Look for a plastic pipe sticking up from the lawn or garden. The main cleanout fitting is usually a large-diameter pipe with one or two threaded plugs in the top. It may extend above the ground near an outside wall or inside a ground box covered by a metal cover.
A sewer cleanout is generally, but not always located outside a bathroom. You'll recognize it as a black or white, three- to four-inch capped pipe. Since cleanouts aren't needed often, yours may be covered by bushes, underbrush, or grass.
Unless the lawn sewer lines have been replaced, many older homes do not have a sewer cleanout in the lawn. If the home does not have a cleanout in the lawn, access to the sewer is through a plumbing vent pipe on the roof.
Look to see where the utility pipes exit your home. Follow the line to see if it has a capped cleanout pipe near it. The line will often be right outside your home, but it could also be on the inside. The cleanout is usually right next to the foundation of your home, so look for a plugged pipe coming out of the floor.
Sewer cleanouts are typically 6 inches to 3 feet deep.
Indoor cleanouts are often located near a bathroom, utility room, or garage floor drain. If this is the case, it should be easy to spot, as it's usually positioned directly next to the drain or just a few feet beside it. However, some cleanouts may be harder to spot and require access to your home's crawl space.
Average Cost to Unclog a Sewer Line
Clearing a clogged sewer line costs $250 to $800, depending on where the clog is located, what causes it, and the necessary cleaning.
Many homes have two clean-outs (see below). One is near the foundation of the house and the second is at or near the property line. First, check the clean-out next to the house to see if it has water in it. If it doesn't contain any water, then you know the blockage is somewhere in the house plumbing.
There should be no standing water in the piping. If you keep the wipes out of the drains it might be years before you have any more problems with the pipe. If it keeps clogging you will need to excavate the pipe any make the repairs.
Find a clean-out plug located on a large drainpipe in areas such as your basement, crawlspace, garage or near the foundation of your house. Remove the plug with an adjustable wrench. Wastewater may drain out when you open the clean-out and when you break the clog.
The only houses that don't are older homes in which a cleanout wasn't installed originally. But even if you're in an older home that was built without a sewer cleanout, it's likely one was needed at some point and was installed. But if you happen to be in a home without one, the system is probably cast iron.
This is especially true if the system was built after 1985, when the laws began to require the installation of sewer line cleanouts for newly constructed homes.
This pipe, which lies buried under the soil of your yard, can last anywhere from 50-100 years or more, depending on the material from which the pipe is made and the conditions under which it is used.
Expert Recommendations for Sewer Line Cleaning
We recommend homeowners schedule sewer line cleaning every 18 to 24 months to prevent buildup and clogs. Regular cleanings help avoid costly repairs and extend the life of your plumbing system.
Apply rust penetrant and vibration
Then soak the cleanout plug threads with rust penetrant. Next, smack opposite sides of the tee or wye fitting at the same time using two hammers. Rotate the double blows around the entire fitting. Then try using a pipe wrench again.
Two cleanouts allow for easier access to the sewer line from different directions. They facilitate simultaneous cleaning or inspection of different sections of the sewer line. Ensuring an operational sewer system even if one cleanout is blocked. Enhancing accessibility and efficiency in sewer maintenance.
It can typically be found on the main sewage line, just before it meets the home's foundation. The drain cleanout will be on a T- or Y-shaped pipe fitting, with a threaded plug with a square nut. It may also have a plastic cap covering this nut.
If sewage or dirty water is coming out of your home's sewer line cleanout, or if there is water standing around the cleanout pipe, this confirms you have a main sewer line clog.
On average sewer cleanout installation cost runs between $1,850- 3,500. This cost depends on several factors such as depths, or whether or not landscape or concrete will be removed, to create a proper workspace to access the sewer line.
sealed with a threaded plug with a square nut and may be labeled "S.C.O." or cleanout. Sometimes, this plug is covered with a plastic cap or a metal lid. Also, look around for objects or coverings for a 3-, 4-, or 6-inch pipe.
For instance, residential sewer line depth ranges from 18 to 30 inches. However, city sewer line depths are different. Your city's sewer lines must always be deeper than the deepest residential pipe to allow waste to flow downhill. As such, these lines can go as deep as needed.
In most cases, home insurance will cover sewer line damage from specific events. This includes extreme weather (excluding earthquakes and floods), vandalism, fire, and damage from vehicles or falling objects.
If you don't have drain cleanouts, backups can still be removed but it can sometimes be more challenging. The plumber has two options in this situation: access the sewer line from the roof or from the toilet. Unfortunately, neither option is as effective as going in through a cleanout.
Trenchless sewer repairs, such as pipe lining or pipe bursting, are typically 30-40% less expensive than traditional excavation and less invasive. Traditional excavation, which involves digging a trench to access the damaged pipe, is usually more expensive and can cause significant damage to your yard.