Clogged Drain Cleaning in Kansas

The causes of a clogged drain change from one part of Kansas to the next. 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. On each city page you will find a rough cost range, notes on local soil and trees, and one number for a local plumber.

Hard water and moving soil are the main drain problems in Kansas. Clay soil in the east swells when wet and shrinks during long dry spells, and that movement can shift a sewer line or open a joint. By the time a dry spell ends in a heavy thunderstorm, roots from elms, cottonwoods and hackberries are often already in those gaps. Minerals in the water leave scale in old cast iron, and many rural homes rely on septic systems that need pumping on a schedule.

• Hard water and scale in drain lines
• Clay soil that swells and shrinks
• Thunderstorms after long dry spells
• Roots from elms, cottonwoods and hackberries
• Septic systems in rural areas

Ask whether shifting soil may have left a belly in the sewer line, since a sag keeps catching paper after every cleaning.

• 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.