Drain Cleaning in Magnolia and Nearby Seattle
A slow bathroom sink and a basement floor drain backing up are very different problems. The first is usually hair and soap in a branch line a few feet from the fixture. The second usually means the main line or the side sewer is blocked, and every fixture in the house is affected.
Magnolia Plumbing & Sewer clears both kinds, from our base on W Bertona St in Magnolia. When a main-line clog keeps coming back, we recommend finding out why before it happens again.
Based in Magnolia at 4027 W Bertona St, Seattle
Branch-line clogs vs. main-line clogs
Branch lines serve one fixture or one room: the kitchen sink, a bathroom group, the laundry standpipe. Kitchen clogs are usually grease and food; bathroom clogs are hair and soap; laundry lines collect lint.
The main line collects everything and leaves the house as the side sewer. Signs it’s blocked: the toilet gurgles when the washer drains, water rises in the tub when the toilet is flushed, or sewage appears at a basement floor drain. Stop running water and call; see emergency plumbing if sewage is coming up.
How a main line is cleared
Main lines are usually cleared with a cable machine (a "snake" or rooter) run from a cleanout, or with a high-pressure water jetter. SPU's guidance for picking a rooter service: the cable should be able to reach from the property's side sewer to the City main. SPU also cautions that high-pressure cleaning tools can damage pipes that are already weak (SPU repair methods).
Before clearing a side sewer, SPU recommends calling Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773 to help avoid hitting a gas line.
Sources: SPU: Sewer backups; SPU: Side sewer repair methods.
When a clog keeps coming back
A main line that clogs repeatedly at the same distance usually has a cause: roots at a joint, a sag that collects debris, an offset joint, or grease buildup. SPU recommends asking whoever clears the line to write down the footage where the blockage was found and mark the spot on the ground. That helps determine whether it's on your side or the City's, and where to dig if it comes to that (SPU).
Once the line is open, a camera inspection shows the cause. A camera generally can’t see through standing water, so it comes after clearing, not before.
Talk to us about drain cleaning
Call 206-593-3737, or send us a request online and we’ll get back to you.
Keeping drains clear
- Only toilet paper goes down the toilet. SPU's maintenance steps say to flush only toilet paper and dispose of grease properly (SPU).
- Fats, oils and grease go in the trash once cooled, not the sink. SPU notes grease can make a side sewer drain very slowly or block it completely.
- Hair catchers on tub and shower drains, and a lint trap on a laundry sink.
- Scheduled scoping if you have big trees near the side sewer. SPU recommends every 2–3 years in that case (SPU PDF).
Storm season backups
SPU notes winter storms can overload the sewer system when stormwater and groundwater get into sewer pipes through gutters, sump pumps, area drains, or cracks and gaps. Any partial blockage in your side sewer makes a backup more likely when that happens. A line that drains "a little slow" in August can back up in November (SPU).
What we need from you
When you call 206-593-3737, tell us which fixtures are affected, whether there’s a cleanout you know of (often outside near the foundation, or in a basement), and whether this has happened before. We’ll tell you what we find and explain the options before doing anything beyond clearing the line.
How a job works
- Call or send a request. Tell us what’s happening. If water or sewage is coming up, we’ll walk you through stopping it first.
- Find the cause. Clear the line or open the access, then look: a camera for sewers, a test for leaks and water heaters.
- Options in plain English. What we found, where it is, and the repair choices. You decide before work starts.
- Permit, work, inspection. Where Seattle requires a permit (SPU for side sewers, Public Health for plumbing), the work is permitted and inspected.
Drain Cleaning: common questions
Do I need a permit to have my sewer line rootered in Seattle?
No. SPU says permits are not required for root removal or unclogging. A permit is required once a pipe is repaired or replaced.
Why should I call Puget Sound Energy before clearing a sewer?
SPU recommends calling PSE at 1-888-225-5773 before clearing a side sewer blockage to avoid damaging a gas line.
Are chemical drain cleaners a good idea?
For a main-line clog they rarely reach the blockage. They can also make a plumber’s job hazardous if the line has to be opened. Tell us if anything has been poured in.
Who do I call if the clog might be in the City’s sewer?
If your contractor thinks the problem is in the public main or the City’s part of the connection, SPU asks you to call (206) 386-1800.
Where we offer drain cleaning
- Magnolia: our home neighborhood (98199).
- Queen Anne: main-line clogs in older 98119 homes
- Interbay: homes and small commercial buildings
- Ballard: from bungalow main lines to townhome stacks
- Fremont: kitchen and main-line clogs in pre-war homes
Related services
- Hydro Jetting: High-pressure water cleaning for grease, sludge and roots, and to prepare a pipe for lining.
- Sewer Camera Inspection: See inside your side sewer: roots, cracks, sags and offsets, and what the video and findings should show.
- Sewer Repair: Broken, sagging, root-filled or backed-up sewer lines, diagnosed on camera before any digging.
- Emergency Plumbing: Sewer backups, burst pipes and major leaks: what to do first, and how to reach us fast.
Get help with drain cleaning
Call 206-593-3737, or send us a request online and we’ll get back to you.