Clogged Drain Cleaning in Missouri

The causes of a clogged drain change from one part of Missouri 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. 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.

Clay soil in Missouri shrinks in dry summers and swells in wet springs, and over the years that cycle can open joints in clay and cast iron sewer lines. Water is hard in many areas because of the limestone underneath, so scale builds up in older drains. Oaks, maples and sweetgums send roots into the gaps. The older parts of the biggest cities still use combined sewers that back up into basements in heavy storms, and the Ozarks and other rural areas rely on septic systems in rocky ground.

• Clay soil that shrinks and swells with the seasons
• Hard water from limestone ground
• Combined sewers in older parts of the biggest cities
• Roots from oaks, maples and sweetgums
• Septic systems in rocky Ozark ground

Ask whether the plumber clears the line from an outside cleanout, and whether one should be added if your house does not have one.

• 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.