Drain Cleaning Service in La Canada Flintridge

For reliable and trustworthy drain cleaning services in La Canada Flintridge, choose All Star Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. Our locally owned and operated business is committed to maintaining an impeccable reputation, ensuring complete peace of mind in our work. With a fully licensed, insured, and bonded team of experienced individuals, we are eager to surpass our customers' expectations in commercial, emergency, or residential drain cleaning. Reach out to All Star Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning today to join our growing list of loyal and satisfied customers!

Great team and great service! Handled the situation professionally!
Tom B. Avatar
Tom B.
6/06/2015

Drain Cleaning Tips and Facts

How Can Homeowners Prevent Clogged Drains?

Don’t Use Harsh Chemicals.

Avoid chemical drain cleaners with high acidity, as they can cause corrosion in your plumbing system. For professional drain cleaning in Glendale, contact All Star Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning. Consider more natural options when selecting household cleaners, such as baking soda and vinegar, which are powerful and versatile cleaning solutions. Additionally, there are numerous effective and safe cleaning products on the market.

Use a Mesh Drain Strainer.

Prevent food and debris from entering your drain by using mesh strainers. Regularly emptying them will help maintain the cleanliness of your drain and pipes.

Harness the Power of Simple, Affordable Kitchen Staples - Vinegar and Baking Soda.

Baking soda and vinegar offer odor-absorbing, cleaning, and freshening properties. Routinely sprinkle baking soda down the drain and rinse with hot water. For a more potent mixture, combine two cups of vinegar with one cup of baking soda, pour it into the drain, let it fizz for about 15 minutes, and rinse thoroughly with hot water.

Know How to Properly Use Your Garbage Disposal.

Don't throw items like eggshells, bones, paper products, meat, chemicals, coffee grounds, paint, rice, fibrous vegetable or fruit peels, and pasta down the garbage disposal. Turn on the cold water faucet while using the garbage disposal and for about one minute afterward to flush food particles through the pipes.

Keep Grease Far from Your Sink.

Collect grease and frying oils in a glass jar or can and place them in the garbage can instead of pouring them down the drain.

Don’t Put Food Scraps Down Your Kitchen Drain.

Scrape food crumbs into your garbage can before rinsing dishes to prevent clogs.

Rinse Kitchen Drains Regularly with Hot Water.

Run hot water each time you finish using your kitchen sink to prevent clogs. If you experience frequent clogs, pour very hot water down your drain every week to minimize buildup.

What is Hydro Jetting?

Hydro jetting utilizes a special hose to drive high-pressure water through a plumbing system. In this non-invasive procedure, we inspect the lines with a camera to detect any damage that could impede hydro jetting for clearing the clog. If no damage is found, we proceed by inserting the hose, connecting it to a professional water tank, and carefully identifying an optimal location to begin the process.

Using a sturdy hose, gravity, and high water pressure, we initiate the process of flushing debris from the system by directing a flow of 20 gallons per minute through forward-facing and numerous backward-facing jets that propel the nozzle along, effectively clearing obstructions. Hydro jetting goes beyond clog removal, thoroughly eliminating tree roots, grease, mineral scale, and various debris types. For deep-seated clogs, your trustworthy plumbing company will likely recommend this approach.

Types of Hydro Jetting Heads

Plumbers use various hydro jetting head types, each serving a unique purpose. Your drain cleaning contractor will select heads based on the severity and nature of debris and/or clogs located during our inspection.

Warthog Heads are large and powerful, spinning at high speeds to eliminate tough clogs. When you choose All Star Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning for drain cleaning service, rest assured your hydro jetting will be administered with precision and care.

Grease Heads are designed for removing grease, featuring a rotating nozzle that sprays water perpendicularly to the head. Another cleaning head is often used in sequence for the best results.

The Leader is a versatile nozzle addressing hard-to-reach areas like P-traps, pipe bends, corners, or vertical drops.

Penetrator Heads adopt an aggressive strategy, combining a highly powerful forward jet with rear-facing jets, effective for clearing blockages in both directions.

Ice Heads break through ice dams with forward and backward-facing jets, a sharp tip, and hot water.

How Can Homeowners Prevent Clogged Drains?

Don’t use harsh chemicals.

Avoid chemical drain cleaners, known for high acidity that can lead to corrosion in your plumbing system. For professional drain cleaning, contact All Star Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning.

Consider natural options when selecting household cleaners, such as baking soda and vinegar, which are powerful and versatile.

Use a mesh drain strainer as an uncomplicated and budget-friendly solution to prevent debris from entering your drain.

Harness the power of simple, affordable kitchen staples - vinegar and baking soda.

Regularly sprinkle baking soda down the drain and rinse with hot water. Pouring one cup of vinegar into the drain weekly, allowing it to sit for 30 minutes, then rinsing with hot water is an affordable and easy way to keep drains clean.

Know how to properly use your garbage disposal.

Avoid throwing certain items down the garbage disposal, such as eggshells, bones, paper products, meat, chemicals, coffee grounds, paint, rice, fibrous vegetable or fruit peels, and pasta.

Turn on your cold water faucet while using the garbage disposal and for about one minute afterward to flush food particles through the pipes.

Keep grease far from your sink.

Collect grease and frying oils in a glass jar or can for disposal in the garbage can, preventing large, difficult clogs.

Don’t put food scraps down your kitchen drain.

Scrape food crumbs into the garbage can before rinsing dishes.

Rinse kitchen drains regularly with hot water.

Run hot water each time you finish using your kitchen sink, preventing clogs by pushing soap, bits of food, and other substances down the drain. Pouring very hot water down your drain every week can also minimize buildup.

Types of Drain Clogs

Hard Plugs

Debris or an object blocking the pipe causes a hard clog. When tree roots interfere with plumbing, mineral buildup causes a blockage, or a foreign object is flushed, these plugs occur. Hard plugs require a trained plumber for removal. Contact All Star Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning for a careful inspection, source and location identification, and removal using advanced plumbing technology to restore proper plumbing function.

Soft Plugs

A soft plug develops gradually, often caused by substances like grease, tissue paper, or baby wipes. Soft plugs tend to get caught on imperfections in pipes or bends. While plumbing snakes provide a temporary fix, hydro jetting is the most efficient method for clearing a soft clog.

Common Sources of Drain Clogs

Drain clogs can vary widely in severity, potentially leading to complex repairs, corrosion, backups, and frustrating issues.

Cotton Swabs never disintegrate, easily causing fixture backups and extreme clogs.

Dental Floss, Hair, and Other Stringy Materials can tangle, clump together, become stuck within pipes, and join forces with soap scum and grease to form blockages. Installing a drain guard and prioritizing shower drain maintenance can help avoid this type of obstruction.

Toys making their way into toilets and pipelines can quickly clog or damage pipes.

Vegetable and Fruit Peels or Rinds can cause problems from disposal blades getting stuck to substantial damage involving drains, disposals, and pipes.

Kitty Litter, even "flushable" types, should never be flushed down the toilet. Cat excrement can wreak havoc on plumbing and cause obstructions, posing additional concerns for human health and septic systems.

Starches (Rice, Pasta, Etc.) or Other Fibrous Foods can expand, become sticky, and trap other food particles, producing a pipe clog.

Feminine Products are not designed to degrade when flushed, leading to extensive clogs.

Fats, Oil, and Grease cool down, solidify inside plumbing, and cause tough, severe plugs.

Cosmetic Towelettes and Wipes can become trapped in pipe bends or irregularities, creating blockages in the plumbing system.

Eggshells produce granular waste that clings to sludge inside pipes, forming stubborn clogs when they make their way into drains, garbage disposals, and/or pipes.

Signs of a Clogged Drain

Contact our drain cleaning service if you notice:

  • Pests in pipes
  • Overflowing or clogged toilet(s)
  • Water rising from drains after toilet is flushed
  • Odors of mustiness or sewage
  • Rising water bills (due to inefficiency)
  • Sewage in your sewer cleanout
  • Air bubbles or gurgling noises
  • Standing water
  • Slow draining sink(s)
  • Clogs that don’t easily clear with a plunger
  • Water backing up in plumbing fixtures (sink, tub, etc.)