The first few days
- A little gurgling or a brief smell for a day is normal. The pipe has air and loosened residue moving through it.
- Run hot tap water for a minute or two that evening and the next day. It carries loosened material the rest of the way out.
- If we opened a trap or pulled a toilet, glance under the sink or around the base of the toilet the next morning. A drip there should be fixed, so call us.
- If it slows again within a few days, call. That usually means there is more in the pipe than a cable could reach, or something wrong with the pipe itself.
Keeping each drain clear
| Kitchen sink | Wipe grease and oil out of pans with paper towel and put it in the green bin. Use a strainer in the sink. Run cold water with the garburator and for a few seconds after it. |
|---|---|
| Tub and shower | Use a hair catcher and empty it. Once a month, take the stopper out and pull the hair off it. |
| Toilet | Only toilet paper and what your body makes. Wipes labelled flushable do not break down in the pipe. |
| Floor drain | Pour a jug of water in every month or two so the trap does not dry out and let sewer gas in. |
| Main sewer line | If roots were the cause, they grow back. Plan on clearing the line again in a year or two, or have the line inspected by camera and fix the spot they get in. |
A one-page list for the fridge is here: what not to put down the drain.
Do not top it up with drain cleaner
Monthly doses of chemical drain cleaner do not keep a drain clear. They sit in the trap, attack older pipe and fittings, and make the drain hazardous for whoever opens it next. Hot water and a strainer do more. The longer version is on skip the drain cleaner.
If the same drain blocks again
We show you the drain running before we leave. After that we cannot control what goes down it, so clearing a drain does not come with a guarantee that it will never block again. That is in our booking terms, and it is true of every drain cleaner, whatever their advertising says.
What we will do is come back and look. Then one of three things is true:
| There is a new blockage | Something new has gone down. Clearing it is a new job at the regular price. |
|---|---|
| The first clearing did not get it all | Heavy grease or roots can leave more behind than a cable removes. The fix is usually hydro jetting, which scours the full width of the pipe. |
| The pipe is the problem | A sag, a crack, an offset joint or a section that has collapsed will catch debris again and again. A camera inspection shows it, and then you can decide between living with regular cleaning and a repair. |
As a rule of thumb, a drain that blocks twice in a year deserves a camera before it gets a third cable.
Call us back if
- More than one fixture backs up at once
- Water comes up in a floor drain, a tub or a shower when something else drains
- It blocked again within days
- There is a sewage smell that does not go away
Call 1-800-604-0631, any hour.
Questions people ask
How long should a cleared drain stay clear?
A fixture clog cleared at the trap or branch line should stay clear for years if nothing goes down that should not. A main line cleared of roots usually needs doing again in one to two years unless the pipe is repaired.
Is there a warranty on drain cleaning?
No. We show you the drain working before we leave, but nobody can warrant what goes down a drain afterwards. If it blocks again, call and we will come back and look.
Why did my drain smell after it was cleared?
Clearing a line stirs up what was lining it. Running hot water for a couple of minutes usually ends it within a day. A smell that stays points to a dry trap or a vent problem. See sewer smell in the house.
Should I get a camera inspection after a clog?
For a single hair or paper clog, no. For a main line, for any drain that has blocked before, or for a house with big trees or old pipe, yes. It costs $249 added to a clog visit.