Clogged Drain Cleaning in Montana

What clogs a drain changes across Montana. Older neighborhoods have cast iron and clay sewer lines under big trees, newer subdivisions mostly see grease and wipes in PVC pipe, and many rural homes depend on a septic tank. Find your city below, or the one closest to you. Each city page has a rough cost range, a look at what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Cold winters and deep frost are the first concern for drains in Montana, especially where a line runs through a crawl space or under a driveway that gets plowed, since bare ground freezes deeper. Many homes outside town use wells and septic systems, and a frozen septic line stops every drain at once. Water is hard in much of the state east of the mountains. Cottonwoods and willows along rivers and creeks send roots into older clay and cast iron pipe, and spring snowmelt can overload a tired drain field.

• Deep frost, deeper still under plowed driveways
• Frozen lines in crawl spaces
• Septic systems at many homes outside town
• Hard water east of the mountains
• Cottonwood and willow roots near rivers and creeks

Ask whether the plumber clears frozen lines as well as clogs, and what would keep a shallow line from freezing again.

• Kitchen sink. Cooking grease and oil that cool and harden on the pipe wall, plus food scraps, coffee grounds and soap scum that stick to it. A garbage disposal sends more solids down, not fewer.
• Bathroom sink. Hair mixed with soap, toothpaste and shaving residue, caught on the pop-up stopper or in the trap. Small items dropped down the drain add to it.
• Tub or shower. Hair is the main cause, bound together with soap scum and conditioner. Older tubs with a trip lever drain collect it in the overflow and the drum trap.
• Toilet. Too much paper at once, wipes labeled flushable, paper towels, cotton swabs, dental floss and toys. Low-flow toilets from before about 2005 clog more often.
• Floor or laundry drain. Lint from the washing machine, sand and grit, soap, and in basements the silt that washes in. A dry trap lets sewer gas up as well.
• Main sewer line. Tree roots coming in at joints in clay and cast iron pipe, grease built up from years of kitchen use, wipes, and pipe that has sagged or cracked.
• Outdoor or yard drain. Leaves, dirt, sand and roots in yard drains, area drains, driveway trench drains and the pipes that carry downspout water away.