Drain cleaning services in Alexandria Township, NJ

Slow drains and the tank

In Pittstown, a house on septic behaves differently from one on sewer. What the drain technician finds, and where, decides whether the answer is a cable and a camera or a septic contractor.

See septic home drain clogs.

More on how drains behave in Alexandria Township

Postal name inside the township. A septic contractor handles the tank. Older houses have older pipe.

The hand-off on septic

The technician's job on a septic property stops at the tank. They clear what is inside the house and the pipe to the tank, and can tell you whether the tank inlet looks full. Pumping, tank work and the field are for a septic contractor.

See septic home drain clogs.

Choosing the right tool

Neither tool wins; each does a different job. Ask why if someone suggests jetting old pipe sight unseen.

See drain snaking and augering.

A toilet that keeps clogging

If it clogs once, look at the toilet. If the shower drain bubbles when the toilet flushes, the shared line is involved. In Alexandria Township, say whether the property is a house, a two-family or a business.

See clogged toilet.

Lines that freeze in garages and crawlspaces

A drain that works in the house and fails in the garage is a clue. In Pittstown, a utility sink or a laundry in a cold space is the normal suspect. If you are not sure whether it is ice or a clog, say what the weather has been.

Before you phone

Give the address, which fixtures are affected, how long it has been going on and what else was running. Note which fixtures are affected so the technician in Alexandria Township can plan the visit.

Old joints on low ground

Sand in a line is easy to misread as a blockage. It behaves like a hard, wet powder, settles in the lowest spot and builds up. The technician can tell it from grease on camera and from what comes out of the line.

See sewer camera inspection.

Clues in the order things go wrong

One slow fixture suggests a blockage in its own branch. Multiple slow drains, or a gurgle when something else drains, point to the main. Pass the pattern on to the dispatcher.

See main sewer line clogs.

Looking before cleaning

Hydro jetting is excellent on grease and light scale, yet it is the wrong tool for a line that has cracked or partly collapsed. A camera first shows what you are dealing with and sets the pressure. Tell the dispatcher which part of Alexandria Township the property is in.

See hydro jetting and sewer camera inspection.

Cleanouts: where to look

An accessible cleanout is not a given in Pittstown. If there is none, the technician can commonly work through a fixture, a vent or a trap. Installing a cleanout is a separate plumbing job, and often a good one if the pipe has needed several visits.

See cleanout location and access.

What a camera inspection shows

What a camera shows depends on how far it can travel and how clear the line is. It cannot see through a full clog; the technician clears first, then looks. Independent technicians do the work in Alexandria Township; this site only connects the call.

See sewer camera inspection.

What draws roots to a sewer line

Old trees are an asset in Pittstown, though not for old pipe. The roots need just a hairline gap at a joint. Cutting clears the line, yet roots usually grow back, and the drain technician can say how quickly from what the camera reveals.

See tree root removal.

Kitchen grease at home

Grease cools a few feet past the sink and clings to the wall, forming a collar that catches food and narrows the line a little more each week. Hot water moves it along but does not dissolve it. A cable clears a path; a jetter scours the wall. For a line that has clogged repeatedly, jetting is usually better.

See kitchen grease clogs.

Hair, soap and the drain stopper

In Pittstown homes, the lowest tub is frequently the first to tell you something is wrong with the main. If it fills when the toilet flushes or the washer drains, it is the messenger. Strainers stop hair clogs; they do nothing for the main.

See shower and tub drain cleaning.

Laundry drains and lint

In Pittstown, washer lint passes the filter and mats with soap down the line. A floor drain that fills as the washer drains points to the main.

See laundry drain clogs.

Gurgling and venting

Listen to where the gurgle comes from. A gurgle in the toilet when the tub drains means the two share a branch. A gurgle in the kitchen when the washer runs suggests the washer pipe is part-blocked.

See gurgling and slow drains.

Where smells come from

Do not assume a smell suggests a broken sewer pipe. In Pittstown homes, a trap, a dry floor drain or a grease film are far more usual. If cleaning the drain and refilling traps does not fix it, a camera can look for a sag or break.

See sewer smell in the house.

What the census numbers say about Alexandria Township

Alexandria Township is a township in Hunterdon County. The 2010 census counted 1,865 housing units across 27.64 square miles, a housing density of about 68 units per square mile.

In Alexandria Township, about 68 housing units sit on each square mile. Where homes are this spread out, a house can sit far from the street, and some properties may not be on public sewer. Say where the cleanout is, or that you do not know, and mention a septic tank if you have one. With 27.42 square miles of land, the address and nearest cross street matter when you call.

Named communities within Alexandria Township include Everittstown, Little York, Mount Pleasant, Pittstown and Swinesburg. Giving the community name along with your street helps dispatch place the address.

Alexandria Township is a township in Hunterdon County, incorporated in 1798. The 2020 census counted 4,809 residents, down 2.6% from 4,938 in 2010.

Communities within Alexandria Township

Alexandria Township includes Pittstown. These communities use their own postal names, so callers often give a postal name rather than the township’s. Each community is covered; tell the dispatcher your street and community.

• Pittstown is a rural section of Alexandria Township in Hunterdon County, with farms, large lots and older farmhouses.

What stands out in Alexandria Township

Alexandria Township sits along the Delaware River, which forms the state line with Pennsylvania on its western edge.