Healthy Drains

Healthy drainage for happy bathrooms, comfortable kitchens

A healthy drain takes a “go with the flow” approach to water management. From the second you start your kitchen sink or bathroom shower head, well-designed and -maintained drainage systems direct water down and out. You won’t even notice a healthy drain at work.

DIY drain maintenance

When water stops going with the flow, here’s what you’ll notice: it lingers in the basin or drains unevenly. Things might sound different, like water is moving around or over a foreign object. A flashlight, plunger, snake, and gloves might be all you need to identify and remove the culprit. Check out our “Martens Minute” post, “Tips to fix a clogged sink.”

Don’t try DIY when ...

Martens plumbers and technicians make emergency and maintenance visits and offer free water analysis by appointment. Call anytime and call ASAP if you notice these signs of drain distress:

• Standing water at the bottom of a sink or shower.
• A bathroom that smells like a sewer. Healthy drains keep sewer gasses underground. If water drains properly but you smell sewage, our technicians bring sewer cameras and can make an expert diagnosis.
• Bathroom walls and floorboards feel “soft” or crack. Can you gently push shower tiles with a finger? Do they spring back? These are warning signs of behind-the-scenes water buildup. Trapped water does serious damage to surfaces and structures in your home.

Drainage designed well

Whether you’re building new or upgrading an older bathroom or kitchen, healthy drainage systems require technical and design expertise and premium materials. Martens designers and plumbers do it all: maintenance, retrofitting, and cutting-edge design and construction.

• Drainage system and floor design require lock-and-key compatibility. Sub-floor pitch and durable, impermeable materials guide wastewater to a grate/drainage trap.
• Grates are the gateway to any bathroom’s underground drainage system. A network of pipes, o-rings and adhesive materials deliver wastewater to secondary-sewer connections underground.
• Integrate premium pipes and materials with above-ground fixtures to ensure bathrooms and kitchens are high functioning and visually appealing. Options include double-flush toilets, smart technologies, flow-control valves, and brass, stainless steel, or copper faucets and handles.
• Exhaust fans and windows provide ventilation and complement any drainage system.