Why are all the drains in my house slow at the same time?
Because the problem is downstream of all of them. One slow fixture is a clog in that fixture's trap or branch. Every drain slow at once (especially with gurgling toilets or water rising in a tub when the washer drains) points to the main sewer line, not to any one fixture. Stop plunging individual drains. That job needs a camera before anyone quotes a repair.
The tells that it’s the main
- Toilets gurgle when a sink or the washing machine drains.
- Water appears in a shower or tub, the lowest fixture in the house, when you run something else.
- Multiple fixtures on different sides of the house are slow together.
- A floor drain in the garage or laundry backs up.
Any one of those moves this from a fixture problem to a main line problem, and the price and the method both change.
Why the camera comes before the quote
A main line can be slow because of grease and soap buildup, because roots have found a joint, because the line has bellied and holds water, or because it’s broken. Those have completely different repairs at completely different prices, and no one can tell them apart from the cleanout. A camera inspection settles it in under an hour and it’s the difference between a cleaning and a dig. Don’t authorize a sewer repair that hasn’t been camera'd, and ask to see the footage. A contractor who is confident is happy to show you.
The build-year angle
In the older parts of the valley, where the trees are thirty-plus years old and the sewer laterals underneath them are the original material, Root intrusion at the joints is a first-tier suspect there rather than a sales pitch. In the newer subdivisions on PVC, roots are far less likely and buildup or a construction-era defect is the better guess. Your build year genuinely narrows the diagnosis.
What to do right now
Stop running water. Every gallon you send down a compromised main is a gallon that has to go somewhere, and the somewhere is usually the lowest drain in your house. Avoid chemical drain openers on a suspected main line. They won’t clear roots or a break, and they leave a caustic pool for whoever opens the line next.
Where this page cites a utility, permit or housing figure for a specific town, it’s that town’s published data. Your own city’s water report applies to your tap and your city’s building department sets your permit rules; ask us which apply to your address.
The next thing you were going to ask.
A snake punches a hole through. A jetter scours the pipe wall. Different jobs, different prices.
Can tree roots really break my sewer line?→They find a joint that's already weeping, but the old-clay story mostly doesn't fit the East Valley.
How much does a plumber cost in the East Valley, AZ?→Service call fees, hourly vs flat-rate, and why the second number is usually the real one.