Anyone can push a clog far enough down the line that the sink drains today. We would rather find out why it clogged, because a drain that backs up twice in a year is telling you something about the pipe, not about what you put down it.
Running the jetter down a main line from the roof vent.
Worth calling about
More than one fixture backing up at the same time — that usually means the main, not the trap.
A gurgle from the shower when the toilet flushes.
Water rising in the shower pan when the washing machine drains.
A drain that clears with a plunger and then blocks again within weeks.
Smell coming back up from a floor drain.
What we do
Work out where it isOne slow fixture is local. Several at once is the main line. That changes the tool and the price, so we establish it first.
Camera when it earns its keepOn a repeat blockage or a main line we put a camera down before clearing, so we can see whether it is grease, roots, scale or a broken pipe.
Cable or jetA cable machine cuts through a solid obstruction. High-pressure water scours the pipe wall properly and is the right answer for grease and scale.
Show you the afterOn camera jobs you see the line before and after, so you are not taking our word for it.
Descaling cast iron, from inside the pipe
A descaling head working its way along a cast iron line, filmed on the camera as it goes.
Cabling punches a hole through a blockage. Descaling takes the build-up off the pipe wall and gives you the bore back, which is why a line that keeps re-blocking often needs this rather than another cable job. The clean wall behind the head is what the pipe is supposed to look like.
More finished work
Roots cut out of a main line. This is what keeps bringing a drain back.Cable coming back out through the toilet flange, with everything it brought with it.Clearing grease out of a cleanout at ground level.Working the jetter line in by hand while the machine runs.
What actually blocks drains here
In older Miami and Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods the sewer lateral is often cast iron that has scaled down to a fraction of its original bore, or clay joints that ficus and palm roots have found. Roots are the big one — South Florida landscaping is aggressive and a lateral running under a mature tree will keep re-blocking until the pipe is dealt with. Restaurant and cafe kitchens have the opposite problem: grease that cools and lines the pipe until the bore closes.
What it costs
Standard drain clearing is quoted flat-rate on site before we start, so you know the number up front. Camera work and hydro jetting are priced separately because they take different equipment, and if the job needs them you will have the number before anything starts.
Common questions
Will chemical drain cleaner fix it?
Rarely, and on older cast iron it can make things worse by attacking the pipe while it sits against a blockage. If it has not cleared after one attempt, stop and call someone.
Why does the same drain keep blocking?
Because the blockage is a symptom. Roots, a bellied section holding water, or a pipe that has scaled down will all keep catching debris. A camera tells you which one you have.
Do you clear main lines at night?
Yes. A backing-up main is an emergency and we run those 24/7.
Let’s get it fixed.
One call gets you a real plumber, a fixed price, and a job done right. No callbacks, no surprises, no runaround.
Cornerstone Plumbing
