West Linn Drain Cleaning Service: Slow Drains, Backups and What Needs a Camera

One drain or several: the question that decides the job

How many drains are affected is the fastest way to tell where the clog is.

Several drains gurgling or backing up together usually means the problem is past the fixtures. That is covered on the sewer line inspection page, which also explains who owns which part of the line.

Drain cleaning and clog removal: what the visit covers

Drain cleaning and unclogging means opening the blocked line and confirming water moves freely. Blockage removal for a kitchen sink, a tub, a floor drain or a main line follows the same logic: find where the clog is, pick a tool that suits the pipe, and test it afterward.

How a clogged drain is cleared

For one fixture, the plumber starts with the trap and the drain under the fixture. A hand auger or a small drain machine breaks through or pulls out the blockage, and the line is flushed and tested.

For a larger line, a motorized machine with a cutting head is run through the pipe from a cleanout, which is a capped opening in the drain line, often outside the house or in the basement or garage. Finding where yours is saves time on the call.

1. Locate the clog. The plumber works out whether it is in one fixture or the shared line.
2. Clear it. A hand tool or machine opens the line, using a method that suits the pipe.
3. Check the result. Water is run through to confirm that it drains freely.
4. Explain the cause. You hear what likely caused it so it does not return quickly.

If the same drain slows again within weeks of a cleaning, the pipe itself may be the problem, and a camera shows more than another cleaning will.

Drain camera inspection: when looking beats guessing

A small camera on a flexible cable goes into the drain and shows what is inside. It can show roots, a crushed or offset pipe, grease buildup or a dropped object. It turns a guess into a finding.

Ask for the recording or a screenshot of what it found. That is useful if you need a second opinion or have to show the City or an insurer what was wrong.

What not to pour down a drain

• Grease and cooking oil: they cool and harden in the pipe. Wipe pans into the trash first.
• Wipes, including those sold as flushable: they do not break up like toilet paper.
• Hair and soap scum: a strainer in the tub or shower catches most of it.
• Coffee grounds and food scraps: a garbage disposal grinds them, but they can still settle in the line.
• Chemical drain cleaners: they can harm some pipes and are a hazard to the next person who opens the trap. Tell the plumber if you have used one.

A disposal that hums but does not turn is a separate problem, covered on the jammed disposal repair page.

Stormwater and foundation drains are not for the sewer

West Linn Code §4.030(9) does not allow roof downspouts, foundation drains and other stormwater to connect to a building sewer that drains to the sanitary sewer unless the City has approved it in writing. If your drains back up mostly during heavy rain, say so on the call. A tie-in like that is a code question to raise with the City, not something to fix by cleaning.

French drains, perimeter drains and sump pumps are separate drainage systems. This page covers the drain lines inside and under your house. French drain installation and other drainage system installation outside the house are not part of it.

Why a drain keeps clogging

A drain that clears and then slows again is telling you something. Grease that coated the pipe, hair caught in a rough joint, a pipe with a sag, or roots entering a joint can each bring a clog back.

A cleaning treats the symptom. If the same drain clogs again in a few weeks, ask for a camera look so the cause is found instead of cleared again and again.

Kitchen, basement and commercial drains

Kitchen drains clog most often with grease and food. Basement and floor drains can back up when the main line does, and a floor drain that gurgles is a warning. Commercial kitchen and grease drains work at a larger scale, so mention it on the call and the plumber can tell you whether the job fits. Cleaning a kitchen exhaust hood is not plumbing work at all.

For heavy buildup that a cutting head cannot clear, see the page on hydro jetting services, which explains when high-pressure water is the better tool.

Details to give when you call about a clog

• Which fixtures are slow or backing up, and since when.
• Whether the toilets, tubs and sinks are all affected.
• Whether you have used a plunger or a chemical cleaner.
• Where the cleanout is, if you know.
• Whether the backup gets worse after rain or after laundry.

Drain cleaning questions