Clogged drain, one fixture

What the work is

A single slow fixture is usually a local blockage: hair and soap in a lavatory arm, grease in a kitchen line, a toy in a toilet. We cable that branch through the nearest access, run water long enough to be sure it is actually clear, and put everything back.

The part that matters is the diagnosis, not the cable. If one fixture is slow, it is a branch problem. If the lowest fixture in the house gurgles when you run another one, or a shower backs up when the washing machine drains, that is the main line and a different job. We will tell you which one you have before we quote it, and we would rather send you to the cheaper answer.

We do not add a chemical drain opener to anything. Caustic openers sit in the trap when they fail to clear it, and the next person to open that joint gets it on their hands.

What is different here

Two things show up in older St. George houses more than anywhere else. Cast iron drains that have started to scale internally will re-clog on a schedule no matter how well you cable them; the cable opens a channel through the buildup rather than restoring the pipe. And on hard water a kitchen line collects a harder deposit than grease alone.

If you have had the same line cleared more than twice in a year, ask for a camera rather than a third cabling. A recording will tell you whether you are paying to reopen a pipe that needs replacing.