Clogged Drain Cleaning in South Dakota

The causes of a clogged drain change from one part of South Dakota to the next. 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. Every city page shows a rough cost range, what local soil and trees do to drains, and one number that connects you with a local plumber.

Weather swings hard in South Dakota, from long, cold winters that freeze the ground deep to dry summers broken by heavy thunderstorms. Clay soil, especially west of the Missouri River, swells and shrinks with that moisture and can shift sewer lines. Water is hard in most areas, so older cast iron collects scale. Cottonwoods and elms send roots toward any leak, and farms and ranches rely on septic systems that can freeze in a cold winter with little snow.

• Long, cold winters and deep frost
• Clay soil west of the Missouri River that swells and shrinks
• Hard water in most areas
• Roots from cottonwoods and elms
• Septic systems at farms and ranches

Ask whether the plumber can check for a frozen section of line, since a cold snap with little snow can freeze a line that is fine most winters.

• 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.