Drain Cleaning in Burbank

From a slow bathroom sink to a main line that several households share, Mr. Pipe Plumbing cleans drains in Burbank houses, duplexes and apartment buildings. About half the city's homes are houses, U.S. Census Bureau figures for 2024 show, and much of the rest sit in buildings where one unit's kitchen grease can end up in a line the neighbors use too.

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Drain-cleaning machine and cable equipment on a patio

In Burbank

Small buildings, big ones, and the City's grease advice

Single-family houses make up about half of the City of Burbank's homes in the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey (five-year estimates). Duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes account for about 10% in that 2024 Census survey, and buildings with five or more units for about 41%. In a duplex or a small apartment building, the kitchens and bathrooms of different households can drain into the same line.

Cooking grease washed down a kitchen sink can cause severe property damage, the City of Burbank warns. Its advice is to scrape food from plates, serving dishes and cookware instead of washing it down the drain, and to use baskets or strainers to catch leftover food.

The City also lists wipes among the items that go in the black household trash cart. From the drain side, wipes do not clear a toilet's branch line the way toilet paper does.

Sources U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5‑year; City of Burbank, Public Works: Water Reclamation & Sewer Systems (Fats, Oil, and Grease); City of Burbank, Public Works: Residential Recycling; City of Burbank, Public Works: Accepted Organics; City of Burbank, Burbank Recycle Center Newsletter, Fall/Winter 2024.

Drain work in a building with a few units

In a duplex, triplex or fourplex, one household's slow sink may be its own branch drain, or it may be a line it shares with the unit next door. The other units tell us which: if their drains run normally, the clog is usually close to the fixture, and we work from the fixture or its trap. If two units back up together, the shared line is the likelier spot, and we look for the cleanout that reaches it. The owner hears what we found and approves the work. In a larger building, we arrange access to the units through the manager.

A few useful answers

For anything else, talk to our office.

Call (310) 866-7715

How should I get rid of cooking grease in Burbank?

Cooled grease, in small amounts and wrapped in napkins, can go in the City of Burbank's organics cart; cooking oil cannot. For used cooking oil, the City advises against pouring it down the kitchen sink or drains, and its preferred option is recycling it through a household hazardous waste collection site. Grease that reaches a drain can cool and cling to the pipe wall.

How often do the drains in a duplex or small building need cleaning?

Only as often as the drains show they need it. A sink that slows again, a gurgle, or a backup soon after the last cleaning are the signs, and a quick return can point at the pipe itself. About 10% of Burbank's homes are in duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes, going by the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates, and in those a shared line's history is worth keeping.

Why does the shower fill with water when the toilet is flushed?

When a flush meets a blockage it can't pass, the water comes up at the lowest drain, which is often the shower. In a duplex, the toilet and the shower involved may be in different units. Stop flushing until the line is cleared, and tell us whether the other unit has seen it too.

What California law says about wipes

Under California law, with some exceptions, baby wipes, and wipes made wholly or partly of petrochemical-derived fibers that are likely to be used in a bathroom and have significant potential to be flushed, must carry a "Do Not Flush" label and symbol if they were made on or after July 1, 2022.

The same law bars the companies that make or label those wipes from claiming in any way that they are flushable. It covers those two kinds of wipes only, so other wipes can still be sold as flushable.

On the drain side, a label does not change what happens in the pipe. In a toilet and the branch line behind it, wipes do not clear the way toilet paper does.

Know what happens next

Discuss and assess
Our goal is to identify the cause of the problem and recommend an appropriate repair based on the plumbing condition, accessibility, and scope of work.
Findings and estimate
We assess the issue, explain our findings, and provide an estimate before any approved work begins.
Work completed and confirmed
After approved work is completed, we test the repaired or installed plumbing where applicable, explain the completed work, and provide the customer or authorized contact with the appropriate service documentation.

Pricing depends on the plumbing condition, accessibility, materials, and actual scope of work. If additional work is discovered, it will be explained and approved before proceeding.

In our customers’ words

Let’s get it looked at

We provide a scheduled arrival window and communicate if the schedule changes.

Call (310) 866-7715 Request Service

Submitting this request does not confirm an appointment. Our office will contact you to confirm availability and scheduling.

Drain Cleaning in Burbank

Small buildings, big ones, and the City's grease advice

Drain work in a building with a few units

A few useful answers

What California law says about wipes

Know what happens next

Discuss and assess

Findings and estimate

Work completed and confirmed

In our customers’ words

More help for your property

Let’s get it looked at