At a glance
- Category
- Drains & Sewer Lines
- Who it is for
- Homes and basement units
- Phone
- (365) 363-2754
- Read next
- Why We Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners
Telltales that call for drain cleaning
A clog announces itself before it stops a drain completely. Pay attention to:
- A tub ring of grey scum left behind after each bath.
- The toilet burping as the washer pumps out.
- A sour smell from the basement floor drain in summer.
- Two or three fixtures sulking together, a hint that the trouble is downstream in the shared drain.
How we do the work
We begin at the fixture that is giving trouble and work outward. A small hand auger handles most trap and branch clogs. Larger lines get a sectional or drum unit fitted with a blade matched to the pipe: a spade head for grease, a C-cutter for paper, a root saw where tree roots have found a joint. We reel in, study whatever came out on the head, and run water at full flow to confirm the line carries it.
| Where the clog is | Usual tool |
|---|---|
| Sink or tub trap | Hand auger or trap removal |
| Branch line in a wall | Small drum machine, 1/4-inch or 5/16-inch cable |
| Main building drain | Sectional machine through the cleanout |
| Lateral to the street | Sectional machine, then camera |
If the same line keeps clogging, we recommend a camera inspection rather than coming back to snake it every few months.
On Ajax streets
Around the original wartime streets the main stack is often cast iron, and its rough interior scale grabs paper and grease. Newer subdivisions have ABS drains that stay smoother but suffer from flushable wipes, which do not break down. Homes on mature, treed streets near Pickering Beach Road and Lake Driveway see roots in the clay or early plastic laterals.
Local tip Keep the cleanout cap clear. A cleanout buried behind a finished wall or a storage shelf adds time to every visit.
Price swings on
Access, the size of line and how stubborn the blockage is. A trap clog is short work; a main line that needs to be opened through a toilet because there is no cleanout takes longer.
Worth asking the plumber
- What did you pull out, and what does that tell us?
- Should this line be camera-checked?
- Is there an accessible cleanout, and should one be added?
Questions we hear on the phone
Will a plunger damage my pipes?
No, a cup or flange plunger is a safe first step. Stop if it does not work after a few honest tries and avoid mixing it with chemical cleaners.