Drains cleared —
then explained
Clearing a blockage is the easy half. The half that saves you money is knowing whether it was a one-off or a line with a structural problem that will do it again in three months.
What your drains are actually telling you
One slow fixture and every slow fixture are two completely different problems. Knowing which you have is most of the job.
One sink draining slowly
Almost always local — the trap or the branch serving that fixture. Usually the quickest job we do.
Every fixture slow at once
That points at the main line, not the sink you are standing in front of. Worth acting on before it stops completely.
Gurgling when something else drains
Air being pulled through the trap because the line is partly blocked or the vent is restricted. It is a warning shot.
Water backing up somewhere else
Flush a toilet and the shower fills? The blockage is downstream of both. Stop running water and call.
A persistent drain smell
Either a dry trap, a venting issue, or build-up in the line giving bacteria somewhere to live.
The same drain, again and again
Recurring clogs in one place are rarely bad luck. Something about that line — a belly, roots, an offset or a crushed section — is catching debris.
How we clear a line
Matched to the pipe you actually have, which around here is often plastic rather than cast iron.
We find out what is blocked
Which fixtures are affected tells us how far down the problem is before we open anything.
We pick the tool for the pipe
Plastic and PVC lines will not take what an old cast-iron main will. The wrong tool at the wrong pressure turns a clog into a repair.
We clear it and test it
Then run water properly through the line to confirm it is actually flowing, not just temporarily moving.
We tell you what it was
One-off blockage or a line with a problem. If it is the second, you get the honest version and a quote for fixing the cause.
Drain Cleaning
Why we will not just crank the pressure up
A lot of the drain lines around Boerne are plastic or PVC, particularly in newer construction. They clear beautifully with the right approach and they crack when somebody attacks them with equipment meant for a century-old cast-iron main.
That is the difference between a drain cleaning and a drain repair, and it is entirely down to the person holding the tool. We would rather take a few extra minutes than hand you a bill for a pipe we broke.
- Kitchen, bathroom, laundry and utility drains
- Main line blockages affecting the whole house
- Tools and pressure matched to plastic, PVC or cast iron
- Root intrusion identified where that is the cause
- Honest read on whether it will recur
- Repair quoted separately if the line itself is the problem
- A cleaned-up work area when we leave
Shifting clay is hard on drain lines
The expansive clay soil across this area swells with every wet spell and shrinks back through every dry one. Buried drain lines move with it, and over years that movement is what creates the bellies, offsets and separated joints that catch debris.
It is why recurring clogs are more common here than the age of a house would suggest, and why we take the recurring ones seriously instead of just clearing them again. If the ground has moved the pipe, no amount of cleaning fixes it — but knowing that early saves you paying for the same visit four times.
Backing up into the house?
Stop running water everywhere in the house and call — that pattern usually means the main.
Drain Cleaning questions
Still not sure?
Describe it on the phone and we'll tell you straight whether it needs us.
Recurring clogs in one spot usually mean the line itself has a problem — a belly holding water, an offset joint, root intrusion or a crushed section. Cleaning clears the symptom; locating the cause is what stops it happening again.
We would rather you did not. They are hard on older pipes and seals, they frequently do not reach the actual blockage, and they make the line hazardous for whoever opens it next — which may be us.
That points at the main line rather than any one fixture. It is worth acting on quickly, because a partly blocked main tends to become a fully blocked one.
It can, if the tool and pressure do not match the pipe. Plenty of lines around here are plastic or PVC and will not tolerate equipment intended for old cast iron. Matching the method to the material is the whole skill.
Pulliam Plumbing Services offers Drain Repair services to identify and repair any issues with your drains, including damaged or broken drains.
Often booked alongside this
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Get the water moving again
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Boerne & Fair Oaks Ranch, TX · Licensed Master Plumber M-38925