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Drain Pros TNWoman-owned · TN LLP #5045

Urgent · call first · TN LLP #5045

Main Line Clog

More than one drain backing up at the same time.

Plumbing emergency? Call (423) 413-6876Call (423) 413-6876

Quick answer

Urgent. If more than one fixture is backing up at the same time, the blockage is in the main line, not the individual drain. Stop running water and call — plunging a single fixture will not help and may make the backup worse.

Do this right now

  1. 1Stop running water throughout the house, not just at the fixture that is backing up.
  2. 2Skip the drain chemicals. They do not clear a main line and they make the pipe hazardous to open.
  3. 3If waste has come up into the living space, keep people and pets clear of it.

The tell for a main line clog is that it is never just one fixture. A blocked sink is a sink problem. A blocked sink, plus a gurgling tub, plus a toilet that will not clear, is the single pipe carrying all of it away telling you it is blocked.

How you know this is it

  • Two or more fixtures backing up or draining slowly at once
  • A toilet that bubbles when the sink drains
  • Water appearing in the tub or shower when the toilet is flushed
  • A floor drain backing up when the washing machine empties

What usually causes it

  • Tree roots at a joint in an older clay or cast iron line, the most common cause in the older neighbourhoods around here
  • Grease and solids built up over years
  • A bellied section where the pipe has settled and holds water
  • Wipes and other things that do not break down, regardless of what the packet says
  • A partially collapsed line in older housing stock

Common questions

Main Line Clog: your questions answered

How do you tell a main line clog from a normal blocked drain?
By how many fixtures are affected and which ones. A single slow sink is local. Multiple fixtures, especially the lowest ones in the house, means the main.
Will you camera the line?
When it keeps happening, yes, and it is worth doing. Clearing a line tells you it was blocked. A camera tells you why, so you are deciding about the actual cause instead of paying for the same cabling twice a year.
Do you cover this in Chattanooga?
Yes, inside the city the same as everywhere else we serve.
Are you licensed?
Yes. Tennessee Limited Licensed Plumber #5045, issued by the state Board for Licensing Contractors and verifiable at verify.tn.gov. Across eighteen local competitors, not one publishes their number.

Related problems

Sewage Backing UpSewage Smell in the HouseA Drain That Keeps Backing UpKitchen Drain Keeps CloggingTree Roots in the Sewer Line

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TN Limited Licensed Plumber · #5045 · verify at verify.tn.gov

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