Drain Cleaning in Phoenix

Start with a simple question: how many fixtures are acting up? The answer tells you which part of the plumbing has the problem, and it changes what we do.

One fixture is slow or stopped. The clog is on that fixture's own branch line, usually hair, soap scum or food waste in a sink, tub or shower. This is the simplest kind of clog to clear. Our guide to fixing a slow-draining sink covers what you can safely try first.

Several fixtures are slow at once. When a shower gurgles as the washing machine drains, or a toilet bubbles when you run the kitchen sink, the blockage is in the shared drain or the main sewer line. Waste finds the lowest opening first, so the tub or a floor drain is often where it shows up. Here is how to tell a main line clog from a single drain clog. If it is the main line, stop running water and call us.

The same drain clogs again and again. A repeat clog means something is still in the pipe: a grease coating, scale, roots or a bad joint. See why the same drain keeps clogging. This is where a camera and, often, hydro jetting pay off.

We carry four different types of drain cleaning machines on the truck, so the machine fits the drain instead of the other way around. That choice matters more than most people think.

A bathtub, kitchen sink or bathroom sink drain is small pipe. The plumbing code Phoenix enforces sets the minimum trap size at 1 1/4 inches for a bathroom sink and 1 1/2 inches for a tub or a kitchen sink. We clear those drains with a small cable, 1/4 inch and never more than 1/2 inch. We feed it far enough to drop into the main, where the larger pipe is, and run it through the line several times so the whole drain is clear, not just the first few feet.

You never want a plumber running a large machine through a bathtub or kitchen drain. A heavy cable built for a main sewer line is the wrong size for those small pipes and their tight bends, and it can damage your lines. The big machines go in at a cleanout, on the main line, where they belong. More on the tools in the difference between a toilet auger and a drain snake.

We do not post prices on this page because the job decides the price, not a menu. Here is what changes it:

• Which line is blocked. A fixture branch is a smaller job than a main sewer line.
• How far in the clog sits and how much access we have. A cleanout close to the blockage saves time. Without one, we may have to work through a fixture or the roof vent.
• The method the clog needs. A cable pass, hydro jetting or a camera inspection each take different equipment and time.
• What is causing it. Grease, roots and scale take longer than a hair clog.
• When you call. A middle-of-the-night emergency call is a different visit from a scheduled one, and the estimate reflects that.

The way to get an exact number is the free estimate. You get the price up front, before any work starts. Simple as that.

If a drain is backing up, these steps help and none of them make it worse:

• Stop running water in the house, including the washer and dishwasher.
• Do not flush the toilets again if sewage is coming up.
• Keep kids and pets away from any standing wastewater.
• Skip the chemical drain opener. Caustic cleaners can burn skin on contact, and they leave a hazard for whoever works on the line next.
• Tell us if you already used one, and where it went.

For small clogs you can handle yourself, our guides on a bathtub that will not drain and a toilet that keeps clogging walk through the safe steps. To keep drains clear afterward, see what not to put down the drain.