Sewer cleaning in Denver may not be the most exciting topic, but it is interesting to learn about how it started and where it is now, because it can determine how you spend your hard-earned money. And money is an exciting topic, especially when we are saving it!
Sewer Cleaning in Denver
Did you know Garvin’s was the first sewer cleaning company in Denver? It’s true! Russell P. Garvin franchised the first sewer and drain cleaning company in the area in 1940. Fifty years later, he separated from that franchise because he believed it better served his customers to not pass on high marketing costs associated with it, birthing Garvin’s Sewer Service. Russell has long passed, but his namesake company remains.
Imagine Denver in 1940
Brown Palace Circa 1935-1940 © HistoricalFindings
Twenty years before the Denver Bronco’s came about and only fifty years after the Brown Palace was built, Garvin’s came to be. It was just after WWII, and the Great Depression was coming to an end.
“Denver’s expansion during the 1940s “was the greatest growth since the 1880s,” said [historian Tom] Noel. “Before that, it had just grown 30,000 or 40,000 people. It was the first big boom since the 1880s gold rush. There was even more dramatic growth in the suburbs…'” Source: Denver Post
How Has Sewer Cleaning Changed?
In 1940, Garvin’s used a truck mounted sewer cleaning machine that was a tightly wound cable with a bladed end that would be manually fed into a sewer line to spin inside the pipe, cutting away debris and pushing it through to the larger city main lines or irrigation ditches.
Today, the same technology is used, but on much smaller units. This is a tried and true method that still works, so Garvin’s continues to rely on it.
Additional technologies have been developed through the years that include water jetting, which is recommended for commercial use only. Smaller tools, such as an auger, are used for minor lines and clogs such as toilets, but are based on the same cable-type system. Video sewer inspections don’t clean lines, but they show the condition of lines and are ideal for discovering problem areas for potential cleaning or sewer line replacement.
Professional drain and sewer cleaning technicians know when to use which tools for the job at hand. Denver’s Garvin’s Sewer Service uses the right equipment with the right methods to give you the sewer and drain cleaning services you need to get the job done right the first time. Effective, reliable, and time-honored, we look forward to serving you!