Clogged Drain Cleaning in Iowa

What clogs a drain changes across Iowa. Cast iron and clay lines under big trees are the issue in older neighborhoods, grease and wipes in newer subdivisions, and septic tanks in much of the countryside. 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.

Winters in Iowa drive frost deep into the ground, and spring thaw and heavy rain follow close behind. Water is very hard in much of the state, so scale collects inside older drain lines. Many older homes still have clay sewer pipe, and maples, oaks and cottonwoods send roots into its joints. Farms and acreages use septic systems, and river flooding can overload both septic fields and city sewers during a wet spring.

• Deep frost in long winters
• Very hard water across much of the state
• Clay sewer pipe in many older homes
• Septic systems on farms and acreages
• Spring floods and heavy rain

Ask whether a camera inspection is worth doing before winter, since a cracked line is harder to dig up in frozen ground.

• 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.