Q. Everytime I drain the water from the bathtub upstairs the bathroom sink in the basement starts to badly overflow. But I could leave water running in basement sink and it drains O.K. I snaked out the main drain and it still backs up out the sink after taking Bath. It does not back up through main floor drain at all. Need help with this one.

A. Run the snake the opposite direction. You are now running to towards the street. Run it towards the pipe coming from the upstairs. When you opened the cleanout plug, was it full of water? If not, the blockage was from that point back and not from that point to the street. Most people assume it is from where ever they are to the street so they miss this type of problem. Alternatively, you could take off some pipes and go from there down. Perhaps from the bathtub trap down. Perhaps from the bathroom sink down.

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Q. I just had full Central A/C (compressor, air handler and duct work) replaced last year. My unit stopped working and the service man said it was not under warranty since it was the drain line was plugged. Shouldn't that have been cleaned when the unit was installed? Or does debris clog up that soon? How much would cleaning a drain line normally cost?

A. If my drain line gets plugged i have a pan under the unit to catch the water either change the filter more often or buy a better quality filter the charge to clean the drain line is a service call

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Q. I had a proffesional duct cleaning company brush the ducts, fog the system, clean the coils and fan in air handler unit, and there is still odor when system is on. Is there any deodorizer or air sanitizer on natural basis?

A. Mix a handfull of baking soda with a glass of vinegar and either pour/spray it over the coils. Let it run into the evaporator tray also and down the drain hose. Will freshen and deodorize.

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Q. We had house remodeled a few years back. And we've been having trouble with the bathroom drainage backing up. We think the contractor had a plumber that didnt know entirely what he was doing. There is a shower, bath, toilet, and faucet in this bathroom. And every so often they clog up. And everything is interconnected. When you try to plunge say the shower drain it effects the bathtub and toilet or vice versa. Same thing with the kitchen. We had it remodeled. For example, if I put a stopper in the left side of the sink and put a pot of water down the right side of the sink the stopper will pop up and the water will drain on that side. Something is wrong with the pressure or something. Any help appreciated. On a side note: I havent seen the faucet in the bathroom backup. It might not be connected with the rest of the system but I dont know. I should add that the drainage in the other shower works perfectly. And so does the toilet. Its only in the bathroom that was remodeled. I was only noting that the sink in the kitchen acts that way when water is put down the opposite side.

A. Dave, The plumber probably did a perfectly fine good job. The thing is this... If all or most of your floor level drains & toilet(s) are backing up & you're hearing gurgling noises in the various drains, that is evidence of your main sewer line (your Lateral line) that runs from your house, out to where it connects to the public main wheather that be into an easement or out into the street is blocked up and needs to be snaked. If you were to get a good, local, competent, & reputable sewer & drain cleaning service to come over & snake your lateral, I do believe your problems will be over. That's what I would do at this point. Good luck.

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Q. I've always rented carpet cleaners and have never hired a professional to do it. What, if any, are the benefits of hiring the professionals, aside from saving time & sweat? Do they really do a better job?

A. As a contractor who has done both, I won't address your Q in a compromise, strictly. What I will offer is this. Stains, especially from fluids,,,IE: Coffee, Soda, etc. do not stay in the carpet fibers alone. They travel, seep, drain to, the padding underneath. That padding is essentially a sponge. When you wet a carpet to clean it, you also wet it usually, deep enough to wet the padding underneath. Then as the drying process happens, that stain, or residue left behind, can, and often does, leach back up, into the carpet fibers, creating the stain again. Steam cleaning, professionally is better, than rented equipment, which you basically pour water and cleaning solutions into. Depending on the type of carpet, and the stain, professionals willl also often use what is called a Bonnet, which pretty much is a surface, fiber cleaning method, with a machine, that doesn't SOAK the carpet, but with the Bonnet pad, will draw out the stain onto the Bonnet. Certainly that can't work in all instances, but is widely used commercially. Rev. Steven

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Q. Hi, im 21 and in a huge tangled up situation. Ive been with my fiancee for 3.5yrs and engaged for 2. Im currently in my 4th month of pregnancy with our first child. My partner and I have had a pretty complicated relationship for a large portion of the time that we have been together. Troubles on my end started very early on in it- the first time I can recall was for one of our first dinners out together, he came to my house and i wasn't quite ready to leave yet and he got impatient and called the taxi resulting in me being stuck at a hoity toity restaurant wearing my dress and a ridiculous jacket that i just threw on on my way out the door and my makeup only half done. at dinner, he gulped down his entree and main, guzzled the bottle of wine and waited out the front of the restaurant drunk for me to finish my meal (i had to leave my meal as i was completely humiliated). anyway, he and i have been fighting alot lately- I have been off work for 9 months due to a anxiety disorder and have been reliant on centrelink benefits. he has been giving me greif about this since i went off. now that im pregnant he will go out drinking, not come home until the next afternoon, no calls or anything. he stood in the shower the other night whilst i was asleep in bed, realised that the drain was blocked and continued to stand in the shower for 15mins whilst the water ran out all over the bathroom floor and the carpeted area in the hall in front of it then got out, woke me up and said "drains clogged, you must have done something too it, im not cleaning it up". he will spill things on the kitchen floor, i dont see it because of the pattern on the lino- i fall over and he watches me and just yells out "you need to be more care full, you dont want to stress the baby". im moving out next week, and with a baby on the way, i hope im doing the right thing? is it worth seeing a professional to try and save this relationship? im not even sure myself.. 10 points reward!

A. Your fiancee sounds like a manipulative, passive aggressive, fuck head who doesn't care about you or the baby and uses it as a way to humiliate you. Leave that idiot and get with someone who will love you and your child. Don't try to save this relationship as there's nothing to save. You had the unfortunate luck of being with this guy and he's just going to get more and more abusive as the relationship goes on. Leave him before he does some serious damage.

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Q. It has been raining like crazy and our basement flooded. The sewer drain overflowed and went all over the floors. My mother insists we keep the carpet. Since I am a cynical germ phob and my room is in the basement. How can I make my room sterile again? Its my little sanctuary away from the world. We have been cleaning like crazy with bleach. Tomorrow we are renting a steam cleaner. What solutions can go in that steam cleaner to kill bacteria that lays in my carpet?

A. You need a professional carpet cleaner. When you rent those little portable cleaners , they only wet your carpet. Yes, they will get some dirt out, but they do not have the suction to clean all the way through the carpet and pading.They do not have enough suction to truly clean carpet.

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Q. I own a sewer and drain cleaning business in Denver. My business is still new (7 months) and was wandering if anyone else was having a slow time.

A. With a slow economy, people are starting to do more things for themselves. It's hurting everyone's business.

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