Why YSK: I used to be a drain cleaner. EVERY SINGLE DAY I had people coming to me for a second opinion because they were told they had to replace their sewer line for 5 grand. In the two years I spent drain cleaning, I only came across a whopping FOUR people that actually needed their sewer line replaced and well over a hundred that were told they had to. Here are some of the many tactics these companies use:

-The most common one is that they couldn’t get their blades past a blockage so the line must be broken. If this were true, the blades would come back with either mud on them, or completely clean and shiny. Even then, there are lots of other reasons why they could be shiny so it’s not a definite break in the line.

-They clean the line with small or sometimes even no blades. If it’s the mainline, at least 3 inch blades should be used. Preferably 4 inch though. But some companies don’t do that. So they will poke a hole into the blockage, and everything will run just fine...for a few days. Shortly after, that tiny hole will close again and you’ll call them back out. They’ll try to convince you it’s because the line is broken when it’s not.

-They make you think roots in the mainline are a huge deal and the line must be replaced. Roots are the most common cause of sewer line backups. It’s incredibly common and should be expected if you have a tree near your sewer line. Some people will go ten years before their first root caused backup because it can take time for the roots to get through the pipe. Your sewer line is still in good shape. Just get it snaked every year and use root killer to slow the growth.

-They scope the line and find bellies with sitting water or small offsets. While not ideal, most houses have them and it’s not necessarily a big deal. It’s something to keep an eye on, not waste 5-10 grand on.

Here’s some general tips regarding the trade:

-If the company doesn’t have the prices online, don’t tell them if you’re renting out the house. If you’re a landlord they’ll assume you’ve got extra cash and up charge you.

-If your basement has a floor drain, get a $10 water alarm. If it ever backs up, you’ll know immediately and stop the spread of water before it causes massive amounts of damage. This is particularly important if you don’t go into the basement often. I once went to an elderly lady’s house that had a foot of water in the basement. She was too old to go downstairs and didn’t notice the smell because she was hooked up to an oxygen tank thingy. Decades of memories stored in boxed were destroyed.

-If you have a sewer line scoped, make sure you see them do it yourself. They like to swap footage with another house and act like your line is broken. Also make sure they use at least 3 inch blades on your mainline. Also make sure to get a copy of the footage. You can send it to multiple companies and they’ll usually give you their opinion for free so you don’t need it scoped multiple times!

-Clean out the p-traps to your sinks. I’ve had dozens of people call me to spend five minutes unscrewing their trap, cleaning it out, the putting it back. When I try to tell them that it’s easy to do yourself they say they don’t mess around with anything plumbing related. But seriously, watch a two minute video and do it yourself in 5 minutes and save a hundred bucks.

-DO NOT FLUSH ANYTHING DOWN THE TOILET UNLESS IT CAME OUT OF YOU, OR ITS TOILET PAPER!!!! It doesn’t matter if your wipes say they’re “flushable”. it doesn’t matter if it’s “just a few tampons”. It doesn’t matter if you “didn’t think your kid was dumb enough to flush his cat stuffed animal”. Don’t do it! Just because it gets past the toilet doesn’t mean it gets through the whole line. If you’re flushing wipes or tampons, there’s a good chance your just collecting them and one day you will be met with a very unpleasant surprise. I’ve seen anywhere from a couple tampons clogging the line to filling up HALF OF A FIVE GALLON BUCKET with tampons. The only thing worse than spending 10 hours fishing for tampons is spending a thousand bucks for someone to fish for your tampons.

There’s a lot more to it but I’m doubtful many will even read this. Which is a shame because I saw people getting scammed every single day and it’s easily avoidable. Most people don’t know much of this and these companies know that. And they take advantage of it.

Edit: I forgot to mention, don’t use any draino or anything similar. It’s very acidic. It can melt away pipes overtime and does a very poor job anyways. It usually only pokes holes into things. Save your pipes and clean out the trap yourself by hand, or call someone to do it.

Also, I highly recommend never using a snake yourself for the mainline, or even really a kitchen line. I have no idea how places like Home Depot are allowed to rent them out to just anyone. I know people that were trained to use them and still lost a finger. If you’re not incredibly familiar with it you can go from being just fine to missing a finger in literally a split second. Spend the extra hundred dollars and have a professional do it. It takes a long time to be trained to use it and messing up or not knowing how to use it properly can cost you a finger or two.

Also, if your toilets start to bubble/gargle when you run any water, your line is most likely going to be backing up. You could have a backup in one minute, or in a week. It’s best to have someone out ASAP!

People are asking why you shouldn’t use the snake yourself or how I could cause a lot of damage. This is why. BE WARNED, THIS IS NSFW AND GOREY. And this isn’t even the worst that can happen!

Also, drain cleaners love kitchen sink disposals because it keeps them in business. The more food you put down, the more likely it will get clogged. Especially avoid greasy foods, egg shells, and coffee grounds. If you’d like to avoid a backup, don’t put any food down the sink and use a paper towel to wipe off excess grease on dishes!