Drain Cleaning in Raleigh, NC

One drain or the whole house?

Start by noticing which fixtures are affected. That tells a plumber where to look.

• A single sink, tub or shower: usually hair, soap residue or food waste in the trap or branch line.
• Two fixtures in the same bathroom: the clog may sit in the shared branch.
• Gurgling toilets, water rising in a tub or floor drain when the washer drains, or every drain slow at once: a blockage in the main line that carries everything to the sewer.

A main line problem gets worse with every use. Cut back on water until it's cleared.

What causes clogs

Kitchen lines collect cooking grease that hardens on pipe walls and traps food scraps. Bathroom drains catch hair and soap. "Flushable" wipes don't break down the way toilet paper does. In the yard, tree roots can work into joints on older clay or cast iron sewer pipes, a concern in Raleigh's older in-town neighborhoods and the roughly 23% of homes built before 1980.

How a plumber clears it

For most clogs, a motorized cable is run through the drain or a cleanout to break up the blockage. If grease, scale or roots keep returning, water jetting scours the inside of the pipe. When a main line clogs repeatedly, a camera inspection can show whether there's a sag, crack or root intrusion that cleaning alone won't solve.

Is the blockage yours or the City's?

If wastewater is coming out of a manhole or a cleanout near the street, or neighbors are having the same problem, call Raleigh Water Customer Care at 919-996-3245 and press 2. The City says that line handles sewer backups and overflows, including after hours. If the public sewer is flowing normally, the clog is in your private line, and that's where a plumber comes in.

Go easy on chemicals

Store-bought drain chemicals rarely fix a main line clog and can be hard on older pipes. They also make the job less safe for whoever cleans the drain next. A plunger on a single fixture is fine to try first.

What affects the cost

Which line is blocked, whether there's an accessible cleanout, how far in the clog sits, whether jetting or a camera is needed, and the time of the visit. Ask what's included before work begins.