Main Sewer Line Cleaning in Burlington

When you need main sewer line cleaning

Watch the lowest drain in the house. When a washing machine empties and the basement floor drain bubbles or overflows, or flushing an upstairs toilet makes the shower tray fill, the main line is not carrying water away fast enough. A sewage odour near the floor drain and gurgling in several fixtures at once are other clues.

How the job is done

1. Locate the cleanout. Most Burlington homes have a cleanout cap near where the main drain leaves the basement wall, often close to the floor drain.
2. Relieve the backup. Opening the cleanout lets standing water drain into the floor drain or a pail in a controlled way.
3. Clear the line. A large sectional machine fitted with a root saw works out toward the curb. For grease or sludge, water jetting may follow.
4. Inspect. A camera run shows whether roots, a broken joint or a sag caused the blockage, so you know whether cleaning will last.

Burlington homes and this work

Laterals in neighbourhoods built before the 1970s were often laid in clay tile with mortar or rubber joints. Tree roots find those joints readily, especially under the silver maples and willows common on older streets in Roseland, Aldershot and Maple. Recent tracts were laid in PVC; roots struggle with it, yet it may still collect grease or debris at low spots. In either case, the City of Burlington looks after the sewer main under the road, while the private stretch is yours to maintain; we can help you work out where one ends and the other begins.

What affects the scope

• Access: an existing cleanout versus pulling a toilet to reach the line
• Roots, which usually return within one to three years
• Pipe condition revealed by the camera
• Length of the run from house to street

Before we arrive

Hold off on all water use, appliances included. Clear stored boxes from around the floor drain and cleanout. If sewage has spilled, keep children and pets away and avoid touching it without gloves.