At a glance
- Category
- Drains & Sewer Lines
- Who it is for
- Homes and basement units
- Phone
- (365) 363-2754
- Read next
- What to Do When the Sewer Backs Up
Telltales that call for main sewer line clearing
- An upstairs flush that shows up as a puddle round the basement grate.
- Several fixtures slow at the same time.
- Gurgling in a tub when the washer drains.
- Soggy grass or a sunken patch over the line between the house and the street.
Local tip If you see sewage at the floor drain, stop using water in the house now. Each extra flush lands on your basement floor.
How we do the work
We find the main cleanout, normally a threaded plug on a Y-fitting by the floor drain or along the road-side wall. Opening a full line needs care: we crack the cap slowly with a bucket ready, since the water behind it is under head pressure. Then a sectional machine sends cable down the line, starting with a smaller cutter to open a channel and following with a larger blade sized for the pipe to scour the wall.
Once the water drops and runs, we flush with a hose for several minutes and listen for flow at the cleanout. If roots came back on the cutter, or the cable caught at the same distance twice, we recommend a camera inspection to see the joint or break before it closes again.
On Ajax streets
The house side of the lateral belongs to you, the street side to the Region of Durham. Older homes from the town's early decades may still have vitrified clay laterals, short lengths butted together, a favourite path for the roots of maples planted along the boulevard. Newer homes use PVC, which resists roots but can sag or separate if the trench settled. Either way, a blockage beyond the property line is a call for the Region, and we will tell you if the camera suggests it is theirs.
Price swings on
Whether there is a usable cleanout, how far the blockage is, and whether roots need several passes. A line accessed by pulling a toilet costs more time than one with a clean, reachable cleanout.
Worth asking the plumber
- How far down was the blockage?
- Was it roots, grease, wipes or a broken pipe?
- Is the fault on the private half or the Region's half?
Questions we hear on the phone
Roots keep returning. How often is a cable pass needed?
Some homes need a yearly pass until the line is repaired. A camera tells you whether repair is a better use of the money.