Services
Drain Cleaning in Richmond, VA
Slow sinks, backed-up toilets and floor drains that gurgle, cleared and checked, with a camera look at the line when the clog keeps coming back.
Drain cleaning
Drain cleaning in Richmond covers everything from a bathroom sink that takes a minute to empty to a main sewer line that sends water up through the basement floor drain every time the washer runs. Most of these calls are simple: hair, soap, grease or wipes caught a short way down the pipe, cleared in one visit. The rest are the ones that come back, and those deserve a proper look before anyone talks about digging.
How a drain call works
You book a service call and hear its price before anyone drives out. The plumber asks which drains are slow, whether more than one fixture is affected and how long it has been going on, because those answers tell us whether the clog sits in a single branch or in the main line. Then the drain is cleared with a cable sized for the pipe, and run with hot water until it flows at full speed. Nothing beyond the clearing is done until you have a written price for it.
Kitchen, bathroom and main line
- Kitchen sinks. Grease is the usual cause. It goes down warm and liquid, cools further along the pipe and builds into a sticky layer that catches everything after it. A cable opens the line, and we tell you what helps keep it open.
- Bathroom sinks and tubs. Hair and soap build up just below the stopper and in the trap. Cleaning the stopper and the trap clears most of them without opening anything.
- Toilets. A toilet that clogs over and over can have something stuck in its trapway, a weak flush or a partial blockage in the line below. We find out which before suggesting a new toilet.
- Floor drains and the main line. When the lowest drains in the house back up first, the main line to the street is the likely cause. In older Richmond neighborhoods and on wooded lots in Midlothian, tree roots in old clay or cast iron joints are the usual reason.
When a clog keeps coming back
A drain that needs clearing every few months is telling you something about the pipe, not just about what goes down it. A camera inspection shows the inside of the line, so you can see whether the trouble is a single root intrusion at one joint, a belly that holds water and waste, a section that has cracked or collapsed, or a pipe that is simply full of buildup. Each answer leads to a different fix, and only one of them means replacing pipe.
Other companies sometimes quote a full sewer line replacement on the first visit. We prefer to show you the footage first. Often the line is sound apart from one bad joint, and clearing the roots on a schedule or repairing that one spot costs a fraction of a new line. When the line really has failed, you see that on the screen too, and the written quote shows what replacing or lining it involves.
Hydro jetting
For grease-packed kitchen lines and roots in a main line, a cable sometimes only punches a hole through the blockage. A water jetter scours the full width of the pipe with high-pressure water, which clears more and lasts longer. It is not right for every pipe, since old or cracked lines can be damaged, so we look with the camera first and recommend it only where the pipe can take it.
Keeping drains clear
Keep grease out of the kitchen sink by wiping pans into the trash before washing them. Put a strainer in every tub and shower. Don’t flush wipes, even the kinds labeled flushable, because they don’t break down the way paper does. If you have big trees near the sewer line, ask about a camera check before the roots become a backup.
Slow drains in a house with old pipes are sometimes a sign of the pipes themselves wearing out, which our repiping page explains. Backups at night or on weekends are covered by our emergency plumbing service. We clear drains across Richmond, Glen Allen and Midlothian.
Drain cleaning by town
- Drain cleaning in Richmond, VAFrom the Fan and Church Hill row houses to the brick ranches on the South Side, we fix leaks, clear drains and replace tired pipes and water heaters across the city.
- Drain cleaning in Glen Allen, VANewer subdivisions and older homes off Mountain Road alike: water heaters, slow drains and the plastic supply lines that split behind a wall.
- Drain cleaning in Midlothian, VAWooded lots, long sewer runs and roots that find every joint, plus winter nights cold enough to split a pipe in a crawl space.
Guides
Questions about drain cleaning
Do drain cleaning chemicals from the store work?
Sometimes, on a soft clog close to the drain. They rarely clear grease or roots further down the line, and they sit in the pipe and wear it when they don't. If a bottle hasn't worked, don't pour in a second one before we come, and tell the plumber what you used so it can be handled safely.
What is a camera inspection?
A small waterproof camera on a long cable goes down the line and shows the inside of the pipe on a screen. You see what we see, whether it is grease, roots, a crushed section or a sag that holds water, and we can mark on the ground where the problem sits.
Why does my drain gurgle?
Gurgling usually means air is being pulled through water in a trap because the drain or its vent is partly blocked. On one fixture it is often a local clog. On several fixtures at once, especially the lowest ones in the house, it points to the main line.
Is a backed-up main line my problem or the city's?
In most of the area the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral from the house to the public main, usually at or near the property line. If a camera shows the blockage is past your section, we tell you and you can call the utility for Richmond, Henrico or Chesterfield.
