Standing water in the house: do this before we arrive
A backed up drain gets worse every time someone uses water. A few minutes of prep keeps the mess small and lets us start work the moment we walk in.
- ✓Stop all water use.No flushing, no laundry, no dishwasher. Every gallon you send down has nowhere to go but back up.
- ✓Note which drains are affected.One slow sink points to a branch line. A tub gurgling when the toilet flushes points to the main.
- ✓Keep people and pets out of the wet area.Backed up water from a floor drain or toilet can carry bacteria, so wear boots and gloves if you must walk through it.
- ✓Skip the chemical drain liquid.It sits in standing water, burns skin, and makes the job unsafe for whoever reaches into the trap next.
- ✓Clear a path to the cleanout.If you know where the basement cleanout cap is, move boxes away from it so we can get a cable in quickly.
Which clue points to which clog
Most callers describe a symptom, not a pipe. These are the patterns we read first.
One sink drains slowly
The clog is usually in that fixture's own trap or branch line. Hair, grease and soap film are the usual causes.
Tub gurgles when the toilet flushes
Air and water are fighting through a partly blocked line shared by both. That pattern often means the main drain.
Floor drain smells or bubbles
The basement floor drain sits at the lowest point. It shows trouble first when the main line slows down.
Clog comes back every few weeks
A line that clears and refills fast usually has roots, scale or a belly holding debris. Cutting the clog is only half the fix.
Everything drains, but slowly
That points downstream of every fixture, in the main line or the lateral to the street side of the house.
Cable, auger or water jet: how we choose
A kitchen sink with a grease plug does not need the same tool as a four-inch main full of roots. We start with the lightest tool that will do the job, then step up if the cable comes back with nothing on it.
A hand auger or a drum cable handles most single-fixture clogs. For long runs, heavy buildup or roots, a cutting head on a larger cable or a pressure jet scours the pipe wall instead of just poking a hole through the middle. If a cable stalls partway, that is a signal. Something solid may be in the line, and a camera look is the next step, covered on our sewer camera inspection page.
Drain backing up while you read this?
Stop the water, then call (440) 468-0237. We take emergency drain calls at any hour and book same-day visits when the schedule allows.
Match the clog to the cleaning method
This is the decision we walk through with you before any work starts.
| What you see | Likely location | Usual method |
|---|---|---|
| Sink or tub slow, nothing else affected | That fixture's trap or branch | Hand auger or small cable |
| Toilet and tub both sluggish | Shared branch near the stack | Drum cable with a cutting head |
| Basement floor drain bubbles | Main drain inside the house | Larger cable, then a camera if it stalls |
| Clog returns within weeks | Roots, scale or a low spot in the pipe | Hydro jetting plus a camera look |
| Backup reaches the yard side | Lateral between house and city main | Sewer line cleaning from the cleanout |
How a service visit runs
Here is the order of work once the truck is in your driveway.
- 1
Find the access point
We locate the nearest cleanout, trap or removable fixture, and lay down protection so cable and runoff stay off your floors.
- 2
Run the right tool
We feed the cable until we feel the blockage, then cut or break it up and flush the pipe until the water flows normally.
- 3
Test every fixture
We run water in the affected drains and a few unaffected ones to confirm the line is open end to end.
- 4
Tell you what caused it
If roots, grease or a damaged section are behind the clog, you hear it plainly, with the repair options laid out before anything else is done.
Whose pipe is clogged: yours or the city's
In Solon, the city says the property owner is responsible for the sewer lateral from the house to the cleanout. The city maintains its own sewer main in the street. If sewage is backing up into a basement, the city asks residents to call its Service Department, and crews check the main first.
That order saves you money. If the main is clear, the city recommends a licensed plumber, and that is where we come in. Telling the Service Department about the backup first can rule out a street-side problem before you pay for a cleaning that cannot fix it.
Kitchen sinks, laundry lines and shower drains
Kitchen lines clog with grease that cools and hardens on the pipe wall, so a sink that drains slowly after dishes is warning you early. Laundry standpipes clog with lint. Shower drains clog with hair wrapped around soap scum, and the plug usually sits a few inches below the strainer.
These jobs are quick when the blockage is local. If a second fixture starts to slow down after we clear the first, we stop treating it as a one-sink problem and look at the shared line behind it.
What decides the price of a drain cleaning
We tell you the price before we start. These are the things that move it.
Homeowners insurance usually covers sudden, accidental water damage but not wear, neglect or the failed part itself. A slow clog that builds for months is often treated as maintenance, so check your policy and ask your insurer before you file.
Questions Solon homeowners ask about clogged drains
Yes. Our dispatch runs 24/7, so a backed up tub at 2 a.m. gets the same attention as a weekday call. Tell us which fixtures are affected and whether water is reaching the floor, and we will give you a clear price before the cable goes in.
The washer pushes a lot of water at once into the drain line. If the main is partly blocked, the water and air have to escape somewhere, and the floor drain is the lowest open point. It is an early warning that the main needs cleaning.
A slow drain is a clog that is still small. Cleaning it now costs less than waiting for a full stoppage, and we can often tell from the cable whether grease, hair or roots are behind it.
A properly sized cable with the right head is made for this work. On old or fragile lines, we tell you before we start and may recommend a camera look first or a gentler method.
A repeat clog is a sign of something the first cleaning did not remove, like roots, scale or a sagging section. We recommend a camera look so you can see the cause instead of paying for the same cleaning again.
It can loosen light soap film in a sink, but it will not move a hair clog, a grease plug or roots. If the water is already standing, skip it and call.
Sources and standards behind this page
Local facts and rules on this page come from these public sources. Check the current version before relying on a permit or code detail.