My drain will not drain
Check whether other fixtures are also slow. One slow fixture is usually a local blockage in that trap or branch. Several fixtures backing up, especially on the lowest level, means the blockage is in a shared line or the main and needs different equipment.
Do this first
- Stop running water into that fixture.
- Check the tub, shower, sinks, and laundry. Note which are slow and which are fine.
- If only one is affected, a plunger or removing the trap may clear it.
- If several are affected, do not keep running water. Call and tell us which fixtures.
What it usually is
- Hair and soap in a branch lineBathroom fixtures, and usually clearable at or near the fixture.
- Grease in a kitchen lineBuilds on the pipe wall over time. Cabling opens a channel; the coating stays.
- Roots in the mainEnter through joints that have already opened. Typical of older lines with trees nearby.
- A structural problemA bellied section holding water, or a break. Repeat blockages point here.
When to call, and when it can wait
If you do need us
Map which fixtures
Branch or main is the first determination and it is free to make.
Clear it appropriately
Cabling where that solves it, jetting where buildup is the cause.
Camera on repeats
If it has blocked before, we look instead of clearing it again.
Flush test
Run water and confirm the line carries it before we call it done.
Houston note
Houston's flat grade means drain lines here often have less fall to work with than in hillier cities, which makes bellied sections and slow-draining runs more common. If a line has always been slow rather than recently becoming slow, that is often why.
Related problems
What moves the price
- LINEA fixture branch, a stack, or the main.
- METHODCabling versus jetting, and whether a camera is needed.
- ACCESSWhether a usable cleanout exists.
Questions about this
Are chemical drain cleaners a bad idea?
For regular use, yes. Caustic products can damage older metal pipe and fixture seals, and they mask a developing problem rather than solving it. Occasional enzyme products are fine. If a drain needs chemicals routinely, it needs looking at.
Why does the same drain keep blocking?
Because clearing a blockage and removing its cause are different things. Grease coating, a bellied section, or a break all cause a line to close again on a schedule. A camera answers which, and it costs less than clearing it four more times.
Is hydro jetting safe on old pipe?
Not always. Sound pipe handles it well; cast iron that has thinned from the inside can be damaged by full pressure. We camera pipe of unknown condition before jetting rather than finding out afterwards.
Not sure how urgent it is?
Describe what is happening and we will tell you straight: call an emergency out now, book it for today, or leave it until the week.