Drain Cleaning in Hollywood, FL

Joseph Young founded Hollywood in 1925, and the Hollywood Lakes, Lakes section and downtown neighborhoods still have Mission-style and Mediterranean Revival homes from that era. Laterals there are often clay or cast iron, approaching a hundred years old.

Most of Hollywood was built between 1950 and 1975, with concrete-block homes on slabs and cast iron drains in neighborhoods like Emerald Hills, Hollywood Hills and the areas west of I-95.

Hollywood Beach and the barrier island are lined with older motels, condos and newer towers along the Broadwalk, where shared drain stacks serve many units.

The city sits on sandy soil over porous limestone, just a few feet above sea level near the Intracoastal. King tides push water up through drains, and the water table rises in summer.

Many Hollywood homes are seasonal or rented, and short-term rentals near the beach see heavy use.

The City of Hollywood's public utilities department provides sewer service and operates the Southern Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, which also serves several neighboring cities. Hollywood owners maintain the pipe that runs from their building out to the public sewer.

Hurricane season and summer downpours raise the water table and can overload mains. King tides peak in fall.

Winter brings snowbirds and French-Canadian visitors to beach condos and rentals. Spring break crowds the Broadwalk.

Hollywood Lakes, between downtown and the Intracoastal, has some of the city's oldest homes, built in the Spanish and Mediterranean styles Joseph Young favored, many with clay or cast iron laterals under ficus, sea grape and royal palms. Ficus roots in particular can travel a long way and crush or invade old pipe. A camera run usually finds roots, a crack or two and corrosion. Lining is popular because it avoids tearing up historic landscaping and coral rock walls.

Emerald Hills, Hollywood Hills, Driftwood and the neighborhoods west of I-95 were built from the 1950s through the 1970s with concrete-block homes and iron drains under the slab. After sixty years in warm, damp ground, that iron is corroding from the inside, narrowing with scale and in many cases rotting along the bottom. Drains slowing throughout the house, a sewer odor in a bedroom closet or tile that sounds hollow when tapped are the warning signs. Lining from the cleanout or rerouting through the attic are the usual fixes.

The barrier island along the Broadwalk has older motels, condos and newer towers. Shared stacks carry heavy loads, especially in season. Associations that jet stacks regularly avoid most backups. Sand from beach visitors gets into drains through outdoor showers.

During an October king tide, the owner of a 1962 home in Hollywood Hills notices the tub filling with gray water. The plumber clears the main and runs a camera that shows corroded iron under the slab with groundwater seeping in. The owner schedules lining and asks about a backwater valve.

Neighborhoods along the Intracoastal and the North and South Lakes sit only a few feet above mean high water. During king tides and summer storms, the water table rises through the sandy soil and seeps into every crack in a lateral. Storm drains in the street can even run backward. Sealing the lateral with a liner keeps groundwater out, and a backwater valve stops the public main from pushing into the house during the worst of it.

Short-term rentals near Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk turn over every few days in season, and guests don't know or care what the plumbing can handle. Wipes, diapers, grease from late-night cooking and sand from beach towels cause most clogs. A clear sign in every bathroom, a lidded can by the stove, an outdoor rinse spot and a main line cleaning before the winter rush prevent most problems and most bad reviews.

Downtown Hollywood's Hollywood Boulevard, Harrison Street and Young Circle have a busy mix of restaurants and bars, many in buildings from the 1920s through the 1950s. Kitchen lines in those buildings are old, and grease from fryers and grills builds up fast. Interceptors pumped on a short schedule and lines jetted before the season keep the dining rooms open.

Many Hollywood condos and homes belong to snowbirds, including a large French-Canadian community, who close them up from spring to fall. In that heat the traps dry out and sewer gas comes in. On return, run water at every sink, tub and shower and pour some into floor drains before unpacking. If a drain is slow, have it cleared before family arrives for the holidays.

Hollywood Hills, around the Orangebrook and Hollywood Beach golf courses, has postwar homes on larger lots with mature trees. Laterals there run longer and often pass under oaks and ficus.

Give your neighborhood and the building's age, whether it's a house, condo or rental and whether the trouble started during a tide or storm. In a condo, say which floor you're on and whether neighbors are affected. Mention big ficus or banyan trees near the sewer path.