How Often Should You Have Your Drains Cleaned

Most homes do not need a drain cleaning schedule at all. Here is who does, the warning signs that come first, and the difference between clearing and cleaning.

For most Shore households the honest answer is: not on a schedule at all, until the line tells you it needs one. The exception is main lines with a history, houses on older cast iron, and anywhere with a grease habit. Those should be on an annual or two yearly cycle.

Rule of thumb. No history of blockages, no schedule needed. One main line blockage in the last two years, clean it annually. Two or more, get a camera down there first, because repeat blockages are a symptom rather than the problem.

Who should be on a schedule

The signs that come before a blockage

Drains almost never block without warning either. Watch for:

• A sink that drains slower than it used to, even slightly.
• Gurgling from one fixture when another drains.
• A toilet whose water level rises then falls before flushing away.
• A faint smell from a drain that used to have none.
• Two fixtures slowing at the same time, which almost always means the main line rather than the fixture.

The last one is the important one. A single slow fixture is a local clog. Two or more at once is the main line, and that is worth calling about before it backs up onto a floor.

Cleaning against clearing

There is a difference and it matters when you are deciding how often. Cabling clears a blockage by punching through it. Jetting cleans the pipe wall back to its full diameter. If you are cabling the same line annually, you are paying repeatedly for a temporary result. Jetting once usually resets the clock much further. Prices for both are in what drain cleaning costs on the Eastern Shore.

What actually keeps drains clear

• Grease into a can. Hot water does not carry it away, it just moves the cooling point further down the pipe.
• Only toilet paper down the toilet. Flushable wipes are the single biggest cause of main line blockages we pull.
• Hair catchers in every shower and tub. They cost a few dollars and prevent most bathroom clogs.
• Run water monthly in fixtures you do not use, so traps do not dry out.
• On septic, keep to the pumping schedule. A full tank presents as slow drains long before anything backs up.

Questions We Get Asked About Drain Cleaning Frequency

Not sure which category you are in

Tell us what the drains are doing and we will tell you honestly whether you need a schedule or just a hair catcher. Request service.

Written by the team at Shoresteady Plumbing, Temperanceville, Virginia. Master plumbing licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Prices shown are typical ranges for the Eastern Shore, not a quote. Your written estimate is the only number that binds either of us.

More from the Shoresteady Plumbing blog

Water Heaters

How Much Does a Tankless Water Heater Cost on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

Tankless installation typically runs $4,000 to $7,500 on the Shore. Here is where the money goes, why gas line sizing drives the price,...

Water Heaters

Tank or Tankless: Which Water Heater Is Right for Your Home

A side by side comparison without the sales pitch: cost, service life, maintenance, power cuts, and well water, plus the two things peop...

Drains and Sewers

How Much Does Sewer Line Repair Cost on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

Sewer work on the Shore runs from $1,500 for a spot repair to $20,000 for a full replacement. Prices, what drives them, and whether to ...

Reading about it is one thing, fixing it is another

Tell us what is going on and we will get you on the schedule. Written estimate before we start, and a 2-year workmanship guarantee on every job.