You've got a serious clog, and you don't know where it is.
Oh, sure. You know it's affecting your tub. Or maybe your toilet.
Maybe it's affecting both.
But you don't know where-as in where inside your plumbing-the blockage is located.
It might be really close to your sink drain or your toilet. On the other hand, the clog might be deeper. As in deep down in your sewer line.
Way down there where nobody (except for a plumber) can get to it.
What matters, though, is that you need to bust this clog, wherever it happens to be. And that means figuring out where it is and what it is. That way, you can make sure it goes away for good.
You've already determined it's time to bring in a plumber. Maybe you tried DIY remedies, and maybe you didn't. Regardless, you need someone with experience and special tools.
Here's how a plumber should proceed with a (potential!) sewer clog diagnosis and how they'll get rid of the clog.
1. Assess the clog
We get called out to assess clogs all the time. Here's how we typically proceed.
The first step is to determine whether you've got an inside clog or an outside clog that's deeper in the sewer line. We can do this by:
- Seeing whether a toilet bubbles when running water in the shower or tub
- Filling up a kitchen sink and seeing whether both sides back up
- Determining whether you've got multiple drain clogs at the same time
If we run water in the shower or a sink and get bubbling in the toilet, that means the clog is probably in the sewer line. When the clog is at the kitchen sink and both sides are backing up with water, that means the clog is inside—probably really close to the kitchen sink drain.
Other inside clogs might be at the bathroom sink, the tub, or the toilet. It really just depends on what's backing up.
Oh, and any time you have more than one clog at the same time, it's almost a sure thing the problem is inside your sewer line. When we suspect a sewer line clog, the next step is to…
2. Inspect the sewer line
You can't see inside your sewer line, but plumbers have specialized cameras that can.
A sewer line camera inspection is essential with any sewer line problem because:
- You need to know if it's a clog, tree root intrusion, or pipe damage
- Knowing what's down there dictates how to address the problem
A drain and sewer specialist will explore your sewer line with one of these cameras, which can usually identify what's causing the clog. From there, the specialist will advise you of next steps.
That said, maybe you didn't have a sewer line clog to begin with. Maybe you just sent one too many potato skins down the kitchen drain (don't do that, by the way) and it's clogging up the kitchen sink.
In cases like these, we proceed like this:
3. Is it a local clog? Move it or obliterate it!
When the clog isn't in your sewer line but is somewhere near the drain that keeps clogging, we can typically do one of the following:
- Move it through the pipes using a plunger
- Destroy it using a plumber's snake
There are special plungers and special snakes for different applications. For example, sinks require different plungers than toilets, and toilet augers are different from drain snakes.
Some clogs respond well to plungers. Proper plunging can put enough pressure on the clog to move it down the pipe. However, if you're calling a plumber, there's a good chance your clog is serious enough not to respond to a plunger. In these cases, the snake or auger is a better tool.
The snake will tear up the clog, whatever it is, into smaller pieces that move easily down your drain line. In other words, you're destroying the clog so that's not a clog anymore.
4. Is it a sewer line clog? Bust it or replace the pipe.
Sewer line clogs are trickier. If you have a bona fide obstruction in the pipe, it's typically one of three different things:
- A clump of solid material that has built up inside the pipe and blocked the flow of wastewater
- Grease or gunk buildup on the lining of the pipes that is thick enough to disrupt flow
- Tree roots that have penetrated the pipe and grown inside of it
The sewer camera will show us what's going on! If it's one of the first two problems, hydro jetting the sewer line is usually effective. This involves shooting a high pressure stream of water into the sewer line to bust up the obstruction, be it hardened grease or solid material.
We'll leave you with a friendly admonition about not pouring grease down the drain or flushing baby wipes.
But if tree roots have penetrated the sewer line-a really common problem in the Atlanta area-we can't just hydrojet that away. Typically, the solution is to excavate that section of sewer pipe and replace it. If your sewer line is made of older material like cast iron, concrete, or clay, we might recommend replacing the entire sewer line with PVC.
Conclusion: The clog diagnosis determines the clog solution
Ultimately, addressing the problem depends on what the problem is.
If it's a clog near your sink drain, a plunger or snake will probably be sufficient. But if you've got a sewer line clog, that's trickier. We'll need to explore your sewer line with a camera, figure out what's blocking it, and go from there.
Are you dealing with a troublesome clog at your Atlanta area home? PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing specializes in solving drain and sewer problems and serves the entire metro region!
To get rid of your clog, call us today at (404) 798-9672 or schedule service online!
