Main Line Clog Clearing
Root-filled clay laterals back up into the lowest tub or floor drain, often right after laundry day or a holiday with a full house.
See the detailsPlumbers for Inglewood houses and apartment buildings (90301)
If your Inglewood house or building keeps backing up at the lowest drain, the sewer lateral under the yard is usually the cause. We clear it, put a camera through it and show you what is actually down there.
Plumbing in Inglewood, in short
Inglewood calls lean toward sewer and drain work: clay and cast iron laterals under pre-1970s houses, root intrusion from mature trees and grease-loaded lines in apartment buildings. We also replace aging water heaters and repair gas lines. Each sewer call ends with a camera inspection, so you see the pipe's condition before deciding on any repair.
How we cover Inglewood
Much of Inglewood was built out between the 1920s and the 1950s, and the plumbing shows it. Bungalows and Spanish-style houses on raised foundations sit beside post-war stucco homes and a large stock of two-story apartment buildings. Clay sewer laterals with mortar joints were standard for most of that period, and after decades of settling and root growth many have offset joints, cracks or low spots that hold water and waste. A main line stoppage is often the first sign of trouble.
Inglewood sits between the 405 and the 105, close to the airport, the Baldwin Hills and neighboring Hawthorne, and much of its water comes from the city's own water system rather than LADWP. Hard imported water still builds scale in tanks and fixtures here, the same as across the basin. Permits for heater swaps, repipes and gas work go through Inglewood's building department, and we handle that as part of the job.
Homes and pipes
Inglewood homes and the pipes under them
- Raised-floor bungalowsOlder houses in Morningside Park and around downtown Inglewood often have crawl spaces, so we can reach drain and supply lines without breaking concrete.
- Clay and cast iron lateralsHouses from before the 1970s typically drain through clay or cast iron to the street. Joints shift, roots work their way in and cast iron rusts along the bottom.
- Two-story apartment buildingsCourtyard and stacked apartment buildings share drain lines between units, so one slow kitchen line can affect several households at once.
- Galvanized supply in older homesHouses that were never repiped still carry galvanized steel lines that rust from the inside, cutting pressure and staining the water.
What people call about
What Inglewood property owners call us for most
Sewer Line Repair
Once a camera shows a broken joint or a collapsed section, a spot repair or a new length of pipe stops the repeat backups.
See the detailsDrain Cleaning
Apartment kitchens and bathrooms clog more often than single-family lines because one stack serves several units.
See the detailsWater Heater Replacement
Older tanks in garages and service porches wear out from scale, and replacements need two seismic straps and proper venting.
See the detailsGas Line Repair
Older black iron gas piping, flex connectors and corroded meter fittings turn up on gas smell calls and during appliance swaps.
See the detailsWhole-House Repiping
Houses with original galvanized lines eventually reach the point where patching leaks costs more than replacing the supply.
See the detailsHow we handle a sewer backup at an Inglewood property
The first step is getting the line open. We look for an existing cleanout near the foundation or by the sidewalk, and if the house has none, we may pull a toilet to reach the line. Clearing from a cleanout is faster and puts less strain on the fixtures. For root masses in clay, a cutting head on a cable machine usually opens the pipe, and high-pressure water jetting scours the walls clean afterward.
Once the line flows, the camera goes in. On older Inglewood laterals we often find roots at every joint, a belly where the pipe has sagged, or cast iron with its bottom worn thin. Each calls for a different answer. Roots in otherwise sound clay can be kept in check with cleaning, a single broken joint can be dug and replaced, and a lateral failing along its whole length is a candidate for trenchless pipe bursting or lining.
For apartment buildings, we also look at how the building is laid out. Many have one main leaving the property and several branches joining it under the slab or crawl space. Adding a properly placed cleanout at the right junction means the next stoppage can be cleared without entering a tenant's unit. We write up what we found so the owner has a record of the pipe's condition.
Questions we hear
Questions from Inglewood
Why does my Inglewood house back up at the tub when the washer drains?
The tub is usually the lowest drain in the house, so when the main lateral is partly blocked, water from the washer has nowhere to go and rises there first. In older Inglewood homes the blockage is often roots or a sag in the clay pipe. Clearing the line and running a camera tells you whether it is a one-time clog or a pipe defect.
Do Inglewood homes need a permit to replace a sewer lateral?
Yes. Replacing or substantially repairing a sewer lateral is permitted work, and in Inglewood that goes through the city rather than LADBS. Work in the public right of way may also need city approval. We handle the permit and inspection as part of the job and explain any street or sidewalk work before we start digging.
Is trenchless sewer replacement possible on older Inglewood lots?
On most lots, yes. Pipe bursting needs a pit at each end, usually near the house and near the property line, while lining works through cleanouts. We check the line on camera first. Heavy offsets, a collapsed section or a lateral that changes direction several times can make trenchless harder, and we tell you when a short open trench makes more sense.
How often should an Inglewood apartment building have its drains cleaned?
It depends on the building, but stacks that serve several kitchens need attention more often than bathroom lines. We usually suggest a camera look at the main and the busiest branches, then a cleaning schedule based on what we find rather than a fixed calendar. Our guide on roots in clay sewer pipe covers the warning signs between visits.
Next door
Nearby areas we also cover
Hawthorne 90250
Leak detection, slab leak repair, water heaters and drains for Hawthorne's post-war houses and its many apartment buildings, at any hour.
Local detailsLos Angeles 90014
Plumbing repair and replacement across the City of Los Angeles, from downtown and the Valley flats to the harbor, answered around the clock.
Local detailsCompton 90220
Older Compton houses with clay sewer laterals and galvanized supply lines. We clear, camera and repair them, and we answer the phone around the clock.
Local detailsTorrance 90503
Water heater replacement, tankless service, leak detection and drain work for Torrance ranch homes, Old Torrance houses and coastal streets.
Local detailsPlumbing trouble in Inglewood?
One phone line, answered around the clock. Tell us the street and what you are seeing.