Get matched with top drain cleaners in Alta, IA

Snaking a drain can take as little as a few minutes for small, simple clogs, up to two hours or more for tough clogs located further down the drain line. For tougher clogs, a professional drain cleaner can likely get the job done much more quickly because they have the necessary tools and expertise. However, your drain cleaning pro might not be able to give you a firm time estimate until inspecting the clog and its surrounding plumbing.

If you don’t have a sewer cleanout, clearing out clogs can be extremely difficult. You would need to try to clear the clog from sink drains, but it can be harder to reach the clog all the way in the drain line. A sewer cleanout makes it much faster and easier for pros to clear clogs from your main sewer line.

The P-trap (or S-trap in older homes) under your shower is designed to prevent sewer gas from coming back up, so you shouldn’t normally experience foul odors coming from your shower drain. If you do, the vent stack that introduces air into your plumbing system may be clogged, or you may have a more severe sewer main blockage. In either case, hire a plumber to fix the issue for you.

It’s possible to snake minor drain clogs yourself, provided they sit within a foot or two of the drain itself, but it’s usually best to hire a professional plumber regardless. Even experienced DIYers have a high chance of accidentally pushing the clog further into the drain using a drain snake or another tool, so hiring a plumber is the ideal course of action. A professional plumber can use camera equipment to locate and identify the clog, and remove the entire blockage to fix your issue permanently.