Drain Cleaning in Longmont: Clear Slow, Clogged and Backed-Up Drains

Snaking, rooting and augering: clearing the clog itself

Drain cleaning is the work of removing whatever is blocking a pipe so water moves again. It suits anyone with a sink that drains in slow motion, a tub that fills at the ankles or a toilet that will not clear. The most common tool is a cable, also called a snake, rooter or auger, that a plumber feeds into the line and rotates until the blockage breaks apart or hooks onto the cable.

A cable works well on hair, soap scum, paper and many grease clogs. It has limits. A cable can punch a hole through a blockage and leave a coating of grease or scale on the pipe wall, which is why some drains clog again within weeks. When a clog returns quickly, the next step is a camera look, not another pass with the same cable.

Fixture clogs and main line clogs call for different handling. A single sink or tub with a problem usually has a blockage in its own branch, while several fixtures failing at once points toward the main drain.

Hydro jetting: is it the right tool for your drain?

Hydro jetting sends water through the pipe at high pressure to scour the walls clean instead of poking a hole through the clog. It is aimed at grease, scale and soft buildup, and at lines that clog again soon after a cable visit. It also reaches farther down a long line than a cable does.

Jetting is not for every pipe. A plumber who has put a camera in the line first can tell whether the pipe walls will take the pressure and whether roots, a crack or an offset joint need a different fix. Ask to see what the camera found before a jetting visit begins, and ask what the plumber would do if the picture showed something other than grease.

A drain cleaning visit, step by step

Each visit starts with the same question: what is blocked, and how do you know? Everything after that follows the answer.

1. The plumber asks which fixtures are slow, how long it has been happening and what has gone down the drain recently.
2. The affected fixture is tested and the nearest cleanout or access point is located. The City of Longmont recommends knowing where your sewer cleanout is, because it gives direct access to the private line.
3. A cable or jetting hose is run through the line. A camera can be added when the cause is not obvious.
4. Water is run through the line again to confirm that it drains freely.
5. The plumber explains what was found and whether the clog is likely to come back.

Some clogs are in a single fixture, and the details differ by room. Kitchen sinks collect grease and food scraps, so avoid pouring fat down the drain and keep greasy scraps out of the disposal. Bathtub and shower drains catch hair and soap scum in the trap. Toilets clog on wipes and paper products, and a toilet that clogs repeatedly may have a blockage farther down the line. The same logic covers floor drains in a basement or garage, which can back up when a line downstream is full.

Sump pumps and basement water

Basement water is not a clog, but it often gets reported the same way. The City of Longmont explains that a perimeter drain, a system of perforated pipes around the foundation, collects water and delivers it to a sump pump or drains it away from the house. The pump usually runs only when the groundwater table is high, after years of neighborhood watering or very heavy rain.

The city lists signs worth acting on: a pump that runs constantly, a slimy or algae-covered discharge area, and a basement with wet walls or flooding but no pump at all. A home can also have a sump pit with no pump in it, and the city advises having a professional install the pump if one is needed.

Two local rules matter. Sump pumps cannot connect to the sanitary sewer in Longmont, and a connection to the storm sewer at the owner's expense needs a Right-of-Way Permit from the city. A sewage ejector pump is a different machine that lifts wastewater from a below-grade bathroom, and it is not what this section covers.