Clogged Drain Cleaning in Alabama

What clogs a drain changes across Alabama. Older neighborhoods have cast iron and clay sewer lines under big trees, newer subdivisions mostly see grease and wipes in PVC pipe, and many rural homes depend on a septic tank. Find your city below, or the one closest to you. On each city page you will find a rough cost range, notes on local soil and trees, and one number for a local plumber.

Red clay holds water against buried pipe in Alabama, and a long, wet growing season gives oak, pine and sweetgum roots plenty of time to find a cracked sewer line. Heavy thunderstorms and Gulf storms saturate the soil fast, which is when a weak septic system shows it, and many rural homes depend on septic. Older houses on slabs or crawl spaces may still have cast iron or clay drain pipe. When several drains slow down after a hard rain, the trouble is often outside the house.

• Red clay that holds water against buried sewer lines
• Roots from oaks, pines and sweetgums
• Septic systems across much of the countryside
• Thunderstorms and Gulf storms that soak the ground
• Cast iron or clay drain pipe in many older homes

Ask whether the plumber can tell a full septic tank from a blocked line before they start clearing it.

• Kitchen sink. Cooking grease and oil that cool and harden on the pipe wall, plus food scraps, coffee grounds and soap scum that stick to it. A garbage disposal sends more solids down, not fewer.
• Bathroom sink. Hair mixed with soap, toothpaste and shaving residue, caught on the pop-up stopper or in the trap. Small items dropped down the drain add to it.
• Tub or shower. Hair is the main cause, bound together with soap scum and conditioner. Older tubs with a trip lever drain collect it in the overflow and the drum trap.
• Toilet. Too much paper at once, wipes labeled flushable, paper towels, cotton swabs, dental floss and toys. Low-flow toilets from before about 2005 clog more often.
• Floor or laundry drain. Lint from the washing machine, sand and grit, soap, and in basements the silt that washes in. A dry trap lets sewer gas up as well.
• Main sewer line. Tree roots coming in at joints in clay and cast iron pipe, grease built up from years of kitchen use, wipes, and pipe that has sagged or cracked.
• Outdoor or yard drain. Leaves, dirt, sand and roots in yard drains, area drains, driveway trench drains and the pipes that carry downspout water away.