Clogged Drain Cleaning in Hawaii

What clogs a drain changes across Hawaii. Cast iron and clay lines under big trees are the issue in older neighborhoods, grease and wipes in newer subdivisions, and septic tanks in much of the countryside. Find your city or the closest one below. 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.

Many homes in Hawaii drain to cesspools or septic systems instead of a sewer, and a failing cesspool looks like slow drains everywhere at once. Heavy rain on the windward sides saturates the ground for weeks, while drier leeward areas get short, hard storms. Roots from tropical trees grow year round, and salt air eats at exposed metal pipe near the coast. Rocky volcanic ground can make digging up a line slow and costly.

• Cesspools and septic systems in many areas
• Heavy rain on the windward sides
• Tropical roots that grow all year
• Salt air that corrodes exposed metal pipe
• Rocky volcanic ground that slows digging

Ask whether your home drains to a cesspool, a septic tank or the sewer, since the fix is different for each.

• 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.