Drain Cleaning in Denver

Most clogs follow the fixture. Kitchen lines collect fats, oils and food scraps that cool and stick to the pipe wall. Bathroom sinks and tubs collect hair bound up with soap. Toilets clog on paper, or on things that should never be flushed. The City and County of Denver's wastewater guidance tells residents not to pour grease down disposals, toilets or floor drains and not to flush wipes, diapers or hygiene products.

Main line clogs are a different category:

• Tree roots grow toward moisture and enter through joints in older clay or cast iron sewer pipe.
• Offset or broken joints leave a lip that catches paper and solids.
• Sags (bellies) hold standing water and let waste settle out.
• Grease from years of kitchen use can narrow the line well past the kitchen.

Freeze-thaw cycles and the expansive clay soils in parts of the Front Range can shift buried pipe. A clog caused by pipe damage keeps returning, and that calls for sewer line repair.

The right tool depends on what is in the pipe and what condition the pipe is in.

For an older home with a clay or cast iron lateral, we usually clear the line with a cable first and look with a camera before deciding on jetting, because jetting a cracked pipe can make the crack worse. On a newer PVC line coated with grease, jetting is often the better first choice since it cleans the whole pipe wall.

If more than one fixture is affected, and especially if water shows up at the lowest drain in the house, assume the main line is involved.

Denver maintains the public sewer mains. According to the city's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, the service line (lateral) from the house to the main is the property owner's responsibility, up to and including the tap into the main. If neighbors are backing up at the same time, the public main may be the problem, and the city's Wastewater Management division asks residents to report sewer backups. Other cities and sanitation districts set their own rules, so confirm with your utility.

Repeat main line clogs deserve a camera inspection rather than another cleaning. If roots are the only issue, scheduled plumbing maintenance may keep the line open.

1. Stop running water to the affected fixtures, or to the whole house if the main line is involved.
2. Skip the chemicals. Caustic cleaner sitting in a blocked line makes the job slower and more dangerous to open.
3. Find the cleanout if you can. It is usually a capped fitting on the main drain, often in the basement near where the sewer line leaves the house. Some homes have an outdoor cleanout near the foundation.
4. Clear access to the cleanout, the affected fixtures and the floor drain, including stored boxes and furniture.
5. Note the pattern: which fixtures backed up, in what order, and what was running at the time.

If the cleanout area is flooded, leave the cap alone; opening it under pressure can release a surge of sewage. If the trouble turns out to be a cracked or corroded section inside the house, our pipe repair page covers what comes next.