Drain cleaning in the Inland Empire, CA

A region that grew in waves

The Inland Empire spans San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including the Coachella Valley. The older cores of cities such as San Bernardino, Riverside and Redlands have bungalows and older homes, many with clay laterals and mature trees. Post-war and later tracts spread across Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Corona and Moreno Valley, and newer planned communities use plastic pipe.

The result is a region where the age of the home varies a great deal from one neighbourhood to the next, and so does the likely cause of a clog.

Older cores and mature trees

In older neighbourhoods, clay laterals and mature shade trees are a familiar pairing. Roots enter at joints, and the pattern of a line that backs up in warm weather and returns is common.

Rooting, jetting and a camera run are the usual combination. See tree root removal.

Tract homes of the post-war decades and later

Many homes from the 1950s through the 1980s sit on slabs, with cast iron beneath the floor in the earlier ones and plastic in the later. In the earlier tracts, scale inside iron and, in some, fibre laterals can cause repeat clogs. Houses built then can contain these materials, and a camera inspection confirms it.

See cast iron drain cleaning.

Hard water and scale

Much of the region has hard water, and mineral scale builds in older drain lines and fixtures. It narrows pipes and gives grease and hair something to catch on. This is a general tendency, not a measurement of any home.

Scale is one reason older lines slow down gradually and again after cleaning.

Newer planned communities

Newer communities use ABS and PVC, which resist roots. Clogs there more often come from grease, wipes, hair and lint. A cable or jetter and a few habit changes often settle it.

If a new home clogs repeatedly, a camera shows whether a fitting or a low spot is involved.

Desert and foothill edges

At the desert and foothill edges, lots are larger and lines are longer. Some homes at the edge are on septic, where we connect you for interior drains and the line to the tank. See septic-home drain clogs.

Long runs call for longer cables and cameras, and a clear note of where the cleanout is.

How a visit works, and what you pay

Call at any hour. A person asks which drains are affected, when the house was built and whether you know where the cleanout is, then connects you with an independent technician who works nearby. They tell you the price before any work begins. We cannot promise an arrival time, but emergency calls are taken around the clock. Every the Inland Empire home is a little different, so describe yours when you call.

Trees, roots and the lateral

Many older Inland Empire neighbourhoods are shaded by mature trees, which matter a great deal in a warm climate. Roots follow moisture, and a sewer lateral is a steady source of it. In a clay line with loose joints, roots enter as fine threads and thicken into a mat that catches paper and grease.

Rooting clears the line but does not close the joint, and roots can return to the same place. A camera run after clearing shows how many joints are affected and helps set a cleaning schedule. We do not advise removing trees, and we do not recommend chemical root products.

If your line has backed up before, tell the technician when. A history is the best guide.

Camera inspection and buying or selling

The region has a busy housing market, and buyers of older homes often ask for a sewer camera inspection. A scope shows the pipe material, roots, offsets and low spots, and it gives sellers and buyers something concrete to look at.

Rules for the sewer lateral differ by city and agency, so confirm them locally before relying on a scope in a sale. We do not state any rule. See sewer scope when buying or selling. Homes across the Inland Empire vary a lot by age and lot, so treat this as general guidance.

If a scope is needed before closing, give us the date on the call.

Older city cores and the newer edges

The Inland Empire is several housing eras side by side. The older cores of Riverside, Redlands and San Bernardino have pre-war bungalows and Craftsman homes, many on raised foundations, with clay laterals and large shade trees along the street. Fontana, Rialto, Ontario, Colton and Upland grew with post-war tracts on slabs, where cast iron under the floor and clay laterals are common. Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Eastvale and Chino Hills are mostly 1990s and later subdivisions with PVC drains, where clogs tend to start with grease, wipes and hair rather than roots. In the high desert and the Coachella Valley, lots are larger, runs to the street can be long, and rural homes at the edges are often on septic, where the technicians handle the interior drains and the line to the tank only.

Hard water and scale in Inland lines

Much of the Inland Empire has hard water, and over the years scale builds on the inside of older iron drains and around fixture outlets. A rough, narrowed wall catches hair, soap and grease, so a sink or tub can slow again a few weeks after it was cleared. Plastic pipe does not scale in the same way. If your drains keep slowing in the same spot, tell the call-taker, and ask the technician whether a camera look would show how much scale is in the line.

Common questions