How to Know if Your Drains Need Cleaning or Full Replacement

Your drains have been acting up lately. Maybe the sink is slow to empty. Maybe there’s a smell you can’t get rid of. Or maybe you’ve had to grab the plunger more often than you’d like.

The question is, are you dealing with a simple clog that a good drain cleaning will fix, or is it a bigger issue that means the drain itself needs to be replaced?

It’s not always obvious, and guessing wrong can cost you more in the long run. That’s why a proper drain inspection is so important. It gives you and your plumber a clear picture of what’s going on inside your pipes so you can make the right call before things get worse.

When a Cleaning Might Do the Trick

Let’s start with the best-case scenario. In a lot of homes, a slow drain is nothing more than buildup inside the pipe. Grease, soap residue, and food particles, over time they stick to the walls of the drain and narrow the opening. Water still gets through, but not as fast as it used to.

We see this most often in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry drains. It’s not unusual for someone to call us after trying store-bought drain cleaner, thinking the job is done, only for the problem to come back a few weeks later. The truth is, those chemical cleaners might punch a small hole through the clog, but they don’t clear the pipe completely.

When we do a professional drain cleaning, we use tools that scrape away the buildup along the entire length of the line. Done right, it’s like hitting the reset button on your drain. The water runs freely again, and you don’t have to think about it for a while.

When It’s More Than a Clog

Now here’s where it gets tricky. Sometimes you have a drain that’s been cleaned, maybe even more than once, and the problem keeps coming back. That’s when we start to suspect there’s damage to the pipe itself.

We’ve seen all kinds of things during drain inspections. A section of pipe crushed by shifting soil. A line cracked and leaking under a slab. Roots from a tree in the yard pushing their way in. In those cases, no amount of cleaning is going to make the problem go away.

The signs are often subtle at first. Maybe it’s not just one sink that’s slow anymore; now you’re noticing the tub is draining slowly too. Or maybe you’re seeing water pooling where it shouldn’t be. If the trouble is affecting multiple drains, it’s usually a sign the issue is deeper in your plumbing system. That’s when we start talking about drain repair or replacement, depending on how bad the damage is.

Why a Drain Inspection Matters

This is the step most people skip, and it’s the one that makes the biggest difference. Without looking inside the pipe, you’re guessing. You might spend money on a cleaning that won’t solve the real problem, or pay for a replacement you didn’t actually need.

A drain inspection uses a small camera to see exactly what’s going on inside your drains. It shows us if there’s just buildup, or if there’s a break, or roots, or corrosion. Once we know that, we can give you a straight answer about the right fix.

We’ve had inspections where the homeowner was convinced the line had collapsed, only to find a single stubborn clog that we cleared in one visit. And we’ve had the opposite, someone sure it was “just a clog” who was glad we found the damage before it caused a full backup into the house.

Choosing the Right Fix

Once we’ve seen inside the drain, the choice is usually clear. If it’s just buildup, we clean it out and you’re good to go. If it’s damage, we explain the repair or replacement options in detail, how it will be done, what it will cost, and how long it will take.

The goal isn’t to rush you into a decision. It’s to give you the information you need so you can make the right call for your home and your budget.

Don’t Let Small Problems Turn Big

Drain problems rarely disappear on their own. In fact, most get worse the longer you wait. If you’ve noticed slow drains, strange smells, gurgling, or backups, the safest move is to get a plumber in for a drain inspection.

At Acacias Plumbing, we’ve been helping homeowners figure out whether they need a simple drain cleaning or a more serious drain repair for years. The first step is always the same: find out exactly what’s happening inside the pipe. Once you know that, fixing it the right way becomes a lot easier.

If something about your drains doesn’t feel right, give us a call today. We’ll get your drains checked, cleaned, or repaired so you can get back to a home that runs the way it should.