Clogged Drain Cleaning in West Virginia

What clogs a drain changes across West Virginia. Cast iron and clay lines under big trees are the issue in older neighborhoods, grease and wipes in newer subdivisions, and septic tanks in much of the countryside. 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.

Steep hillsides and rocky soil make drain work harder in West Virginia, whether it is digging up a sewer line or finding room for a septic field, and septic serves much of the state. Heavy rain runs off the slopes and floods low ground along creeks and rivers. Much of the housing in older towns has clay and cast iron pipe, and some older systems still carry storm water and sewage together. Winters bring freezes, and oaks, maples and sycamores send roots into the joints.

• Steep, rocky ground that makes digging hard
• Septic systems across much of the state
• Heavy rain and flooding along creeks and rivers
• Clay and cast iron pipe in older towns
• Combined sewers in some older systems

Ask whether a sewer line on a slope has shifted or separated at a joint, since hillside lines can move over time.

• 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.