Drain cleaning services in Pasadena, CA

Drain conditions in Pasadena

Many Pasadena homes are older, built on raised floors with crawl spaces, and the plumbing below is often a blend of clay, iron and later plastic repairs. A frequent pattern is the bathroom branch, where hair, soap and mineral scale narrow the pipe long before the main line has trouble. Oaks, sycamores, camphors and magnolias are common street and yard trees, and their roots often find the joints in clay. Streets slope gently toward the foothills in places, so fall varies from one block to the next.

If one fixture drains slowly while others are fine, tell the call-taker, because that points to a branch rather than the main line. Mention where the cleanout is, which may be at the front, beside the house or near the street. Ask for a camera look when roots are suspected or the slow drain returns, since the picture shows what is in the clay joint. Calls from South Pasadena, San Marino, Altadena and Alhambra get the same questions.

The bathroom branch: hair, soap and scale

The call that starts most Pasadena visits is a shower that drains slowly. Hair and soap form a mat below the stopper, and in an older line, scale on the wall gives it something to hold. Clearing the trap helps for a while, and then the slow drain returns.

A recurring slow shower can point to the branch and not the fixture. A strainer catches hair before it reaches the pipe. See shower and tub drain cleaning and bathroom sink drain cleaning.

Older homes on raised floors

Much of the city is older housing from the early and middle twentieth century, mostly on raised foundations. The drain lines run under the floor, with cast iron or galvanized pipe inside the walls and clay laterals outside.

A technician can reach the pipe from the crawlspace, so a clear hatch helps. See raised-foundation drain clogs and cast iron drain cleaning.

Oaks, sycamores, camphors and magnolias

Pasadena’s streets and yards carry old oaks, sycamores, camphors, magnolias and jacarandas. Mature roots and pipes share the same soil, and a tree rarely harms a sound pipe. The pipe usually has to leak at a joint first.

Where the lateral runs, how old it is and how the tree grows decide how often a line needs a look. See tree root removal.

Roots in the clay joint

Clay laterals run in short lengths, with a joint every few feet. A joint that weeps draws roots, which enter as fine hairs and thicken into a mat that catches paper and grease.

Cutting clears the line, and the joint stays as it was. If the same line has been cleared three times, the interval is the clue. A camera shows how many joints are affected. See clay sewer lateral clogs.

Sloping streets toward the foothills

To the north and west, streets slope toward the foothills and lots step down from the road. A lateral falls quickly on the steep stretches and slows where the grade flattens, which is where solids settle.

Cleanouts may be on a lower level or beside the street. Tell us if there are stairs or a retaining wall.

Kitchen grease in houses and apartments

Grease cools and coats the pipe wall, then catches food and paper. A kitchen branch that is slow after the dishes points to build-up. A disposal moves scraps, not grease, and hot water only moves it farther down.

In apartments, a shared kitchen stack means one household’s habit can back up another unit. See kitchen grease clogs and clogged kitchen sinks.

Duplexes, courts and shared laterals

Pasadena has many duplexes, bungalow courts and small apartment buildings, which often share one lateral. A clog in the shared line shows up in more than one unit, and ground-floor units back up first.

If several units are affected, the owner should call. Say which units and which fixtures. See multi-unit building drains.

Main line or branch line: which one is it?

A branch serves one fixture or room. One slow sink points to a branch. Several fixtures slowing together, or a tub that rises when a toilet is flushed, point to the main. Every Pasadena home is a little different, so describe yours when you call.

Tell the tech exactly which fixtures are affected and what you hear. See main sewer line clogs. Not every Pasadena home is affected the same way.

What to say when you call from Pasadena

• Say whether the house has a raised floor or a crawl space. It tells the technician how the line runs under the home.
• Say whether a tree stands between the house and the street, and how large it is.
• Note which fixture slowed first. On a long old run, the first slow drain points to the stretch of line that is failing.

Common questions