Every drain in the house is slow
It could be the house line or the septic system. We clear the line and run a camera so you know before anybody digs.
Malibu · Drain cleaning
Drain cleaning in Malibu
5.0 on Google (20 reviews) CSLB Lic. #339618 Family shop since 1977
Drain cleaning in Malibu, about thirty minutes from the shop in Westlake Village. A slow drain is a small job and a backed-up main is an urgent one. We can often clear either one the same day.
Dan picks up when he can and calls back the same day. You get the price before we start. Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
- About thirty minutes
- City of Malibu Building Safety. Malibou Lake and Cornell go through LA County.
- One year on our labor. Thirty days on drain clearing.
- 90265
“When I called him out and he immediately came my house within 2 hours and did a really quick and great job for my bathroom.”
“Dan showed up right on time for our appointment. Much better service and pricing. We will definitely use Dan's Plumbing in the future.”
“Dan is smart and good at figuring things out. He will stay on it until it's right and he knows his stuff.”
Around here
In Malibu
Drain cleaning in Malibu starts with a question most towns don't have: is it the house line or the septic? Most of the city is on septic, so we clear the house side and run a camera to see where the trouble is. On the beach, sump basins fill with sand and seaweed. In September 2026 we dug one out under a deck and put in a sewage ejector pump with a new check valve.
Neighborhoods: Point Dume, the streets above Zuma, Broad Beach and Trancas, Malibu Colony, Malibu Road, Serra Retreat, Sweetwater Mesa.
The job
How it goes
We use a cable machine: a small one for sinks, tubs and showers, and a drum machine with a cutting head for the main. If there's a cleanout we run from there, so nothing goes through your toilet or across your floor.
Grease clogs kitchen lines and hair clogs tubs. Once it's clear we run water and watch it, since a half-cleared drain is back in a month.
Main lines are different. Roots get into old clay joints, cast iron scales up, and sagging sections hold water. If your main has backed up more than once in a year, we'll put a camera down it and show you what's there.
Call if
What you notice, and what it usually is
The kitchen sink drains slowly
Grease on the pipe wall.
The tub or shower stands in water
Hair and soap near the trap. A short job.
The toilet gurgles when the washer drains
A partly blocked main line.
Water comes up in the shower or a floor drain
The main is blocked. Stop running water and call us today.
It backs up every few months
Roots or a broken section. A camera shows which.
Tell us what it’s doing and we can usually narrow it down on the phone.
Work in Malibu
Recent jobs
A sump basin full of seaweed and sand
Under a deck by the beach. We dug the seaweed and sand out of the basin, put in a sewage ejector pump with a new check valve, ran the discharge to the high point so it drains toward the beach, and sealed off the old gravity inlet so sand can't wash back in.
Area drains packed with roots and dirt
We snaked the patio area drains in both directions and pulled out the roots, then cleaned the four drain basins along the driveway before the rain.
From the blog
Job stories: drain cleaning
Four steps
How a job goes
- 01
You call
Dan picks up when he can and calls back the same day. Tell him what it’s doing.
- 02
We look
We come out, find the cause and show you, with the old part in hand when there is one.
- 03
You get a price
Before anything starts. Repairs are time plus parts. Bigger jobs get a written bid.
- 04
We do the work
Small repairs usually get done the same visit. Bigger jobs get a start date we keep. Permitted where needed, and the house left clean.
Common questions
Drain cleaning in Malibu: things people ask
Should I try a chemical drain cleaner first?
No. It sits on the clog until someone opens the trap and gets it on their hands, and it eats older pipe. Try hot water and a plunger, then call.
Why does my main line keep backing up?
Clearing removes the clog and leaves the cause, like roots, a low spot or a crack that catches paper. A camera shows which.
Do you have to go through my toilet?
Not if there's a cleanout. We run the cable from there, and if you don't have one, we can add one.
What people say
“Dan's plumbing were fantastic, they installed the AWTOS water sensor our Insurance company sent us, fixed some clogged exterior drains that were blocked, and installed a new trash disposal unit...all for a very competitive price. Thanks guys, we're glad we called you!”
“My 12 year old water heater started leaking yesterday so I texted him, and he called me right away to help me turn off the water and gas. And he was here next day with a new water heater installed.”
“If you're looking for a plumber who actually knows what they're doing look no further than Dan's plumbing. We use them on all of our projects”
Nearby
More in Malibu
Plumber in Malibu
Everything we do in Malibu.
Tankless in Malibu
Malibu's water is hard. The county district that serves the city reported about 234 parts per million from one of its supplies in 2025, so tankless heaters here scale up and start running lukewarm or throwing codes. A descale with the isolation valves and a clean inlet filter fixes most of it. In September 2026 we descaled two Noritz units on one Malibu property.
Gas lines in Malibu
Malibu requires a seismic gas shutoff valve when a house sells, on new buildings and on remodels over $10,000, so most of our gas work here starts at the meter. The valve goes on with a bracket and the line gets pressure-tested before the gas comes back on. If you smell gas, leave the house and call SoCalGas first.
Tell Dan what it’s doing.
Most problems get sorted out on a short call. About thirty minutes from the shop. Leaking right now? Shut off the main, then call.
Or send the details and Dan will call you back. Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.