Clogged drain repair in Denver
- Sinks, tubs, toilets
- Disposals & standpipes
- Cleared mechanically
A clog a plunger won't move can almost always be cleared mechanically. Tell us which fixture and we'll tell you what it takes.
Call (720) 794-0974Clog that will not shift? Describe it on the phone before you try anything else.
Call (720) 794-0974When a clog stops being a DIY job
Most clogs clear with a plunger or a hand auger, and there is no reason to pay someone for those. This page is about the ones that don't: the fixture that will not clear no matter what goes down it, and the fixture that clears and blocks again three months later.
Those two are different problems. The first is usually something further down the branch line than a hand tool reaches. The second is almost never really a fixture problem at all, but a signal that something structural is holding material up.
Clogged drain repair at a glance
- Fixtures we clear
- Kitchen sinks and disposal lines, bathroom sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, laundry standpipes, floor drains
- Method
- Mechanical clearing with a cable sized to the branch line, not chemicals
- Call us when
- A plunger and hand auger have failed, or the same fixture clogs on a schedule
- Escalate when
- More than one fixture is affected, which points at the main line rather than the fixture
- Pricing
- Looked at first, explained, priced, then you approve it before anything starts
What's actually causing the clog
Worth saying first: a clogged drain is not a sign you did something wrong. Drains clog. What matters is what's holding it up, because that decides how it gets cleared.
Kitchen sink. Grease, nearly always. It goes down warm and liquid, cools in the horizontal run and sets on the pipe wall. Food, coffee grounds and disposal debris then catch on that layer until the opening closes.
Bathroom sink. Hair bound with soap scum and toothpaste, usually within the first two feet, often in the P-trap or wrapped around the pop-up stopper rod.
Tub and shower. The same hair-and-soap combination. Denver's hard water makes it worse: mineral scale on the pipe wall gives hair something to anchor to, so the buildup grows faster than it would in a soft-water city.
Toilet. Usually an object rather than gradual buildup: wipes marked flushable, cotton products, a toy. Low-flow toilets move less water per flush, which is a genuine factor in older homes with long horizontal runs to the stack.
Laundry standpipe. Lint and detergent residue. Often the first symptom is the washer overflowing at the standpipe rather than a visibly slow drain.
Basement floor drain. Worth treating differently. A floor drain is usually the lowest opening in the system, so when it backs up it's frequently telling you about a restriction in the main sewer line rather than a problem with itself.
If the clog is in the main sewer line rather than a fixture, that's a different job: bigger machine, usually run from a cleanout. See rooter service.
Drain still not clearing? Tell us which fixture is affected and we'll talk through the options.
Call (720) 794-0974Garbage disposal clogs and jams
A humming disposal that won't turn is usually jammed, not clogged. Something is stopping the impeller plate: a bone fragment, a bottle cap, a fruit pit. That's mechanical.
A disposal that runs freely but drains slowly is the opposite: the unit works and the line beyond it doesn't.
Most Denver homes run one of a handful of units. InSinkErator is by far the most common, particularly the builder-grade Badger 5 and 5XP found in a great many mid-range builds. Waste King and Moen units turn up regularly too, often as DIY replacements. They share a clog profile, because the failure isn't usually the unit. It's the horizontal line downstream of it packed with the finely-ground material a disposal produces mixed with grease.
Which is worth knowing before replacing a disposal that isn't broken.
When DIY stops being the right call
A plunger and a hand auger clear a lot of clogs, and there's no reason to call someone for a bathroom sink you can fix in ten minutes. That's not a sales pitch against yourself. It's what a slow bathroom sink usually needs.
Here's where it changes:
It comes back. A clog that returns on a schedule means clearing worked and the cause didn't get addressed.
More than one fixture is affected. Two fixtures with a shared problem means the problem is downstream of both.
A hand auger reaches the end of its cable and hasn't hit it. Consumer augers are typically 15-25 feet. Past that, the blockage is beyond reach and you need a longer machine, not more effort.
You've already used a chemical cleaner. This one matters for a reason people don't expect. Caustic drain cleaner sitting on top of a full blockage doesn't drain away. It stays in the line, and anyone who then opens that trap is opening a pipe full of it. Tell whoever comes out that you've used it. It changes how the job gets handled.
Get the clog cleared properly
Tell us which fixture, when it started, and whether the same one has clogged before. That pattern is usually the answer.
We look at the problem first, explain what is involved, and give you the price. Work only begins after you say yes. If the line turns out to be a different job once it is open, we stop and tell you rather than carrying on and adding it to the bill.
- Kitchen, bathroom, tub, toilet, laundry or floor drain
- Whether a plunger or hand auger has already been tried
- Whether it is one fixture or several
- The price before any work starts
When a clog isn't just a clog
Some patterns point past the fixture you're standing at.
Water rising in the shower when the toilet flushes. The toilet gurgling when the washing machine drains. The basement floor drain backing up while everything upstairs seems fine. A clog that returns every few months in the same place regardless of what you do.
All of these suggest a restriction in the line that serves multiple fixtures, the branch line or the main sewer line, rather than a blockage in one trap. Clearing the fixture will often help temporarily, which is exactly what makes the pattern easy to miss.
That's the point where it's worth finding out what's actually in there rather than clearing it again. See rooter service for main-line and root problems, or sewer camera inspection to see the line.
Water backing up right now?
Stop using the fixtures nearby, including toilets and the washing machine, and keep people and pets away from any standing wastewater. Then call and we'll work out what's happening.
Clogged drain questions
Can a plumber fix a clogged drain?
Yes. A drain technician clears clogs mechanically: a cable or auger sized to the line breaks up the blockage and pulls it out. That works on clogs chemicals can't touch, including root masses and solid objects, and it works further into the line than any consumer tool reaches.
How much does it normally cost to unblock a drain?
It depends on which fixture, how far in the blockage sits, and whether there's an accessible cleanout. A bathroom sink close to the trap is a different job from a main sewer line reached from outside. We look first and give you the price before starting.
Will you give me a price before you start the work?
Yes. We look at the problem, explain what clearing it involves, and give you the price. You approve it before we begin. If the line turns out to be a different job once it's open, we stop and tell you rather than carrying on and adding it to the bill.
How much does drain cleaning cost in Denver?
Denver pricing tracks the same variables as anywhere: fixture versus main line, cleanout access, and whether cabling or jetting is needed. Homes without an accessible cleanout tend to cost more because the line has to be reached another way. See what drain cleaning costs in Denver.
My garbage disposal hums but won't turn. Is that a clog?
Usually a jam, not a clog. Something is stopping the impeller plate. A clog is when the unit spins freely but the sink drains slowly, which points at the line beyond the disposal rather than the disposal itself. Two different problems with two different fixes.
You might actually need
Drain cleaning
The broader service: fixture lines, main lines, and the buildup behind a clog that keeps returning.
See drain cleaning →
Rooter service
When the clog is in the main line rather than the fixture, and roots at a clay joint are the likely cause.
See rooter service →
Emergency drain service
If more than one fixture is affected, or anything is overflowing into finished living space.
See emergency service →Clogged drain repair across the Denver metro
We clear stubborn fixture clogs in these areas. If yours is not listed, call and ask.
Get the clog cleared
Call and tell us which fixture is affected, when it started, and whether anything else is backing up.
Call (720) 794-0974