Drain Cleaning in Winston-Salem, NC

One clogged drain or the whole house?

The first question with any clog is how far down it sits. That decides what kind of cleaning makes sense and how urgent it is.

• One fixture is slow (a bathroom sink, one tub): the clog is usually in that fixture's trap or branch line. Hair and soap scum in bathroom drains and grease in kitchen lines are the usual causes.
• Several fixtures on one side of the house are slow: the clog may be in a shared branch line under the floor or in the crawlspace.
• Everything is slow, toilets gurgle, or water backs up into the lowest drain (a basement floor drain, a first-floor shower) when you run the washer or flush: the problem is the main building drain or the sewer lateral to the street. Stop running water until it is cleared.

What causes clogs in Winston-Salem homes

Grease, wipes and the "four Ps"

The City of Winston-Salem says about a third of all sewer backups are caused by grease and wipes going down the drain (WSFC Utilities, Sewer Backup Policy & Responsibilities). Its "Can the Grease" campaign asks residents to scrape fats, oils and grease into a can and throw it away, and its "No Wipes in Pipes" campaign is blunt: wipes are not flushable, no matter what the package says (City of Winston-Salem, No Wipes in Pipes). Grease cools and coats the inside of the kitchen line, and wipes snag on that coating. Over months the line narrows until a holiday meal finishes it off.

Roots in older laterals

Many older Winston-Salem neighborhoods have clay tile or cast-iron sewer laterals under big trees. Roots grow into joints looking for water and form a mat that catches paper. Clearing a root clog restores flow, but roots grow back, so a camera inspection is worth it when the main line clogs more than once.

Bellies and offsets in clay soil

Red Piedmont clay shrinks when it dries and swells when it is wet. Over decades that movement can create a low spot (a "belly") or an offset joint in a buried pipe, where waste settles. Those lines clog repeatedly in the same place even after a good cleaning.

Old cast iron and galvanized drains

Cast-iron drain lines rust from the inside and develop rough scale that catches debris. Galvanized drain pipe, common in some mid-century homes, narrows as it corrodes. If a house is 60 years old or more and the drains are original, cleaning may be a short-term fix until those sections are replaced.

How drains are usually cleared

1. Find the right access point. A fixture trap, a cleanout in the crawlspace or basement, a roof vent, or the outdoor cleanout near the foundation or at the edge of the yard. Using the closest cleanout to the clog avoids pulling a cable through toilets and fixtures.
2. Clear the clog with a cable machine. A drain snake or auger with the right cutting head breaks up hair, grease and paper, and a root-cutting head clears roots in a main line.
3. Jet the line when it needs more than a hole punched through it. Hydro-jetting uses high-pressure water to scour grease and scale off the pipe walls. It is more thorough, but it is not right for every pipe: fragile, broken or badly corroded lines should be inspected first.
4. Camera-inspect repeat clogs. A sewer camera shows roots, breaks, bellies and offsets, and records video you can keep. If a repair is needed, the video shows where.
5. Test and clean up. Running water through every affected fixture confirms the line is flowing before the job is called done.

When the clog is on the city side

If your home is on public sewer through Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities and sewage backs up, call City Link at 311 or 336-727-8000 first. The utility checks and clears any blockage in the portion of your service line inside the public right-of-way, and it services the courtesy cleanout at the edge of the right-of-way if one exists. If the city side is clear, the blockage is on the private side of the line. The utility's policy asks that a plumber clear the line all the way through to the main and camera-inspect it (WSFC Utilities, Sewer Backup Policy & Responsibilities). See sewer line repair for more on who owns what.

Chemical drain cleaners: why we suggest skipping them

Caustic drain openers can burn through a soft hair clog, but they rarely clear grease or roots, they sit in the pipe when they fail, and they make the next step more dangerous for anyone who opens the trap. Repeated use is hard on older metal pipes and on the rubber parts of garbage disposals. A plunger with a good seal, or a simple hand auger for a bathroom sink, is safer for a first try. If those do not work, or more than one fixture is affected, it is time for a proper cleaning.

Keeping drains clear

• Scrape plates into the trash and pour cooled grease into a can.
• Use a hair catcher in tubs and showers.
• Flush only toilet paper. Wipes, paper towels and "flushable" products belong in the trash.
• Run plenty of water with the disposal, and keep fibrous scraps and coffee grounds out of it. See garbage disposals.
• If the main line has roots, ask about a maintenance cleaning schedule or a permanent repair.

Related guides

• Who Owns the Sewer Line in Winston-Salem?

Sources: City of Winston-Salem, Can the Grease; City of Winston-Salem, No Wipes in Pipes; WSFC Utilities, Sewer Backup Policy & Responsibilities.