Stay Out of the Roto-Rooter Business!
Mobile home parks are one of the largest users of roto-rooter services. The habitual sewer clog is as much a part of park management as storing hay is for a farmer - it's just a natural byproduct of the business.
Why do mobile home park sewer lines clog so frequently, anyway? There's basically three reasons:
Cooking with lots of grease
Mobile home tenants are very big consumers of fried foods. That's how they maintain their healthy figures. And every time they fry something, whether it's bacon, or fried chicken, or French fries, they pour the grease down the drain. Sure, you were taught not to do that when you were 10, but mobile home park tenants don't really care since they don't own the sewer lines.
When the grease hits the water in the sewer line, it starts building up and collecting other grease, ultimately creating a "snowball" effect. When the ball becomes large enough, it closes off the sewer pipe.
No disposals
Mobile homes in most parks do not have kitchen disposals. As a result, big items that don't dissolve into water are introduced into the system, such as lemons and orange peels and other bulky masses. They collect with the grease balls, and shut down the line.
Bad behavior
Nobody ever said that mobile home park tenants are well behaved, but in the case of the sewer system, they are particularly bad. Many times, they will deliberately shove things into the sewer line (normally by removing clean-out caps) just to see what would happen. We have removed such items as Power Rangers and T-shirts and bricks. How did they get there? I'm pretty sure you can guess.
Alright, we've established that you are going to get sewer clogs - so how do you fix them?
Well, the worst thing you can do is to try and do it yourself. Fixing sewer clogs yourself is one of the all-time worst ideas you can have. Here's why:
You can't buy the professional grade equipment you really need
When you buy the roto-rooter machine at Home Depot, be advised that it is like a play toy of the real machine. That machine fits in the back of your car, the real machine takes up the entire back of a truck. In addition, the special fittings and blades that the pros use do not come with the Home Depot model. You need to be able to cut the clog into pieces - the Home Depot unit can only push it farther down the pipe.
There is a lot of liability when using the machine
Do you really think that your park manager or maintenance man is capable of running something like this without getting injured, or injuring people or property? Think again. The metal wire that pushes the machine forward can do incredible damage if not used correctly. It can cut off a hand or foot, or blind someone. It can easily knock a hole in a car door or in a neighboring trailer. Do you really want to be on the hook for that?
You don't mess with sewage
When you have a sewer clog, bad things can happen. You can get sewage backing up in the houses, or coming out of the ground via the clean outs. Plus, your tenants can't use the bathroom. As a result, the city inspector will get called, and he will be all over you. If the spill is bad enough, you may have to do a Phase I environmental assessment. That's a huge impact to your business.
If you want to try painting the laundry building, who cares? Want to plant some bushes? Go ahead. But only a idiot would mess with their own sewer. The risk/reward is just not there.
Conclusion
A roto-rooter service in most markets is about $250. That's a bargain. Call the professionals and save yourself a lot of aggravation, time and risk.
Why do mobile home park sewer lines clog so frequently, anyway? There's basically three reasons:
Cooking with lots of grease
Mobile home tenants are very big consumers of fried foods. That's how they maintain their healthy figures. And every time they fry something, whether it's bacon, or fried chicken, or French fries, they pour the grease down the drain. Sure, you were taught not to do that when you were 10, but mobile home park tenants don't really care since they don't own the sewer lines.
When the grease hits the water in the sewer line, it starts building up and collecting other grease, ultimately creating a "snowball" effect. When the ball becomes large enough, it closes off the sewer pipe.
No disposals
Mobile homes in most parks do not have kitchen disposals. As a result, big items that don't dissolve into water are introduced into the system, such as lemons and orange peels and other bulky masses. They collect with the grease balls, and shut down the line.
Bad behavior
Nobody ever said that mobile home park tenants are well behaved, but in the case of the sewer system, they are particularly bad. Many times, they will deliberately shove things into the sewer line (normally by removing clean-out caps) just to see what would happen. We have removed such items as Power Rangers and T-shirts and bricks. How did they get there? I'm pretty sure you can guess.
Alright, we've established that you are going to get sewer clogs - so how do you fix them?
Well, the worst thing you can do is to try and do it yourself. Fixing sewer clogs yourself is one of the all-time worst ideas you can have. Here's why:
You can't buy the professional grade equipment you really need
When you buy the roto-rooter machine at Home Depot, be advised that it is like a play toy of the real machine. That machine fits in the back of your car, the real machine takes up the entire back of a truck. In addition, the special fittings and blades that the pros use do not come with the Home Depot model. You need to be able to cut the clog into pieces - the Home Depot unit can only push it farther down the pipe.
There is a lot of liability when using the machine
Do you really think that your park manager or maintenance man is capable of running something like this without getting injured, or injuring people or property? Think again. The metal wire that pushes the machine forward can do incredible damage if not used correctly. It can cut off a hand or foot, or blind someone. It can easily knock a hole in a car door or in a neighboring trailer. Do you really want to be on the hook for that?
You don't mess with sewage
When you have a sewer clog, bad things can happen. You can get sewage backing up in the houses, or coming out of the ground via the clean outs. Plus, your tenants can't use the bathroom. As a result, the city inspector will get called, and he will be all over you. If the spill is bad enough, you may have to do a Phase I environmental assessment. That's a huge impact to your business.
If you want to try painting the laundry building, who cares? Want to plant some bushes? Go ahead. But only a idiot would mess with their own sewer. The risk/reward is just not there.
Conclusion
A roto-rooter service in most markets is about $250. That's a bargain. Call the professionals and save yourself a lot of aggravation, time and risk.
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