Clogged Drain Cleaning in District of Columbia

Drains clog for different reasons in different parts of the District of Columbia. Cast iron and clay lines under big trees are the issue in older neighborhoods, grease and wipes in newer subdivisions, and septic tanks in much of the countryside. Find your city or the closest one below. Each city page has a rough cost range, a look at what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Row houses and older homes account for much of the housing in the District of Columbia, and many still have their original cast iron stacks and clay sewer laterals. Big street trees, oaks and elms among them, send roots into those laterals. The older part of the city is served by a combined system that carries storm water and sewage in the same pipes, so a heavy summer storm can push water back up through a basement floor drain. A backwater valve and a clear lateral help a lot.

• Original cast iron and clay pipe in row houses
• Combined storm and sewer lines in the older part of the city
• Basement floor drains that back up in heavy rain
• Roots from big street trees in sewer laterals
• Summer thunderstorms that drop a lot of rain fast

Ask whether a backwater valve would help if your basement floor drain backs up during storms.

• 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.