What we do
- P-traps removed, cleaned and resealed
- Pop-up stoppers and linkages cleaned and adjusted
- Branch lines to the wall cleared with a hand auger
- Kitchen sinks with disposals unjammed and cleared
- Double-sink and continuous-waste kits rebuilt
- Leaking slip joints and washers replaced
In Alhambra homes
The City of Alhambra’s 2025 water quality report lists total hardness at 240 ppm, which the U.S. Geological Survey counts as very hard. Hard water leaves scale inside drain pipes that catches soap, hair and grease and narrows the line over time. In older homes, about 77 percent of the city’s housing per a city report, those pipes may also be original galvanized steel that has narrowed from the inside.
Get a quote in one text
Send a photo under the sink and say which sink, how slow it drains, and whether more than one fixture is slow. Our number for photos is (626) 684-3505, and the price comes back before any work is booked.
Bathroom sinks
Hair and soap wrapped around the pop-up stopper is the usual cause. We pull and clean the stopper, clear the trap, and adjust the linkage so the stopper opens fully.
Kitchen sinks
Grease and food build up in the trap and the branch. We clear the trap, run a hand auger into the line, and check the disposal and dishwasher drain connections while we are there.
Why chemical cleaners make it worse
Caustic drain cleaners rarely clear a full blockage, and the chemicals sit in the trap when we open it. If you have used one, tell us so we take care opening the drain.
Old galvanized drains
Older steel drain lines narrow with scale and rust. Clearing them helps, but a line that clogs again soon may be worn inside; we tell you if that is what we see.
Keeping drains clear
Wipe grease into the trash, use a hair catcher in bathroom sinks, and run hot water after using the disposal. Those habits keep most clogs away.
What goes to a plumber
Main line stoppages, sewer backups and anything needing a powered drain machine through the cleanout go to a plumber or drain service.
What we find
Hair, soap scum, grease, coffee grounds, eggshell grit and small objects dropped past the stopper. Telling you what came out helps keep it from happening again.
Tub and shower drains
A slow tub or shower drain often clears the same way, at the stopper and trap. We can clear those during the same visit if you mention them.
Gurgling and slow sinks together
If several fixtures drain slowly or gurgle at once, the blockage is likely further down the line or a vent issue, which goes to a plumber with a powered machine.
Sources: City of Alhambra, 2025 Annual Water Quality Report; U.S. Geological Survey, Hardness of Water; City of Alhambra, housing needs report (age of housing stock).
Repair guides for this job
- Replacing a toilet without harming a vintage tile floorReplacing a toilet in an Alhambra bath with original 1920s or 1930s tile: measuring the rough-in, repairing the flange and protecting the old floor.
- Low water pressure at one faucet, shower or toiletWhy one faucet, shower or toilet in an older Alhambra house runs weak, the quick checks you can do first, and what a repair visit looks like.
- Replacing a garbage disposal under an older kitchen sinkWhat to check when a disposal hums, leaks or will not turn on, and how we fit a new one under the deep vintage sinks found in older Alhambra kitchens.
- Fitting a new faucet to an old sinkHow to tell which new faucets fit an older sink, why vintage wall-mount and widespread sinks need care, and what our faucet replacement visit involves.
Looking for a handyman in Alhambra for more than one job? Send the whole list and we’ll price it together.
We serve Alhambra first, plus Monterey Park, San Gabriel and other nearby cities. Have a question? See the handyman FAQ.