Clogged Drain Cleaning in Florida

The causes of a clogged drain change from one part of Florida to the next. Older neighborhoods deal with cast iron and clay sewer lines under big trees, newer neighborhoods primarily with grease and wipes in PVC pipe, and many rural homes with a septic tank that needs attention. 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.

Many homes in Florida sit on concrete slabs with cast iron drain lines under the floor, and in houses built before PVC became standard that pipe can rot through from the inside. Water drawn from limestone aquifers is hard in much of the peninsula, so scale builds up in old lines. Sandy soil and a high water table put stress on the septic systems that serve many neighborhoods, not only rural ones. Hurricanes and summer downpours flood yard drains, and roots from oaks, ficus and other fast-growing trees go after any crack.

• Cast iron drain lines under older slab homes
• Hard water in much of the peninsula
• Septic systems in many neighborhoods, not only rural ones
• Sandy soil and a high water table
• Hurricanes and summer downpours that flood yard drains

Ask whether the plumber can run a camera through the line under the slab to check for cast iron that has corroded or cracked.

• 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.