Our Services

Every service below is drain or sewer work - rodding, jetting, camera inspection and the fixes that follow. We don't handle general plumbing like water heaters or fixture installs; the crews we route calls specialize in clearing and diagnosing drain and sewer lines across the Chicago metro area.

How Our Services Fit Together

Most drain and sewer problems fall into a few categories, and the services listed on this page map to them. A single slow sink or tub usually means a clog in a branch line close to the fixture, handled with a small drum machine. Several fixtures backing up at once, or water appearing at the basement floor drain, points to the main line, which calls for main sewer line rodding from the cleanout toward the street. Lines that keep clogging after rodding often need hydro jetting to scour grease and scale, or a camera inspection to find roots, cracks or sags. And when the pipe itself has failed, repair or trenchless lining restores it.

Each service page explains what the job involves, when it makes sense and what to expect on the day. If you are not sure which you need, just call and describe what you are seeing; the crew will diagnose on site and explain the options before any work begins.

Rodding and Drain Cleaning

Rodding is the Chicago-area term for clearing a drain or sewer with a flexible steel cable, called snaking or cabling elsewhere. For branch lines, a smaller cable clears kitchen, bathroom and laundry drains. For main lines, a sectional machine with cutting heads sized to the pipe cuts through roots, paper and grease between the cleanout and the public sewer. Rodding is fast and effective for most first-time clogs and for routine root maintenance.

Hydro Jetting

Hydro jetting sends high-pressure water through the line to scour grease, scale, sand and sludge from the pipe walls. It is especially useful for restaurant lines, kitchen stacks in multi-unit buildings, cast iron with heavy scale and lateral lines near the lake where sand washes in. Crews adjust pressure to the pipe's condition, and a camera inspection beforehand is wise on very old or fragile lines.

Camera Inspection

A sewer camera travels through the line and records video with a distance counter, showing exactly where roots enter, where joints have separated, where a section has sagged or collapsed and how deep the pipe sits. It is the tool that turns guesswork into a plan: routine maintenance, a spot repair at one bad joint or lining the whole lateral. It is also one of the most valuable inspections a home buyer can order before closing.

Repair and Lining

When a lateral is cracked, offset or root-damaged beyond what cleaning can manage, it needs repair. Spot repairs replace a short section at a single problem location. Cured-in-place lining installs a new seamless pipe inside the old one, usually without digging a trench through the yard, driveway or parkway, which is why it is so popular for historic homes, landmark districts and properties with mature trees. Full replacement by excavation is sometimes necessary for collapsed lines.

Backup Protection

In Chicago's combined sewer system and in suburbs where sanitary sewers are overloaded during storms, the basement floor drain is the weak point. Backwater valves close automatically when sewer water tries to flow into the house. Overhead sewer conversions raise the building's connection above the basement floor and use an ejector pump for lower fixtures. Sump pumps with battery backups handle groundwater. Our sewer backup response and floor drain services cover both emergencies and prevention.

Commercial and Multi-Unit Buildings

Restaurants, apartment buildings, condo associations and commercial properties have heavier drain demands than single-family homes. Grease interceptor maintenance, scheduled hydro jetting of kitchen stacks and periodic camera inspection of mains prevent the backups that affect many tenants or shut down a kitchen. Ask about after-hours scheduling when you call.

Emergencies

If sewage is coming up through a floor drain or a toilet will not stop overflowing, stop running water in the house, keep children and pets away and call right away. Emergency calls are taken at any hour, and the sooner the line is cleared, the less cleanup you will face.

When to Call

Call when several drains slow at once, when a basement floor drain gurgles, when water rises in the tub as the toilet flushes or when an ejector pump alarm sounds. These early signs point to a restriction in the main line or a pump problem, and calling before a full backup protects finished basements and keeps costs down.

Kitchen and Bathroom Habits

Most household clogs start with what goes down the drain. Pour cooking grease into a can and throw it away once it cools, scrape plates into the trash and use a sink strainer. Flush only toilet paper; wipes labeled flushable, paper towels and hygiene products do not break down. Fit hair catchers in tubs and showers and clean the washing machine's lint screen regularly.

Keep a Service History

Keep a simple log of every service visit at your home, including the date, what was found, how far the cable reached and whether roots were present. Save camera footage and invoices when you can. That history helps the next crew diagnose problems faster, shows whether a permanent repair would save money compared with repeated cleanings and gives buyers confidence when you sell.

Choosing the Right Service

The right service depends on three things: where the clog is, how often it has happened and what the pipe looks like inside. A first-time clog in a kitchen branch line needs simple drain cleaning. A basement floor drain backup that happens for the first time in dry weather usually needs main line rodding. A backup that returns every year or two at the same distance from the cleanout almost always points to roots or a structural problem, and a camera inspection is the right next step. A backup that only happens during heavy storms, and affects neighbors too, is usually a surcharged public sewer rather than a clog in your line, and protection such as a backwater valve is the real fix.

What Your Pipes Are Made Of

Homes built before about 1930 usually have cast iron stacks, galvanized steel branch lines and clay tile laterals. Postwar homes typically have cast iron drains and clay or early plastic laterals. Homes built since the 1980s use PVC. Each material fails differently: clay joints let roots in, cast iron scales and corrodes, galvanized steel closes up from rust and PVC can settle into sags in clay soil. Knowing your home's age helps the crew choose the right tool.

How Pricing Works

Because access, line length and the nature of the blockage vary so much, crews confirm pricing on site after seeing the cleanout and hearing the symptoms. You will know the cost before any work begins, and if a camera inspection points to a repair, you will get the options explained plainly, including whether maintenance, a spot repair or lining makes the most sense for your situation.

Prevention Between Visits

Most recurring clogs can be slowed or prevented. Keep grease out of sinks, flush only toilet paper, fit hair catchers in tubs and showers, clean the washing machine's lint screen and test sump and ejector pumps every spring. For lines with known root intrusion, scheduling rodding every twelve to eighteen months keeps roots from building into a full blockage.

Where These Services Are Available

Every service on this page is available across the areas we cover: all seventy-seven Chicago community areas, the North Shore, the northwest, west and south suburbs, DuPage County, Lake County, McHenry and Kane counties, parts of Will County and the Rockford area. Local crews know the housing and sewer systems in their territory, from Chicago's combined sewers and century-old clay laterals to the PVC drains and ejector pumps of newer subdivisions and the septic systems of rural properties. When you call, share your town or neighborhood and we will route a crew that works there. The area pages linked from the main menu describe local conditions in detail.

Share Your Home’s History

If your drains have been serviced before, tell the crew when, what was found and how far the cable reached. That history often points straight to the problem and saves time on the visit.

When to Ask for a Camera

Ask for a camera inspection if the same line has backed up twice in two years, if the cable brought back roots or pieces of pipe, or if you are buying a home. The video removes the guesswork from the next decision.

For Landlords

Landlords benefit from routine main line cleaning between tenancies and clear written instructions for tenants about grease and wipes.