Main Sewer Line Clearing

Whole-house backup signs

The lowest opening in the house is where the main line shows its trouble first. That is usually the floor drain in the basement, or a basement toilet or shower. If water bubbles up there when the washing machine empties or a toilet flushes on another floor, the main building drain or the lateral sewer to the street is restricted. Hold off on taps, showers and flushing until the line is cleared.

Finding the cleanout

Most Aurora homes have a cleanout fitting on the main drain near the front basement wall, sometimes in the floor next to the floor drain, sometimes a capped tee on the vertical stack. In finished basements it can be hidden in a closet or under a removable panel. If the line is full, opening the cap releases a rush of dirty water, so we set up containment before we touch it.

From the cleanout we run a heavy sectional machine with a cutting head toward the street, clear the blockage and pull back a sample of what stopped it.

Tree roots in older laterals

Clay and older concrete laterals have joints every metre or so. Roots from silver maples and willows find the moisture at those joints and grow inside as a hairy mat that catches paper and waste. Cutting the roots reopens the line, but they come back. Some homes live with an annual cleaning; others choose to line or replace the lateral.

Camera check afterward

Once the line is running, we recommend a camera inspection while it is clean. It shows whether the cause was a one-time flushing problem, a root intrusion, a broken section or a belly where water sits. That footage is what you need to decide between routine maintenance and a repair, and it helps if you need to talk to the Town about the public side of the connection.