Clogged Drain Cleaning in Illinois

Drains clog for different reasons in different parts of Illinois. Older neighborhoods deal with cast iron and clay sewer lines under big trees, more recent neighborhoods primarily with grease and wipes in PVC pipe, and many rural homes with a septic tank that needs attention. Find your city or the nearest one below. Each city page has a rough cost range, a look at what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Flat ground, heavy rain and older combined sewers make basement backups a familiar problem in Illinois. Many older cities carry storm water and sewage in the same pipes, so a heavy spring storm can push water up through floor drains. Hard water from wells and lakes builds scale in drain lines, and freezing winters work on shallow pipe. Clay and cast iron sewer laterals under mature maples, elms and oaks crack and fill with roots. Some homes add an overhead sewer or a backwater valve to keep storm water out.

• Combined sewers that back up into basements in heavy rain
• Hard water from wells in much of the state
• Clay and cast iron sewer laterals in older homes
• Freezing winters and frost in the ground
• Roots from maples, elms and oaks

Ask whether a backwater valve or an overhead sewer would stop storm water from backing up into your basement.

• 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.