Sewer line cleaning in Englewood, NJ is the removal of grease, paper, roots and sludge from the main line that carries all of your household waste to the street. If sewage is backing up at the lowest drain or toilet, stop running water and call our 24/7 line. A main line backup affects every fixture, so the whole house should hold off on water until the line is open.
The main line is different from a branch drain. A sink or tub clog affects one fixture, while a main line blockage shows at the lowest drains first, usually a basement floor drain, a shower or a laundry standpipe. The way into the main line is the cleanout, and knowing where yours is can save time on the call.
Cleaning clears the pipe but does not repair it. If the same line keeps clogging, the underlying cause is usually roots, a sag or a damaged section, which belongs under sewer line repair.
Main line backing up into the house
A main line backup usually shows at the lowest point in the house first. You may see water or sewage in a basement floor drain, a shower that fills when the washer runs, or a toilet that bubbles. Treat it as urgent when sewage is coming up, when several fixtures are affected at once, or when the water is near electrical equipment.
Cleaning cannot begin until someone can get a machine into the line. Having the cleanout area clear, with a path to it, saves time when the plumber arrives.
- Stop using all water in the house until the line is open
- Do not run the dishwasher or washer to try to flush the blockage
- Keep power off in any flooded area and stay out of water near the panel
- Find the cleanout but leave the cap on, since a backed-up line can spill sewage when opened
- Move rugs and stored boxes away from basement floor drains
- Photograph the backup for your insurer
The cleanout is the door to the line
A cleanout is a capped pipe, usually 3 or 4 inches across, that gives access to the main line. In many houses it sits near the foundation wall outside, or in the basement near where the main stack leaves the house. A plumber unscrews the cap, feeds in the cable or jetting hose, and works toward the street or the blockage.
Houses without a cleanout need another entry, such as a pulled toilet or, in some cases, a roof vent. Those routes are slower and harder on the fixture. If yours lacks a cleanout, installing one is a practical upgrade after the emergency, because it lets the next cleaning or camera visit start quickly.
Cable or water jet for your line
Both tools clear a main line, and the right one depends on what is inside it.
| Line condition | Cable (snake) | Hydro jet |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh blockage, first time | Usually enough | Not needed |
| Roots at a joint | Cuts a path through | Clears the mat, and works best when a repair follows |
| Heavy grease or scale | Leaves a coating on the wall | Strips the wall clean |
| Fragile old clay or fiber pipe | Can scrape or catch on joints | Use with caution and a camera first |
| Collapsed or offset pipe | Stops at the damage | Stops at the damage, and repair is needed |
| Line that clogs about once a year | Fast and inexpensive | Longer-lasting result |
Details on the pressure method are on the hydro jetting page.
How often a main line needs cleaning
There is no single schedule. A clear plastic line with no roots may go many years without attention. A line with roots, grease or a belly may need cleaning once a year or sooner. Your own history is the best guide, and if you have been cleaned twice in two years, a camera inspection makes more sense than a third cleaning.
Kitchens that send grease down the drain, houses with large trees nearby and homes with old clay or iron laterals fall into the more frequent group. Wipes, paper towels and feminine products add to the load in any house, and they belong in the trash even when the package says flushable.
After a cleaning, ask what came out on the cable. Roots, grease and sand each point to a different next step. A note on the invoice gives the next plumber a head start.
Signs the main line, not one drain, is the problem
Check these before you assume it is a single clogged fixture.
- More than one fixture is slow or backing up
- The lowest drain in the house is the first to show water
- A toilet gurgles when a nearby tub or sink drains
- Water appears in a basement floor drain when the washer empties
- There is a sewage smell near the cleanout or in the yard
- Upstairs fixtures drain but the basement ones back up
What affects the price of sewer line cleaning
Main line cleaning is priced by the job, and these things move it.
A working outdoor cleanout saves time. No cleanout means pulling a toilet or finding another way in.
A cable pass is quicker. Jetting uses more equipment and time but gives a cleaner result.
A short run with a soft blockage costs less than a long lateral packed with roots.
Looking inside after cleaning adds time but shows whether the problem is fixed or likely to repeat.
Nights, weekends and holidays are priced differently from scheduled visits, and you will hear the price before work starts.
Sudden accidental discharge may be covered, but a clog from buildup, roots or wear is usually treated as maintenance. Sewer backup coverage is often a separate endorsement, so ask your carrier whether you have it.
Call and describe the backup to get a clear price before work starts.
Elevation, basements and backups
Backups hit low points first, and the ground around Englewood is not flat. The city sits at about 43 feet, while nearby Leonia ranges from as low as 5 feet in the west to 318 feet in the east. Basement fixtures sit lower than the rest of the plumbing, so they show a backup first, and a house on low ground has more reason to keep the main line clean.
A backwater valve is a device that closes to stop sewage from flowing back into the house from the street side. Whether one makes sense for your house is a question for a licensed plumber and the Englewood Building & Code Enforcement office, since permit rules vary by job. If you are in Leonia, the plumbers serving Leonia page explains how crews reach you from the Englewood office, about 3 miles away.
Check a plumber before you hire
New Jersey law says plumbing work must be done by a licensed master plumber. Ask for the licence number, then confirm it with the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, part of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
Permit rules vary by job, so ask the Englewood Building & Code Enforcement office before work begins.
Sewer Line Cleaning questions in Englewood
No, but it makes the job faster and cleaner. Without one, the plumber enters through a pulled toilet or another opening. If you do not have a cleanout, ask about adding one during the visit.
Yes. Dispatch is open 24/7. Stop using water, keep the cleanout cap on and call, and a licensed plumber will talk you through what to do while you wait.
A repeat clog usually means something is left behind or keeps coming back. Grease and scale cling to the wall after a cable pass, and roots regrow from an open joint. A camera visit shows which, and jetting or a repair is the likely answer.
No. Chemicals do not reach a long blocked main line, they sit in the standing water and they can burn skin or eyes of whoever opens the line. Never mix drain products. A mechanical clean is the safe route.
A sound pipe handles either one. Old, thin or cracked pipe can be scraped or damaged, which is why a camera and a careful choice of tool matter. If the plumber thinks the pipe is too weak, expect a conversation about repair.
Buildings with many units or a busy kitchen on one line benefit from set cleaning dates. Property managers can find more on our commercial plumbing page.
Still not sure what you need? Call the line and describe what you see.