Clogged Drain Cleaning in South Carolina

The causes of a clogged drain change from one part of South Carolina to the next. Older neighborhoods deal with cast iron and clay sewer lines under big trees, newer neighborhoods mostly with grease and wipes in PVC pipe, and many rural homes with a septic tank that needs attention. Find your city below, or the one closest to you. Each city page has a rough cost range, a look at what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Drains in South Carolina deal with heavy summer rain, tropical storms and, near the coast, sandy ground with a high water table. That wet ground stresses septic fields, and many homes, rural and suburban, use septic. Live oaks, pines and water oaks grow fast and push roots into older clay and cast iron sewer lines. Upstate, red clay holds water around buried pipe, and many coastal homes sit on slabs or raised foundations with drain lines that are hard to reach.

• Sandy soil and a high water table near the coast
• Tropical storms and heavy summer rain
• Septic systems at many rural and suburban homes
• Fast-growing live oak and pine roots
• Red clay upstate

Ask whether the plumber checks the drain lines under a raised or slab foundation for sags and cracks, not just the clog.

• Kitchen sink. Cooking grease and oil that cool and harden on the pipe wall, plus food scraps, coffee grounds and soap scum that stick to it. A garbage disposal sends more solids down, not fewer.
• Bathroom sink. Hair mixed with soap, toothpaste and shaving residue, caught on the pop-up stopper or in the trap. Small items dropped down the drain add to it.
• Tub or shower. Hair is the main cause, bound together with soap scum and conditioner. Older tubs with a trip lever drain collect it in the overflow and the drum trap.
• Toilet. Too much paper at once, wipes labeled flushable, paper towels, cotton swabs, dental floss and toys. Low-flow toilets from before about 2005 clog more often.
• Floor or laundry drain. Lint from the washing machine, sand and grit, soap, and in basements the silt that washes in. A dry trap lets sewer gas up as well.
• Main sewer line. Tree roots coming in at joints in clay and cast iron pipe, grease built up from years of kitchen use, wipes, and pipe that has sagged or cracked.
• Outdoor or yard drain. Leaves, dirt, sand and roots in yard drains, area drains, driveway trench drains and the pipes that carry downspout water away.