Most people do not search for a service, they search for a symptom. Find yours below and it will take you to what is actually happening and what it takes to fix.
The one distinction that matters most
Before anything else, work out whether the problem is on a branch line serving one fixture, or on the main line serving the whole property. It decides the tool, the time and the cost.
Here is the test: run water into a fixture you are not worried about and watch the lowest drain in the house. If using one fixture makes another gurgle, bubble or back up, they are sharing a blocked main. If only one fixture misbehaves and nothing else reacts, it is that fixture’s branch line.
Find your symptom
| What you are seeing | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Water comes up in the tub when I flush the toilet | Main Sewer Line Clog |
| The toilet gurgles when the shower runs | Main Sewer Line Clog |
| Every drain in the house is slow at once | Main Sewer Line Clog |
| Sewage is coming up through the basement floor drain | Sewer Backup |
| It backed up during heavy rain | Sewer Backup |
| One side of the kitchen sink will not drain | Clogged Kitchen Sink |
| The dishwasher backs up into the sink | Clogged Kitchen Sink |
| The toilet will not clear with a plunger | Clogged Toilet |
| The shower has standing water that will not go down | Clogged Shower & Tub Drain |
| The same drain blocks every few weeks | Recurring Clogs |
| There is a sewage smell in the basement | Drain Odour Diagnosis |
| Roots keep coming back on the cable | Tree Root Removal |
| Drano did not work | Recurring Clogs |
| There is a soft green patch in the yard over the sewer line | Tree Root Removal |
Not sure which one you have?
Describe what is happening and we will route you to a contractor who can tell you.
Call (888) 855-8790When it is genuinely urgent
- Waste water entering the property — stop all water use and call
- No fixture in the property draining at all
- Standing waste water near electrical outlets, a furnace or a water heater
- A backup that keeps rising after you have stopped using water
A single slow fixture is not an emergency. It will not deteriorate overnight, and calling in normal hours usually costs less. More on what counts as an emergency →