Drain Cleaning
A slow drain is a warning and a stopped drain is the same problem further along. Either way the fix starts with knowing whether it is a local clog at the fixture or something in the main line serving the whole building.
Drain Cleaning
When to call
What usually brings people to this
A lot of the housing out here went up between the 1950s and the 1970s, which means cast-iron sewer laterals and galvanized supply lines that are well past their design life.
These are the symptoms that usually prompt the call. Any one of them is worth a conversation, and most of them get cheaper to deal with the earlier they are looked at.
One fixture draining slowly
Several fixtures backing up at once, which usually means the main
Gurgling from a drain when another fixture runs
Water rising in a shower when the toilet flushes
Recurring clogs in the same line
The cost of waiting is rarely the repair getting bigger. It is the damage to everything the water reached in the meantime.
How we work it
We inspect the real condition of the system before recommending anything, because the fix depends entirely on what we find.
Work out which line is involved
One slow sink is a local problem. Multiple fixtures backing up together points at the main, and that changes the whole approach.
Clear it
Cable for roots and solid obstructions, jetting when the line is coated rather than blocked.
Look at what it tells us
If a line clogs repeatedly, clearing it again is treating a symptom. A camera shows whether there is a defect causing it.
Tell you honestly what shape it is in
Sometimes the answer is that it is fine and this was a one-off. You should hear that when it is true.
Worth knowingWhat drain cleaning actually involves
We separate what needs doing now from what is worth planning for, because those are different conversations and different budgets.
There is a meaningful difference between a line that is blocked and a line that is coated. A blockage is an object: roots, a foreign item, a mass of waste that caught on something. Coating is grease, soap and scale narrowing the pipe along its length. A cable punches a hole through both, which is why a cabled line can flow beautifully for three weeks and then stop again. If your drain keeps coming back, the line is almost certainly coated rather than blocked, and it needs scouring rather than punching.
We run our own camera and locating equipment rather than subcontracting the diagnosis, so the person who finds the problem is the person who explains it to you.
Our service area runs from the Yucaipa and Redlands area out through the Inland Empire, and we have been covering it for over four decades. If you are outside the usual radius, call and ask. We cover more ground than most shops our size.
We inspect the real condition of the system before recommending anything, because the fix depends entirely on what we find.
Keeping it from happening again
The cost of waiting is rarely the repair getting bigger. It is the damage to everything the water reached in the meantime.
Know the age of the major components. Water heaters, supply piping and sewer laterals all have expected lifespans, and planning for a replacement is considerably cheaper than reacting to one.
Wipes should not go down any drain, whether the packet says flushable or not. They do not break down, and they are behind a large share of the main line blockages we clear.
Water heaters benefit from an annual flush in this region more than almost anywhere else, because our water leaves sediment on the bottom of the tank where the heat has to pass through it.
If a drain has slowed, deal with it while it is slow. A slow drain is a partial blockage announcing itself, and it will finish the job eventually at a less convenient moment.
Who you are calling
Booking is simple and the quote is free, so there is no cost to finding out what you are dealing with.
Family-run since 1982, veteran-founded, and still working out of Yucaipa. Almost nothing about how this shop operates has changed, which is the point.
The range of licensing we hold is a direct consequence of the work in this area, where properties on septic and aging underground infrastructure are routine.
Big Mike started this shop in 1982 and handed it to his kids because he trusted them to run it the same way. That is still who answers the phone.
Big Mike's · Yucaipa, California
Questions we get about drain cleaning
If yours is not here, call and ask. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Why does the same drain keep clogging?
Recurring clogs in one line usually mean a defect: roots at a joint, a belly holding water, scale narrowing the pipe, or an offset. Clearing it treats the symptom. A camera finds the cause.
Cable or hydro jetting?
Cabling punches through and pulls out obstructions. Jetting scours the pipe wall back to full diameter. Grease and scale want jetting; a solid obstruction usually wants a cable first.
Are store-bought drain chemicals a problem?
They are hard on older pipe and often do not reach a real blockage. Tell us if you have used them so we know what is in the line before we open it.
Can a clog damage anything?
A backup that overflows does. And a main line backing up can put sewage into the lowest fixtures in the building, which is a health issue as much as a plumbing one.
What areas do you serve?
Yucaipa and out across San Bernardino County, Riverside County and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County. If you are not sure you are in range, call and ask.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Quotes are free and they come after we have looked at the actual problem, not over the phone from a description.
Can you handle septic as well as plumbing?
Yes, and it is a big part of what we do. We are licensed for sanitation systems, so tanks, leach lines and the plumbing that feeds them are all one contractor.
Will you tell me if I do not need the work?
Yes, and we do regularly. A shop that has been in one family for four decades cannot afford a reputation for selling people work they did not need.
How this fits the rest of the system
The fixtures people notice are the end of a system that is mostly invisible. Behind a wall or under a slab, the supply lines, drains and vents that make a bathroom work are doing the real job, and they are where nearly all the expensive problems live. What shows at the fixture is usually a symptom of something further back.
Before we come out
For commercial properties, tell us about access requirements and operating hours when you call so we can schedule around them properly.
Between San Bernardino County, Riverside County and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, we cover most of what anyone means by the Inland Empire, plus the desert communities further out.
Related work and where we do it
Other work we do in homes
- Copper Repiping
Copper supply repipes.
- Slab Leak Repair
Pressurized lines failing under a concrete slab.
- Tankless Water Heater Repair
Error codes, scaling and flow faults.
- Sewer Line Replacement
Full lateral replacement when repair is past the point.
- Gas Line Repair
Leaking and failed gas piping.
- Kitchen Plumbing
Sinks, disposals, supply and drain work.
Where we go
We run drain cleaning out of Yucaipa across Calimesa, West Covina, Hemet, Rancho Cucamonga, Walnut, Desert Hot Springs and Baldwin Park, and the rest of San Bernardino, Riverside and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County.
Call the shop. A person picks up.
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what it takes to fix it. Plain language, no sales pitch, and the number before we start.
Yucaipa, California · Serving San Bernardino, Riverside and eastern Los Angeles counties · Open 24 hours