What is your drain doing?

Start with the symptom. Each page explains what usually causes it, what you can safely check yourself, when to stop, and what it costs to have it fixed.

Toilet keeps cloggingA toilet that clogs every few days has a cause: something stuck in the trap, a weak flush, or a problem further down the line. How to tell which.

Kitchen sink will not drainA kitchen sink that fills up and will not drain is almost always grease in the line past the trap. How to check, what to try, and when to stop.

Basement floor drain backing upWater or sewage coming up the basement floor drain means the main sewer line is blocked. What to do in the first ten minutes and what it costs to clear.

Gurgling drainsA drain that gurgles is pulling air through a trap because it cannot get it from the vent or because the line is partly blocked. How to tell which.

Sewer smell in the houseA sewer smell indoors means sewer gas is getting past a trap. The usual cause is a dry floor drain. How to find the source and when to call.

Every drain in the house is slowWhen every drain in the house is slow at once, the problem is not in any one of them. It is the main sewer line or the vent. What to check.

Standing water in the showerWater pooling around your feet in the shower is hair and soap in the trap nine times out of ten. How to clear it yourself and when it is something else.

Washing machine drain overflowingWater pouring out of the pipe behind the washer when it drains means the standpipe or the line past it is partly blocked with lint and soap.

Toilet bubbles when the shower runsBubbles in the toilet bowl when the shower, tub or washer drains mean air is being forced back through the toilet by a blocked drain or vent.

Tree roots in the sewer lineRoots get into old clay and concrete sewer pipe at the joints and block it again and again. The signs, the options and what each one costs.

Outdoor drain overflowingA driveway, patio or stairwell drain that floods in heavy rain is blocked with leaves and silt, or the line it feeds is. What to check before the next storm.

Garburator humming and not drainingA garburator that hums is jammed. One that runs but leaves water in the sink is blocked downstream. How to free it safely and when to replace it.

• Clogged toilet
• Clogged sink
• Clogged bathtub
• Clogged shower
• Clogged garburator
• Clogged sewer line
• Emergency drain service