plumbing fixtures. Generally, a toilet outlet has the shortest trap seal, making it most vulnerable to being emptied by induced siphonage. An empty trap can allow noxious sewer gases to enter a building.

On the other hand, if the air pressure within the drain becomes suddenly higher than ambient, this positive transient could cause waste water to be pushed into the fixture, breaking the trap seal, with serious hygiene and health consequences if too forceful. Tall buildings of three or more stories are particularly susceptible to this problem. Vent stacks are installed in parallel to waste stacks to allow proper venting in tall buildings.

Most residential building drainage systems in North America are vented directly through the building roofs. The DWV pipe is typically ABS or PVC DWV-rated plastic pipe equipped with a flashing at the roof penetration to prevent rainwater from entering the buildings. Older homes may use copper, iron, lead or clay pipes, in rough order of increasing antiquity.

Under many older building codes, a vent stack (a pipe leading to the main roof vent) is required to be within a 5-foot (1.5 m) radius of the draining fixture it serves (sink, toilet, shower stall, etc.). To allow only one vent stack, and thus one roof penetration as permitted by local building code, sub-vents may be tied together inside the building and exit via a common vent stack. One additional requirement for a vent stack connection occurs when there are very long horizontal drain runs with very little slope to the run. Adding a vent connection within the run will aid flow, and when used with a cleanout allows for better serviceability of the long run.

A blocked vent is a relatively common problem caused by anything from leaves, to dead animals, to ice dams in very cold weather, or a horizontal section of the venting system, sloped the wrong way and filled with water from rain or condensation. Symptoms range from bubbles in the toilet bowl[citation needed] when it is flushed, to slow drainage,[citation needed] and all the way to siphoned (empty) traps which allow sewer gases to enter the building.

When a fixture trap is venting properly, a “sucking” sound can often be heard as the fixture vigorously empties out during normal operation. This phenomenon is harmless, and is different from “trap suckout” induced by pressure variations caused by wastewater movement elsewhere in the system, which is not supposed to allow interactions from one fixture to another. Toilets are a special case, since they are usually designed to self-siphon to ensure complete evacuation of their contents; they are then automatically refilled by a special valve mechanism.[citation needed]

Mechanical vents (also called cheater vents[2]) come in two types: Air admittance valves and check vents, the latter being a vent with a check valve.

Air admittance valves (AAVs, or commonly referred to in the UK as Durgo valves and in the US as Studor vents and Sure-Vent®) are negative-pressure-activated, one-way mechanical valves, used in a plumbing or drainage venting system to eliminate the need for conventional pipe venting and roof penetrations. A discharge of wastewater causes the AAV to open, releasing the vacuum and allowing air to enter the plumbing vent pipe for proper pressure equalization.

Since AAVs will only operate under negative pressure situations, they are not suitable for all venting applications, such as venting a sump, where positive pressures are created when the sump fills. Also, where positive drainage pressures are found in larger buildings or multi-story buildings, an air admittance valve could be used in conjunction with a positive pressure reduction device such as the PAPA positive air pressure attenuator to provide a complete venting solution for more complicated drainage venting systems.

Using AAVs can significantly reduce the amount of venting materials needed in a plumbing system, increase plumbing labor efficiency, allow greater flexibility in the layout of plumbing fixtures, and reduce long-term roof maintenance problems associated with conventional vent stack roofing penetrations.

While some state and local building departments prohibit AAVs, the International Residential and International Plumbing Codes allow it to be used in place of a vent through the roof. AAVs are certified to reliably open and close a minimum of 500,000 times, (approximately 30 years of use) with no release of sewer gas; some manufacturers claim their units are tested for up to 1.5 million cycles, or at least 80 years of use. AAVs have been effectively used in Europe for more than two decades.[when?]

Island fixture vent for under-cabinet waste plumbing

An island fixture vent, sometimes colloquially called a “Chicago Loop”, “Boston loop” or “Bow Vent”, is an alternate way of venting the trap installed on an under counter island sink or other similar applications where a conventional vertical vent stack or air admittance valve is not feasible or allowed.

As with all drains, ventilation must be provided to allow the flowing waste water to displace the sewer gas in the drain, and then to allow air (or some other fluid) to fill the vacuum which would otherwise form as the water flows down the pipe.

An island fixture vent provides an elegant solution for this necessity: when the drain is opened, water displaces the sewer gas up to the sanitary tee, the water flows downward while sewer gas is displaced upward and toward the vent. The vent can also provide air to fill any vacuum created.

The key to a functional island fixture vent is that the top elbow must be at least as high as the “flood level” (the peak possible drain water level in the sink). This ensures that the vent never becomes waterlogged.

The cost of installation is high because of the number of elbows and small pieces of pipe required. The largest cost outlay with modern plastic drain pipes is labor. Use of street elbows is helpful.

Alternately if moving sink to an island sink, install the P-trap below the floor of the island and vent off the top of the drain. Attach toward the trap and reverse 180 degrees so any water in the vent flows down the drain. Slope drain down, slope vent up, and attach to existing vent from previous existing fixture that is now abandoned. Patch previously existing drain to become vent. In Canada, the national plumbing code requires that the minimum trap arm be at least 2 times the pipe diameter, (e.g., 1.25 inch pipe needs a 2.5-inch trap arm, 1.5 pipe needs a 3-inch trap arm, etc.) and that the vent pipe be one size larger than the drain that it serves, also a cleanout is required on both the vent and the drain. The reason for this is in the event of a plugged sink, the waste water will back up and go down the vent, possibly plugging the vent (as it is under the countertop), and a clean-out would permit the cleaning of the pipes.

 

CREDIT TO

By Bob Baker Drain Cleaning • Plumbing • • • 0 Comments

Calgary drain cleaning services

 

Few things cause the anxiety of a drain and toilet overflowing. Most have felt the fear rising with the level of the water or sewage. We understand that anxiety and can relieve that feeling quickly. No matter the size the purpose of drains to is to drain!! If your drains aren’t draining properly then there is only one thing to do. Call Baker Plumbing in Calgary! We have the tools, the knowledge, the skill and most importantly the experience to solve drain issues quickly and to give the necessary recommendations to keep those drains flowing no matter the type, size or location!! Call Baker Plumbing today!!!

 

SEE MORE!

By Bob Baker Drain Cleaning • Plumbing • • • • • 0 Comments

Camera of commercial restaurant drains

Having a drain back up is awful to begin with! Now imagine it happening again just days after the plumber has left and you’ve paid the bill. At Baker Plumbing drain cleaning isn’t some guessing game, we ensure your drains are clean and flowly freely by running our high powered and high resolution camera equipment through the line to midigate any future issues. This service prevents call backs or determines the causes of the back up. Our goal is provide you with most information possible in maintaining your plumbing systems. Got drain problems in Calgary? Call Baker Plumbing today!

Commercial parking garage video

All tools to get the job done right!