A backed-up kitchen sink is usually a small problem. This one started that way too.
A homeowner in the Tritt Springs neighborhood of East Cobb had a kitchen sink that wouldn't drain. She tried an extra-strength chemical drain cleaner first. It didn't budge, which is typical: chemical cleaners are no match for compacted grease, and we don't recommend pouring them into your pipes in the first place.
So she called us.
The call: a $123 job, until we looked closer
We offered to clear the line. As a PV Priority Plan member, her rate was $123, and members get something else that mattered more on this job: a free camera scope of the line. So before anybody called it fixed, Devin put a camera down the drain so she could see exactly what was going on in there.
That scope changed the whole story.
What Devin found
Grease was compacted through the entire kitchen drain line. Not a clog in one spot: the whole run was closing in on itself, a little more with every dish washed.
Devin ran a cable through the line and got the system draining again. That's exactly what a clearing is designed to do: open a channel through the blockage so water can flow. What it can't do is scrub years of compacted grease off the pipe walls. Clear is not the same as clean. And the closer inspection showed problems no cable could ever fix:
- The existing pipe joints were never glued, so the line was not up to code
- The vent pipe coming out of the wall was not up to code either
(PVC can last a very long time, but only when it's put together right. Primer and cement are what turn a stack of fittings into one continuous pipe.) Those shortcuts were built into the wall decades ago. The grease just found them.
A note on Tritt Springs
This home went up in 1983, like much of East Cobb, and original construction shortcuts can hide inside walls for forty years. Nothing announces an unglued joint or an improvised vent. The sink drains fine, until the day it doesn't, and a camera is usually the first thing that ever actually looks.
One more local note: this homeowner had easy access through the garage, which kept the repipe straightforward. In a slab home, where the kitchen line runs under concrete, access is a much bigger project, and keeping grease and grime out of the drain matters even more.
The choice we gave her
We see unglued joints and improvised vents more often than you'd think. Code isn't bureaucracy to us; it's the difference between a drain line that lasts and one that fails early. And when we find problems like these, we don't make the decision for you. Two honest paths, no pressure:
| Path | What it is | What it solves | Investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| The quick fix | Clear the line and stop there | Today's backup. A cleared channel, not a clean pipe | $123 member rate |
| The real fix Her call | Repipe the kitchen drain line and correct the venting | The cause, not the symptom | A full day's work |
Could hydro jetting have done more? Yes. Jetting actually cleans the pipe walls instead of just clearing a channel, and for a greasy kitchen line it's often the right call. But here it would have scrubbed a line that was never built right. When install shortcuts and code problems stack up like this, the honest fix is a repipe. Clean pipe, same unglued joints, same future.
What the fix included
- New kitchen drain line, from the sink all the way to a new termination point
- The old wall vent eliminated and capped, in the wall and in the garage
- An air admittance valve installed (a one-way valve that lets the drain breathe properly without the old vent)
- New tubular traps and fittings
- Garbage disposal upgraded to a 3/4 horsepower unit
- 10-year warranty on the plumbing, 2 years on sink fittings, 2 years on the disposal
- Finished work inspected by our install managers
One detail worth noticing in that warranty: the exclusions include grease. That's how seriously plumbers take what goes down a kitchen drain. Which brings us to the part of this story you can actually use.
Devin's grease rules
"Grease is a broad term. Most people think about pouring grease down the kitchen drain, but a lot of the foods we eat have oils and fats, and that can build up over time."
Devin, PV plumber on this job
His prevention playbook:
- Wipe oil and greasy food completely into the trash before washing
- Use extremely hot water when doing dishes, and wear gloves to protect your hands
- Use Dawn Platinum to help break down grease
- Keep your dishwasher clean
And on garbage disposals:
"Let's not treat it like a trash can. They're meant for small debris, not large portions of food. Think of what you'd pull out of a basket strainer. Anything larger goes in the trash."
Devin
How it ended
New line in, venting corrected, disposal upgraded, everything draining the way it should. Here's the homeowner, in her own words, from her Google review:
"Devin came out and found my kitchen drain was full of grease. He was able to properly execute a full kitchen drain replacement. I couldn't be happier. He left everything clean, spotless, and now it works better than ever!"
The homeowner's Google review
The bottom line
Grease goes in the trash, never down the drain. We're seeing grease buildup force kitchen drain repipes years earlier than they should ever be needed, and a camera scope reveals problems a simple clearing would miss every time.
If your kitchen sink is backing up in Marietta, East Cobb, or anywhere in Metro Atlanta, we'll clear it, scope it, and show you exactly what we see, just like we documented here. (Every Field Notes post is a real PV job.)
Call us today at (404) 798-9672 or schedule an appointment online!
Frequently asked questions
Can Drano fix a grease-clogged kitchen drain?
Usually not, and this job is why: the homeowner tried extra-strength chemical cleaner before calling, and it didn't touch grease compacted through the line. We don't recommend chemical drain cleaners at all. They rarely solve the real problem, and they make the pipe nastier for whoever works on it next.
How much does it cost to clear a clogged kitchen drain?
On this job, the clearing was quoted at $123 with the homeowner's PV Priority Plan member rate, and members get a free camera scope with it. One thing to know: a clearing opens a channel so water flows again, but it doesn't scrub the pipe walls clean. The scope is how you find out whether you have a clog, a greasy line that needs jetting, or a compromised line.
Will hydro jetting remove grease from a drain line?
Often, yes. Hydro jetting scours buildup off the pipe walls and is frequently the right fix for greasy kitchen lines. But if a camera scope shows the line itself is compromised, like unglued joints or bad venting, jetting just gives you a cleaner version of a broken line.
What can I safely put in a garbage disposal?
Devin's rule: think of what you'd pull out of a basket strainer. Small debris is fine. Large portions of food, and anything greasy, go in the trash. A disposal is not a trash can, and treating it like one shortens the life of the disposal and the drain line behind it.
Does PV clear and repipe kitchen drains in Marietta?
Yes. PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing handles drain cleaning, camera scopes, and full drain line repipes throughout Marietta and East Cobb, including Tritt Springs, and across Metro Atlanta. PV Priority Plan members get discounted drain clearing and a free scope.
The job, in photos
