Drain Cleaning in Highlands, Denver CO 80211
- ZIP 80211
- LoHi
- Berkeley
- Sunnyside
- Alley cleanouts
The Highlands has changed more than most Denver neighborhoods in the last twenty years, and the plumbing shows it. Pre-1930 houses sit next to new infill, and a great many of the older ones have been remodelled while the drain lines underneath them have not.
Call (720) 794-0974Remodelled kitchen on an original branch line? That combination causes most of our Highlands calls.
Call (720) 794-0974Drain problems we see in the Highlands
Remodelled kitchens on original branch lines
The most common call we get from LoHi and Sunnyside.
A 1915 house was plumbed for a kitchen sink. It was not plumbed for a garbage disposal, a dishwasher, an island prep sink and a coffee station. When a kitchen is opened up and modernised, the new fixtures are frequently tied into the existing branch line because replacing it means opening the floor.
That line now carries far more, and specifically far more grease and ground food, than it was sized for. The result is a kitchen drain that clogs every few months in a house that otherwise seems fine.
Alley access and where the cleanout is
This is a genuinely practical Highlands issue. Much of the neighborhood is laid out with alleys behind the houses, and the sewer lateral run and cleanout position reflect that rather than following the front-yard pattern common elsewhere in Denver.
Sometimes that helps, because there is an accessible exterior cleanout off the alley. Sometimes it does not, because the cleanout was paved over when a garage or parking pad went in. Either way it is worth knowing before anyone quotes you, because cleanout access is one of the biggest variables in the price of a main-line job.
Infill construction next door
Where a neighbouring lot has been scraped and rebuilt, excavation and heavy equipment can disturb soil around an adjacent old clay lateral. It is not universal, but a main-line problem that starts shortly after building work next door is worth mentioning to us.
Berkeley's older lines
North of LoHi the housing is a little later on average but still predominantly pre-war, with the same clay laterals and the same mature street trees feeding roots into the joints.
Grease in an original branch line. A modern kitchen puts a modern load on pipe sized for 1910.
Recognise any of that? Describe what your drain is doing and we will tell you which one it sounds like, on (720) 794-0974.
Services that fit these homes
Drain cleaning
For the kitchen branch-line work that makes up most of what we do here.
See drain cleaning →
Sewer camera inspection
Particularly where a remodel has changed the plumbing. Renovation work often reroutes lines in ways nobody documented, and a camera answers what is actually down there rather than what the layout suggests.
See sewer camera inspection →
Hydro jetting
Where a remodelled kitchen line has been coating up rather than plugging. That is a case where cabling keeps working temporarily and jetting addresses the cause. Line condition gets assessed first.
See hydro jetting →
Rooter service
For original clay laterals with root intrusion.
See rooter service →Other areas we cover
Same drains, different lines. If you are near Highlands but not listed, call and ask. It takes ten seconds to check.
Before you call, if you can
If you know where your cleanout is, tell us. In this neighborhood it is often in the alley, on the back of the property, or in the basement rather than in the front yard.
If you do not know, that is completely normal and we will find it. But it is the variable most likely to change what a main-line job costs, so it is worth a look before you ring around.
Where we work in Highlands
Highlands, LoHi and Berkeley
ZIP codes covered- 80211
- 80212
- Named areas
- LoHi, Lower Highland, Berkeley, Sunnyside, Sloan's Lake
- Housing
- Pre-1930 stock with heavy remodel and infill activity
- Usual cause
- Modernised kitchens on original branch lines; alley cleanout access
LoHi, Berkeley and Sunnyside are all within the same housing pattern. Five Points is east across the interstate, and Arvada is a short run northwest.
You'll know the price before we start
We look at the problem first, explain what's involved, and give you the price. Work only begins after you say yes.
Call (720) 794-0974Highlands questions
We remodelled the kitchen and now it clogs constantly. Why?
Usually because new fixtures went onto an original branch line. A 1915 kitchen line was not sized for a disposal, a dishwasher and a second sink. It is carrying more volume and considerably more grease than it was built for, so it coats up and blocks on a cycle.
Where is the cleanout on an older Highlands house?
Often off the alley, at the back of the property, or on the stack in the basement, rather than in the front yard. Garage and parking pad construction has buried a fair number of them. If you can find yours before calling, it helps; if not, we will locate it.
Does new construction next door affect my sewer line?
It can. Excavation and heavy equipment move soil, and old clay laterals with existing joint separation are the most sensitive to that. It is not automatic, but if your main-line trouble began shortly after building work next door, mention it.
Is jetting a good idea on a hundred-year-old Highlands line?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on the pipe's condition rather than its age. Sound cast iron and clay generally handle it well. Badly corroded or separated pipe may not. That is a camera question, not a phone question.
Get a price for your Highlands drain
Tell us the Highlands address, which fixtures are affected and roughly when the building went up. That is usually enough for us to say whether you are looking at a branch line or the main sewer lateral before anyone is on site.
We look at the problem first, explain what clearing it involves, and give you the price. Work only begins after you say yes.
- Which fixture, and what else is affected
- Whether the kitchen has been remodelled
- Whether an accessible cleanout exists
- The price before any work starts
Call about a Highlands drain
Tell us which fixture, whether the kitchen has been remodelled, and whether you know where the cleanout is.
Call (720) 794-0974