Drain cleaning is the plumbing job Pueblo residents look up most by name. That makes sense in a city where the median house was built in 1965 and more than four in ten date from before 1960. Old drain pipe is rough inside, and Pueblo's hard water leaves mineral scale that grease and hair stick to. The opening shrinks a little every year until it closes.
Where clogs happen in Pueblo homes
Kitchen sink.
Grease, food and soap collect in the trap and in the run to the main stack.
Bathroom sink, tub and shower.
Hair and soap, plus mineral scale from hard water.
Toilet.
Too much paper, wipes, or a toy in the trap.
Laundry.
Lint builds up in standpipes and laundry tub drains.
Floor drain.
In older houses with basements, the floor drain often ties into the main. If it backs up, the clog is further down the line.
When it is more than one drain
A single slow sink is usually a local clog. Call sooner if:
- Several fixtures drain slowly at the same time.
- Water comes up in the tub or floor drain when the toilet flushes or the washer empties.
- Drains gurgle when other fixtures run.
- There is a sewer smell inside.
- The same drain clogs again within weeks of being cleared.
Those point to the main drain or the sewer line out to the street. See sewer line repair in Pueblo.
What you can try yourself
- Use the right plunger: a flat cup for sinks and tubs, a flanged one for toilets.
- Pull the pop-up stopper and clear the hair.
- Take apart the sink trap with a bucket underneath.
- Soak a crusted shower head or aerator in vinegar to clear scale.
Skip the chemical drain openers. They seldom clear a full clog, they are hard on old metal pipe, and they make the job risky for whoever opens the line next.
How a plumber clears a drain
Most drains are cleared with a cable machine, also called a snake or auger, fed through the fixture or a cleanout. Main lines get a bigger powered machine with cutting heads for roots and buildup. Some plumbers use water jetting to scour the pipe wall, which needs care in very old or thin pipe.
If a line keeps clogging, ask for a camera inspection. It shows whether the cause is scale, a sag, roots, a crack or a collapsed section, so you stop paying to clear the same blockage.
Keeping Pueblo drains open
- Pour cooled grease into a can and put it in the trash.
- Put strainers in tub and shower drains.
- Flush only toilet paper. Flushable wipes still clog pipes.
- Clean scale off strainers and stoppers now and then; hard water builds it fast.
- Find your main cleanout before you need it. It is usually a capped pipe near where the main drain leaves the house.
What drain cleaning costs
We have not found a published Pueblo price for drain cleaning, and prices vary with which line is blocked and how it is reached. A sink clear through an easy trap costs less than a main line cleared through a roof vent or a buried cleanout. Ask for the price first, and whether a camera look is included. More in our Pueblo plumber cost guide.
Common questions
Why do drains clog so often in older Pueblo houses?
Old pipe is rough inside, and hard water adds mineral scale. Grease and hair catch on that rough surface and build up faster than in new pipe.
Is hydro jetting safe for old pipes?
It can be, but very old or thin pipe needs care. Ask the plumber to look with a camera first and explain why they suggest jetting over a cable machine.
My floor drain backs up when I run the washer. Why?
In many older homes the floor drain joins the main. Backup there usually means a clog further down the main or the sewer line, not in the floor drain itself.