Clogged Drain Cleaning in Louisiana

What clogs a drain changes across Louisiana. Cast iron and clay lines under big trees are the issue in older neighborhoods, grease and wipes in newer subdivisions, and septic tanks in much of the countryside. Look for your city below, or the nearest one. On each city page you will find a rough cost range, notes on local soil and trees, and one number for a local plumber.

The ground in Louisiana is low, wet and slow to drain, and in many areas it settles over time, which can sag a sewer line and leave a low spot where paper and grease collect. Heavy rain and hurricanes flood streets and yard drains, and a high water table keeps septic fields soaked. Live oaks spread roots wide and find cracked clay and cast iron pipe under older homes. Expansive clay in many parishes heaves when wet and shrinks in dry spells.

• Low, wet ground that settles and sags pipe
• Hurricanes and heavy rain that flood drains
• High water table around septic fields
• Live oak roots in older sewer lines
• Expansive clay that swells and shrinks

Ask whether storm water could be getting into the sewer line, since backups that only happen in heavy rain often point that way.

• 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.