Why does my shower drain smell like sewage?

That smell usually means there's a partial blockage that traps wastewater in the line, or a dry P-trap that lets sewer gas rise back up through the drain. Either way, it's not something to ignore. We run a camera down the line first, so you know exactly what's causing the odor before we recommend a repair.

Can I use a chemical drain cleaner instead of calling a plumber?

Our plumbers do not recommend using chemical drain cleaners on blocked drains. Chemical cleaners generate heat that can soften PVC joints and corrode older metal pipe over repeated use, and they do nothing for a clog that's actually root intrusion or a sagging pipe. A one-time light clog might respond to a natural approach like baking soda and vinegar, but a clog that keeps returning is telling you something a bottle can't fix.

How do I know if my clog needs drain snaking or hydro jetting?

The method of drain clearing you need depends on the type of clog you have. A single, isolated clog in one fixture usually responds well to snaking. If the same drain clogs again within a few weeks, or grease and scale have built up along the entire line, jetting clears the pipe wall rather than punching a hole through the blockage. We can tell which one you need after a quick look with a camera, rather than guessing and billing you twice.

Will a clogged drain affect my water heater or other plumbing?

It can, depending on where the blockage sits. A clog in a shared branch line can back water up into fixtures you wouldn't expect, and a fully blocked main line puts pressure on every drain connected to it, including the one near a tankless or tank water heater's drain pan. It's not common, but if a backup sits long enough, the standing water can find its way somewhere it shouldn't.

Are recurring clogs a sign of a bigger sewer line problem?

A clogged drain that clears with a drain snake and stays clear had a local clog. A clogged drain that clears with a snake and comes right back within weeks is usually pointing to something further down the line: root intrusion, a sagging section of clay pipe, or scale that's narrowed the diameter over the years. We'd rather run a camera and show you the actual problem than send someone back out every month to snake the same spot.

What should I do if multiple drains back up at the same time?

Shut off the water at the main valve if you can find it, and stop running any fixtures until someone can take a look. Multiple drains backing up at once usually points to a blockage in the main sewer line rather than an isolated clog, and that's not something to try to snake yourself.

Can tree roots really get into my pipes?

In a city with as many mature oaks and magnolias as New Orleans, yes, more often than homeowners expect. Roots seek out moisture, and an aging pipe joint with even a hairline crack is an easy target. Once a root gets a foothold in your sewer lines, it thickens over time and eventually blocks the line completely if it's not cleared.

How much does clogged drain repair cost in New Orleans?

It depends on what's actually wrong, which is why we start with an upfront, flat-rate estimate before any work begins. A simple snaking job costs far less than a sewer line repair, and we'll walk you through the difference and the reasoning behind the number so you're never guessing at what you owe.

What causes a clogged drain?

New Orleans plumbing systems get a lot of use, but what most people don't realize is that a lot goes down a drain that really shouldn't. And over time, debris and residue build up in drain pipes, narrowing them and causing blockages. Grease and soap scum sit near the top of the list of what causes a clog, especially in kitchens, but this city adds its own culprits. Humidity keeps grease soft longer than it would in a drier climate, allowing it to travel farther into the pipe before hardening. Older homes built with cast iron drain lines also collect scale along rough interior walls, and mature trees send roots into pipe joints that have shifted with the soil over decades.

Do you offer trenchless options for a collapsed sewer line?

Yes. When a camera inspection shows a collapsed section or heavy root damage, we can often repair it without digging a full trench across the yard. Depending on the location and depth of the pipe, that might mean tunneling underneath a slab rather than breaking through it, since most New Orleans homes don't have a basement to work from. We'll walk you through whether your situation qualifies before recommending it.

How do I book a clogged drain appointment with Mr. Rooter Plumbing of New Orleans?

Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing of New Orleans or request an appointment online, and a member of our team will confirm a time that works with your schedule. Same-day appointments are available for active backups, and every visit starts with a flat-rate estimate before any work begins.

Mr. Rooter professional being welcome at a front door by customers.

Residential Clogged Drain New Orleans, LA

A sink that drains slowly today is usually a sink that won't drain at all by next week. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of New Orleans has pulled hair, grease, and tree roots out of pipes across Orleans Parish for years, from Uptown shotgun houses to Lakeview slabs. When you need a New Orleans plumber who answers the phone at 2 a.m. and shows up with the right tools the first time, that's what we're built for.

Residential
Commercial

Let Us Call You

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Phone Number*

Street Address*

ZIP Code*

Yes! You can text me service reminders and other messages.

By checking this box, I agree to opt in to receive automated SMS and/or MMS messages from Mr. Rooter Plumbing, a Neighborly company, and its franchisees to the provided mobile number(s). Message & data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. View Terms and Privacy Policy. Reply STOP to opt out of future messages. Reply HELP for help.

By entering your email address, you agree to receive emails about services, updates or promotions, and you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

How We Clear a Clogged Drain in New Orleans

Most clogged drains start small: a slow kitchen sink, a shower that pools around your ankles, a gurgle from the bathtub drain after the washing machine runs. We start with an inspection to determine the type of clog we're dealing with. For clogs sitting deep in a branch line or main drain, a mechanical approach, such as a cable drain snake, clears the blockage instead of masking it for a week. New Orleans homes with older cast iron piping are especially prone to buildup along rough, corroded pipe walls, and snaking gets past that corrosion without damaging the line. We size the cable head to the pipe diameter before we ever turn on the motor, since a head that's too aggressive in a 2-inch line can do more harm than the clog itself. If the blockage keeps coming back after snaking, that's usually a sign of something bigger further down the system, like a partial collapse or tree root intrusion, and we'll walk you through what we find before any repair begins rather than just billing you for another visit.
Snaking punches a hole through a clog, but hydro jetting removes it completely. Our HydroScrub® Jetting equipment pushes water through your pipes at high pressure, scouring grease, mineral scale, and root fragments off the interior pipe wall instead of drilling a path through the center. It's the difference between clearing today's clog and preventing next month's. We rely on hydro jetting for kitchen lines coated in years of grease buildup, and for sewer laterals where mature oak and magnolia roots have worked their way into old joints, which is common in neighborhoods with mature trees like Lakeview and Uptown. Before we run the jetter on an older line, we usually camera it first. Cast iron pipe that's already thin from corrosion can react differently to high pressure than newer PVC, and knowing what we're working with keeps the job from turning into a bigger repair than it needed to be. The heavier the buildup, the more this method earns its cost over a simple snake, and most homeowners only need it done every couple of years once the line is clear.
Some clogs aren't really about the clog. A recurring backup, a sewage smell drifting up through a floor drain, or gurgling toilets whenever the dishwasher runs usually points to damage further down the line: a sag in the pipe, a cracked joint, or root intrusion working through aging clay or cast iron. We run a video camera through the line to see exactly what's happening before recommending any drain repair. That inspection turns guesswork into a clear diagnosis, and it means you're paying for the actual fix instead of a series of return visits chasing the same clog. When the camera shows a section of pipe that's collapsed or badly rooted, we'll talk you through the repair options on the spot, including trenchless methods that avoid tearing up your yard or driveway. Since most New Orleans homes don't have a basement to work from, underground access often has to come from the yard. We can usually tunnel beneath a slab instead of breaking through it, which keeps the repair contained and the cleanup manageable.

Why New Orleans Drains Clog More Than Most

New Orleans plumbing faces an uphill battle most cities never deal with. Humidity keeps grease and soap scum soft and slow to harden, so they cling to pipe walls instead of breaking apart on their way down. High water tables and soft, shifting soil put constant pressure on underground lines, which accelerates cracking in older clay and cast-iron pipe. Add in the live oaks and mature landscaping found in neighborhoods like Lakeview, Metairie, and the Garden District, and you get roots that find their way into pipe joints faster than they would in drier soil.

Homes built before the 1970s often still rely on original cast-iron drain lines. Decades of buildup along that corroded interior surface make clogs a recurring issue rather than a one-time nuisance. We've worked on plenty of these older systems, and the pattern repeats: a clog that seemed minor in an older cottage turns out to be scale that's been narrowing the pipe for twenty years, waiting for the next grease-heavy holiday dinner to finish the job.

Seasonal rain plays its own part. Heavy downpours push the water table up even further, and a sewer line that was already running slow can back up into a tub or floor drain during a storm instead of draining out to the street. That's a different problem than a kitchen clog, and it usually means the main line needs attention, not just the fixture where the water showed up. Knowing the difference between a fixture-level clog and a system-wide backup saves a homeowner from paying for the wrong fix twice.

Why New Orleans Homeowners Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing to Resolve Their Clogged Pipe Problems

Mr. Rooter Plumbing of New Orleans is locally owned and operated, based right here in New Orleans, not dispatched from a call center three states away. Every appointment comes with upfront, flat-rate pricing before any tool touches your pipes, so there's no surprise number waiting at the end. Our team shows up in uniform, in a marked vehicle, and we stand behind the work with a written guarantee on parts and labor.

Plumbing problems don't wait for business hours either. That's why a 3 a.m. backup on a Saturday gets the same response as a Tuesday afternoon call. We've served Orleans Parish and the surrounding communities, from Metairie to Slidell, long enough to know which drains fail first in which neighborhoods, and that local knowledge shortens the time between your call and a fixed drain. Whether you're in Gretna dealing with an older cast iron line or Covington fighting root intrusion from a stand of oaks, the plumber that shows up already has a good idea of what they're walking into.

Book Online

Why New Orleans Homeowners Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing to Resolve Their Clogged Pipe Problems

Mr. Rooter technician fixing a clogged drain under kitchen sink.

Residential & Commercial Services

Mr. Rooter Plumbing of New Orleans

Areas We Serve

Services We Provide

Residential
Commercial

FAQs on Clogged Drains: New Orleans, LA

New Orleans plumbing systems get a lot of use, but what most people don't realize is that a lot goes down a drain that really shouldn't. And over time, debris and residue build up in drain pipes, narrowing them and causing blockages. Grease and soap scum sit near the top of the list of what causes a clog, especially in kitchens, but this city adds its own culprits. Humidity keeps grease soft longer than it would in a drier climate, allowing it to travel farther into the pipe before hardening. Older homes built with cast iron drain lines also collect scale along rough interior walls, and mature trees send roots into pipe joints that have shifted with the soil over decades.
The method of drain clearing you need depends on the type of clog you have. A single, isolated clog in one fixture usually responds well to snaking. If the same drain clogs again within a few weeks, or grease and scale have built up along the entire line, jetting clears the pipe wall rather than punching a hole through the blockage. We can tell which one you need after a quick look with a camera, rather than guessing and billing you twice.
Our plumbers do not recommend using chemical drain cleaners on blocked drains. Chemical cleaners generate heat that can soften PVC joints and corrode older metal pipe over repeated use, and they do nothing for a clog that's actually root intrusion or a sagging pipe. A one-time light clog might respond to a natural approach like baking soda and vinegar, but a clog that keeps returning is telling you something a bottle can't fix.
That smell usually means there's a partial blockage that traps wastewater in the line, or a dry P-trap that lets sewer gas rise back up through the drain. Either way, it's not something to ignore. We run a camera down the line first, so you know exactly what's causing the odor before we recommend a repair.
A clogged drain that clears with a drain snake and stays clear had a local clog. A clogged drain that clears with a snake and comes right back within weeks is usually pointing to something further down the line: root intrusion, a sagging section of clay pipe, or scale that's narrowed the diameter over the years. We'd rather run a camera and show you the actual problem than send someone back out every month to snake the same spot.
It depends on what's actually wrong, which is why we start with an upfront, flat-rate estimate before any work begins. A simple snaking job costs far less than a sewer line repair, and we'll walk you through the difference and the reasoning behind the number so you're never guessing at what you owe.
In a city with as many mature oaks and magnolias as New Orleans, yes, more often than homeowners expect. Roots seek out moisture, and an aging pipe joint with even a hairline crack is an easy target. Once a root gets a foothold in your sewer lines, it thickens over time and eventually blocks the line completely if it's not cleared.
Shut off the water at the main valve if you can find it, and stop running any fixtures until someone can take a look. Multiple drains backing up at once usually points to a blockage in the main sewer line rather than an isolated clog, and that's not something to try to snake yourself.
It can, depending on where the blockage sits. A clog in a shared branch line can back water up into fixtures you wouldn't expect, and a fully blocked main line puts pressure on every drain connected to it, including the one near a tankless or tank water heater's drain pan. It's not common, but if a backup sits long enough, the standing water can find its way somewhere it shouldn't.
Yes. When a camera inspection shows a collapsed section or heavy root damage, we can often repair it without digging a full trench across the yard. Depending on the location and depth of the pipe, that might mean tunneling underneath a slab rather than breaking through it, since most New Orleans homes don't have a basement to work from. We'll walk you through whether your situation qualifies before recommending it.
Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing of New Orleans or request an appointment online, and a member of our team will confirm a time that works with your schedule. Same-day appointments are available for active backups, and every visit starts with a flat-rate estimate before any work begins.

See All FAQs

Residential
Commercial