Drain cleaning in Los Angeles that clears the line, not just the sink

Bathroom sink and tub lines are small, usually inch-and-a-quarter or inch-and-a-half. A small drum cable with a bulb head or a small cutter clears hair and soap without scraping old pipe too hard. Kitchen lines are larger and the clog is usually grease, so we use a cable with a cutting head that cuts through the buildup instead of just poking a hole in it.

Laundry and floor drains often run longer distances to reach the main, sometimes under the slab, and they collect lint, sand and debris. A sectional machine with a larger cable reaches farther and has the torque to push through packed sediment. Choosing the wrong size cable either fails to clear the line or risks damaging older pipe.

Where a line is coated top to bottom with grease, cabling only opens a channel. Scouring the pipe with high-pressure water cleans it back to the pipe wall, and we suggest it when we see that pattern.

The most useful question when you call us is which fixtures are affected. A single slow sink points to a branch clog. When the lowest fixtures in the house act up together, for example a toilet bubbling when the washer drains, or water appearing in the shower after a flush, the problem is downstream in the main sewer line.

Branch clogs are cleared from inside the house. Main line clogs are cleared from a sewer cleanout outside, with a larger machine, and are covered in our main sewer clog service. Getting this right at the start saves you from paying to clear a sink drain when the real blockage is under the front yard.

• One fixture slow: usually a branch drain clog
• Several fixtures slow on one side: shared branch line
• Lowest fixtures backing up together: main sewer line
• Gurgling with no slowdown: possible vent blockage

Kitchen clogs are mostly fats, oils and grease that cool and harden on the pipe wall, plus starchy food such as rice and pasta that swells. A garbage disposal grinds food finer but doesn't stop grease, and it can add ground-up fibers that bind with it. If your disposal hums or leaves food in the sink, a disposal repair may be part of the fix.

Bathroom clogs are hair bound with soap and conditioner residue. Hard water adds a layer: in much of Los Angeles, minerals from the water supply build scale inside drain lines and traps, which narrows the pipe and gives hair more to snag on.

Older homes add their own causes. Galvanized drain lines rust from the inside and close down over decades. Cast iron develops rough scale that catches everything. In those homes, a cleared drain may still be slow, and a camera look tells us whether the pipe itself is the problem.

Small habits make a big difference. Wipe grease from pans into the trash before washing them. Use a hair catcher in every shower and tub. Run hot water for a minute after the disposal finishes. Clean the lint trap and avoid washing heavily sandy items without shaking them out first.

Skip caustic drain chemicals. They often don't reach the clog, they sit in the trap and attack old metal pipe and rubber seals, and they make the job more dangerous for anyone who has to open the line afterward. Enzyme-based cleaners used monthly are a gentler maintenance option for kitchen lines.