Clogged Drain Cleaning in Michigan

What clogs a drain changes across Michigan. Older neighborhoods have cast iron and clay sewer lines under big trees, newer subdivisions mostly see grease and wipes in PVC pipe, and many rural homes depend on a septic tank. Look for your city below, or the nearest one. Every city page shows a rough cost range, what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Snowmelt and spring storms can overload older sewers in Michigan, and some older cities still carry storm water and sewage in the same pipes, so water can come up through basement floor drains. Frost goes deep in long winters. Water is hard in much of the Lower Peninsula, which scales up older cast iron, and maples and oaks send roots into clay laterals. Many rural and lake homes use septic systems, which need pumping and care to keep the drains moving.

• Basement floor drains that back up in storms
• Combined sewers in some older cities
• Hard water in much of the Lower Peninsula
• Clay laterals and cast iron in older homes
• Septic systems at many rural and lake homes

Ask whether the blockage is in your own sewer lateral or the city main, since that decides who handles the fix.

• 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.