Drain Cleaning & Unclogging in Englewood, CO
Drain cleaning is the removal of a blockage from a sink, tub, toilet, floor drain or main sewer line. The usual tools are a motorized cable, a camera to confirm what caused it, and water jetting when grease or roots keep coming back. In Englewood, CO we answer drain calls 24/7, because a main line clog backing into a basement cannot wait for Monday.
Which drain is clogged tells you where the problem is
The first question we ask on the phone is which fixtures are affected. The answer narrows the location of the clog before anyone arrives, and it decides which machine comes off the truck.
| What you notice | Where the clog probably is | Usual method |
|---|---|---|
| One sink or tub drains slowly | In that fixture's trap or branch line | Small hand or drum cable. |
| Toilet and tub on the same floor both slow | In the shared branch or the stack | Mid-size cable through a cleanout. |
| Basement floor drain gurgles or backs up when the washer drains | In the main line leaving the house | Main line cable, then camera. |
| Every drain in the house slows at once | In the sewer lateral under the yard | Main line cable or jetting, then camera. |
| Kitchen sink clogs again weeks after clearing | Grease coating the kitchen branch | Jetting rather than cabling. |
Older Englewood drains: cast iron, clay and roots
A large share of Englewood houses were built in the decade after World War II. Drain systems from that era usually combine a cast iron stack inside the house with clay or cast iron sewer pipe running under the front yard to the district main.
Cast iron corrodes on the inside and builds up a rough scale that catches paper and grease, so older lines clog more easily than smooth plastic pipe of the same size. Clay pipe comes in short sections, and each joint is a place where fine tree roots can find moisture and grow in. The mature trees along many older Englewood streets make that a regular cause of main line backups.
A cable machine cuts roots out and restores flow the same day. It does not seal the joint, so roots return, often within a year. That is why a camera look after the line is clear matters. If the footage shows a cracked section or a joint that has shifted, the long-term fix is sewer line repair in Englewood rather than repeat cleaning.
Water coming up the basement floor drain?
That is a main line clog. Stop running water upstairs and call now, day or night.
Stop the backup from spreading while you wait
These steps are safe for any homeowner and can save a basement floor.
- Stop the washing machine, dishwasher, showers and toilets everywhere in the house, including upstairs.
- If sewage is on the floor, keep children and pets out of the area and avoid touching it without gloves.
- Move boxes and rugs away from the floor drain area.
- Do not pour bleach or drain chemicals into a backed-up line. They sit in the water and can burn skin during the repair.
- Note whether the backup started during laundry, a shower or after heavy rain. It helps diagnose the cause.
How we clear a clog, and what we check afterward
The IPC (International Plumbing Code) calls for a cleanout at the base of each drain stack, and most older Englewood homes have one in the basement where the cast iron stack meets the floor. Some also have an exterior cleanout near the foundation. We open the cleanout closest to the blockage so the cable does not have to push through fixture traps.
Sink and tub lines get a small cable sized for 1.5 to 2 inch pipe. Main lines get a larger machine with cutting heads sized to the pipe. After flow is restored we run water for several minutes and, on main line calls, put a camera down the line so you can see what caused the clog.
When a line is coated in grease or packed with fine roots, cabling only punches a hole through the middle. Jetting, covered on our hydro jetting page, blasts the entire pipe wall clean and is the better choice for kitchen lines and for laterals that clog repeatedly.
Grease is a sewer problem you can prevent
South Englewood Sanitation District No. 1 asks residents to wipe fats and grease into the trash and warns that bleach poured down a drain can harden grease. South Platte Renew, the regional treatment plant, also runs an annual grease takeback program. Keeping grease out of the kitchen drain is the cheapest drain maintenance there is.
What affects the cost of drain cleaning
A single sink clog and a root-filled main line are very different jobs. These are the factors behind the quote.
Which line
Fixture drains are quicker than main lines, which need larger equipment and more setup.
Cleanout access
A reachable cleanout saves time. Pulling a toilet or going through a roof vent adds labor.
Camera inspection
Recommended on any main line clog and on repeat problems, so the cause is known, not guessed.
Jetting versus cabling
Jetting takes more equipment but often lasts much longer on grease and root problems.
After-hours timing
Night, weekend and holiday calls carry a higher rate than a scheduled daytime visit.
Homeowners insurance does not pay for drain cleaning itself. Damage from a sewage backup is often excluded unless a sewer backup rider was added to the policy, which is worth checking before you need it.
Want a real number before we start? Call (303) 552-3896, day or night.
Drain cleaning questions in Englewood
The washer dumps a lot of water fast. If the main line is partly blocked, that surge has nowhere to go and comes up the lowest opening, which is the floor drain. It means the clog is in the main line, not in the washer hose.
We advise against them. They rarely clear a main line, they can damage older pipes and rubber seals, and they make the job hazardous for whoever opens the line next. A plunger or a hand auger is the safer first step on a single fixture.
It depends on how fast roots regrow, which a camera inspection can show. Some Englewood homes need maintenance cleaning every year or two. If the interval keeps shrinking, pricing a repair usually costs less over time.
Yes. Drain calls are dispatched 24/7 across Englewood. If sewage is coming into the house, tell us when you call so it is treated as an emergency.
Sometimes. A disposal that has worn blades sends larger food particles into the line. If the sink clogs repeatedly, have the disposal checked along with the drain, which our garbage disposal repair page covers.
Yes. We take work orders from owners and property managers, coordinate access with tenants, and send the camera findings to whoever is paying so decisions do not wait on a second visit.
Drain service across Englewood and nearby suburbs
We clear drains throughout ZIP codes 80110 and 80113, including the older blocks near South Broadway and Hampden Avenue where cast iron and clay lines are common. Calls from nearby Centennial are handled the same way, though its newer PVC lines tend to clog from grease and objects rather than roots.