How To Clean Out Your Own Sewer Line

45 Degree Sewer Clean Out Being Installed — © forestpath / Fotolia

There are many neglect-safes in modern plumbing to help forestall sewer issues. From drain traps to sump pumps and vent pipes, your home is well-protected confronting sewage backups. Ane very important component to this system which you should exist aware of is the sewer make clean out.

Despite its innocuous advent, having one or more clean outs may have a major issue on both your dwelling house's sewer line health and on your bank account.

What is a Sewer Clean Out?

The sewer clean out is a capped pipe located on or most your holding line which connects to the lateral sewer line. A lateral sewer line is the pipe which connects your home's sewer lines to the municipal sewers or your septic tank.

When the lateral clogs, it tin can cause sewage to support into the drains, creating both a mess and health hazard. Having a sewer clean out enables yous to go on the lines clear and bleed water if a fill-in occurs.

How to Discover the Sewer Make clean Out

The sewer clean out is a small capped pipe bulging above the ground. Unfortunately, locating information technology is not e'er simple. To make matters more complicated, many homes have multiple clean outs and, in some rare cases, may actually accept the clean out located inside. The following steps should help yous find the make clean out more hands.

Bank check the Sidewalk – In many municipalities, the identify where your lateral meets the municipal sewer line is marked. Check for a stamped or painted alphabetic character 'S' along the curb and sidewalk. If y'all find this marking, you tin easily imagine a straight line from the mark to your domicile under which the lateral may be found. In some cases, you may fifty-fifty be lucky enough to notice a make clean out in the vicinity of your search.
Search Most Your Foundation – In many cases, placing the sewer clean out near the road proves inconvenient, or the home's previous owners chose to have more than than one sewer clean out installed. Sewer make clean outs are also mostly located near the dwelling house when yous have a septic organization in place. The cap is rarely found beyond three feet from the foundation, and will exist between the road or septic tank and the identify where your dwelling house's sewer line passes through the foundation into the footing.
Look for Actress Clean Outs Inside – Some homes, specially older ones, may have make clean outs located inside or protruding from the outer walls. Cheque basements, crawl spaces, and the attic forth the vent pipe for possible locations. In many cases, indoor sewer clean outs will announced to exist a 'Y' or 'T' shaped intersection where ane side is capped. Although not required, these are useful for maintaining your indoor pipelines.

What if the Property Lacks a Sewer Clean Out?

Older homes may non have a sewer clean out. This is especially true if ane is not required by local or state plumbing codes. In such cases, information technology is more often than not best to have ane installed.

In that location are besides some instances where your home has a make clean out which has but get covered by clay. If y'all believe the domicile has one but were unable to locate the cap, you may choose to practice some light digging along the ground where yous believe the clean out should exist.

Alternatively, y'all may pay a plumber to run a camera through the line to locate the clean out from inside the pipe and pinpoint where to dig.

Benefits of a Sewer Clean Out

While having a sewer clean out is required past law in some states, y'all might exist lacking one if you have an older home or are in a state where they are optional. However, there are several benefits to having a clean out installed on your property:

Lower Maintenance Costs

The clean out allows direct access to your property's sewer lateral. This means a plumbing expert tin monitor the h2o period from each tap in your home individually to ensure there are no blockages or other pipage problems during their regular maintenance visits.

Cheaper and Easier Cleaning

Normally, a plumber would have to remove your toilet or even become onto the roof in gild to clean your sewer lines. By having a sewer make clean out, they will accept easy access to the sewer lateral. The savings in time and effort equate to a smaller bill for you.

Protects Your Landscaping

One do good which becomes apparent only in an emergency is the fact that the sewer clean out can help forestall the need to dig up your yard in the outcome of a major clog.

Unlike many of the pipes inside your home, the sewer lateral is located completely secret and therefore cannot exist examined for clothing or damage without excavating it. The sewer clean out provides an access point through which your lateral may be more easily inspected.

Backflow Prevention

In the event of a major clog, the make clean out acts equally an external bleed. Uncapping the make clean out will allow y'all to drain the excess water, preventing information technology from flooding your home. This may as well prove useful if there is an issue with the municipal sewer that is forcing water support into your lateral.

How to Install a Sewer Make clean Out

Installation of a make clean out is a multi-step procedure. In some cases, your local municipality may provide programs to help with the cost of installation, specially in cases where having a sewer make clean out was not previously required by code. Be sure to check for any such programs or grants, likewise equally any required permits before starting.

As well, if you do non have experience splicing or installing sections of pipe, it may be best to hire a professional person to avoid plush mistakes.

Choosing a Clean Out Type

The kickoff major step before beginning work is to pick the type of sewer clean out y'all wish to apply. There are currently three options available:

Double Make clean Out – The nigh pop type used for modernistic installation, the double clean out has two shafts which connect to the lateral pipage forming a 'U' shape. The cap closer to your home provides piece of cake access to the city cease while the cap closer to the street allows you to maintain the business firm terminate of the lateral.

Unmarried Make clean Out – This type provides easy access to the municipal end of your lateral, although the 45 degree angle does non allow for access to the full pipe.

Test Tee – This T-shaped clean out permits access to both ends of the lateral, but can be difficult to apply for clearing blockages due to the 90 degree bending at the intersection.

Excavation and Installation

Y'all will demand to locate your lateral and excavate a department of pipe. This may be done with either common tools or rental equipment, being careful not to damage the lateral piping. Once you have the desired portion of pipe fully exposed, you should mensurate out the section you will be cutting away. The cut tools you need will vary based upon the material your lateral pipage is made of.

One time you have removed the unwanted section, you are free to measure, cut, and install the new junction. Knowledge of plumbing is essential here, equally you lot volition demand to fit and install the replacement section, verify the plumb, and brand sure it is waterproof before filling the hole and capping the new clean out.

It is usually best to fit a container box around the cap then that information technology doesn't become overgrown or cached easily.

Professional Cleaning Cost with a Sewer Make clean Out

Even though cleaning your own lateral line may seem similar a cheap alternative, there is always a run a risk of damaging the pipes. Having a professional plumber exercise the piece of work is more than effective and will exist cheaper if they accept access through a sewer clean out.

This is considering they take more direct access, requiring fewer tools and less labor than if they accept to dig up your yard or snake the lateral from a indicate inside the home.

HomeAdvisor gives a basic estimate range of $99 to $900 with an overall average of $288. This does not include additional fees for using a camera or h2o jetter.

CostHelper provides more detailed cost breakdowns, estimating the cost of snaking your lateral between $148 and $900 with an average cost of $410. They note that the distance snaked plays a function in your overall cost, making it less expensive to ophidian the lateral from an external clean out than from an access betoken within the dwelling.

In add-on, a camera inspection of the line will run between $100 and $800.

When choosing to have a professional person come in, make sure they are certified and have a good reputation. Some plumbing companies will offer a flat rate but pressure level you to get additional services to inflate the toll. Make sure to store around carefully for the all-time balance of quality and toll.