How often should I actually get my drains cleaned?
Most homes do not need routine drain cleaning unless something is acting up. If your kitchen sink or shower drains a little sluggishly every few months, you likely have a localized buildup of hair, soap scum, or grease. But if you live in an established Northglenn neighborhood with mature landscaping, those large trees near your yard can send roots straight into your sewer line. In those cases, an annual camera inspection or preventative cleaning makes a lot of sense before a minor slow-down turns into a messy basement backup.
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use on my pipes?
Short answer: Northglenn Drain Service advises you to avoid them entirely. Those liquid bottles from the grocery store rely on harsh chemicals that generate heat to dissolve clogs. If you have older cast iron or PVC pipes common in mid-century local builds, that heat can actually warp or crack your plumbing. Plus, if the chemical does not completely clear the blockage, it just sits in the pipe eating away at the material while dangerous standing water remains. Save your money and protect your plumbing by using a mechanical snake or calling a professional instead.
What causes my kitchen sink to keep clogging over and over?
If you are plunging the kitchen sink every few weeks, you are not fixing the root cause. Kitchen lines typically clog because of a mix of grease, coffee grounds, and food particles that cling to the interior walls of the pipe. Over time, that layer hardens. When Northglenn Drain Service runs a cable or uses hydro-jetting, our team does not just punch a tiny hole through the middle of the mess—we scour the pipe walls clean so grease has nowhere to grab onto.
How do I know if a clogged drain is actually a main sewer line issue?
Pay attention to what else is happening in the house. If only one sink is slow, it is a local fixture clog. But if flushing the toilet makes your shower drain gurgle, or if running the washing machine causes water to back up into the basement floor drain, you have a main line blockage. That is a different beast entirely. Multiple fixtures acting up at once mean the blockage is sitting down in the main lateral line leading out to the street.
Can I use a rented drain snake from the hardware store?
You can, but proceed with caution. Rental snakes can be surprisingly heavy, awkward to handle, and dangerous if the cable catches on a tree root or pipe offset and twists up on itself. Northglenn Drain Service has seen plenty of homeowners accidentally crack an underground pipe or lose the auger head deep inside the line, turning a simple fifty-dollar fix into a major excavation project. If a standard hand crank does not clear your sink trap, it is usually safer to let someone with the right commercial gear take over.
What happens during a professional camera inspection?
Our team feeds a specialized, flexible waterproof camera down your cleanout or drain opening. A bright light on the tip illuminates the inside of the pipe while transmitting real-time video to a monitor outside. You get to see the exact condition of your lines—whether it is offset joints, heavy scale buildup from hard water, or a massive clump of tree roots. It takes all the guesswork out of plumbing diagnostics so Northglenn Drain Service only fixes what is actually broken.