Clogged Drain Cleaning in Idaho

The causes of a clogged drain change from one part of Idaho to the next. 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. Every city page shows a rough cost range, what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Hard water is common in Idaho, especially in the south, and it leaves scale in drain pipes and on fixtures over time. Winters are cold enough to freeze lines in crawl spaces and shallow ground, and frost can shift older pipe. Cottonwoods, willows and silver maples send roots toward water, and older clay sewer lines give them an easy way in. Many homes outside town rely on wells and septic systems, which need regular pumping to keep the drains moving.

• Hard water across much of the south
• Cold winters and frozen crawl space lines
• Roots from cottonwoods, willows and silver maples
• Clay sewer pipe in older homes
• Septic systems at many rural homes

Ask whether scale or roots caused the clog, since the follow-up for each is different.

• 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.