Drain Cleaning in Brooklyn, NY
One slow drain is a nuisance. Several slow drains at once, or water appearing in a floor drain when the washing machine empties, is the house telling you the main line needs attention.
Call (347) 506-2598
Which drain is the problem?
Kitchen sink
Grease and food solids building up in the trap and the line behind it. Grease poured down hot cools and hardens further along.
Bathroom sink and tub
Hair and soap. Often cleared at the trap or the tub drain without going into the line.
Floor drain in the cellar
If it backs up when fixtures upstairs are used, the blockage is beyond it, in the main line or the house trap.
Every fixture at once
A main line problem. Running more water only pushes the backup into the lowest drain in the building.
How drains get cleared
For a single fixture, we clear the trap and use a small cable through the drain. For a main line, a larger machine goes in through a cleanout, usually on the cast iron stack in the cellar or at the house trap by the front wall.
When a drain keeps blocking, Elite Pipe Solutions can put a camera down the line afterwards to see why: a sag holding water, a broken section, roots, or a buildup of grease that a cable only punches a hole through. The footage decides whether cleaning is enough or a repair is needed.
Drains in apartment buildings
In a building with stacked kitchens, all the units share one kitchen stack. A blockage in the shared line backs up into the lowest apartment on that line, even though the people upstairs caused it. Clearing it means going in from a cleanout on the stack, often with the super's help, rather than through your sink.
Keeping drains clear
- Wipe grease out of pans into the trash, not down the sink
- Use a hair catcher in tubs and showers
- Do not flush wipes, even ones labelled flushable
- Run hot water after using the kitchen sink
- Skip harsh chemical drain openers; they are hard on old pipe and dangerous for whoever opens the trap next
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Frequently asked questions
Why do my drains gurgle?
Gurgling often means air is being pulled through a trap because of a partial blockage or a problem with venting. If several fixtures do it, the main line is the likely cause.
Are chemical drain cleaners safe for old pipes?
They can damage old pipe and fittings, and they rarely clear a solid blockage. A cable or a trap clean-out is safer.
How often should a main line be cleaned?
Only when it needs it, unless a camera shows a known problem such as roots or a sag, in which case periodic cleaning keeps it running.