![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Drain-clog-house-diagram.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIf you find yourself with a slow drain or even a total backup and have come to the internet to figure it out, it\u2019s possible you\u2019ve come across the term \u201cMain Sewer Line\u201d at some point in your research.<\/p>\n
But what is a main sewer line and could that be causing your drainage problem?<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not the cause of your problem, it could be where your problem lies.<\/p>\n
You wash your hands, flush the toilet, and run your washing machine. But what happens after that? Where does the wastewater go?<\/p>\n
The main sewer line? Eventually, yes.<\/p>\n
You see, your home\u2019s sewer system is made up of various parts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are the parts you see like bathroom and kitchen fixtures and depending on your home, the pipes under your sink leading from the fixtures then underground.<\/p>\n
While every home is different, there are typically the same parts. Think of your sewer system like a tree. Wastewater drains into different branch lines like branches on a tree. Each branch line could have a few different places water drains from.<\/p>\n
For instance, in many homes the kitchen sink and the washing machine are on the same branch line. Also your bathroom sink and shower are also probably draining into their own branch line. Each branch line is connected to and drains into your main line like the trunk of a tree.<\/p>\n
Then the main line leads out of your home and feeds into the city line which starts at the street or alley.<\/p>\n
In short, yes.<\/p>\n
In point of fact, every line can get clogged from the pipes directly under the fixtures to the branches and main line and even the city\u2019s lines.<\/p>\n
If water and debris is running through it, it can get clogged. Toilet paper, food waste, oils and soap scum, hair, all these and more can build up and cause a blockage in your system.<\/p>\n
There are also other things can cause a clog like tree and shrub roots. But those are possibly signs of another problem, a hole or break in your sewer line. Tree and shrub roots don\u2019t cause holes or breaks in your line, but they are attracted to the water that leaks out of the existing holes.<\/p>\n
If you have a clog in the main line, it\u2019s likely affecting all of your plumbing fixtures since every branch in the house feeds into the main line. Whereas if it\u2019s just affecting one or two like the bathroom sink and shower but not the kitchen, then the clog is probably not in the main line but in the branch line.<\/p>\n
While it is tempting, I cannot stress enough that you do not use chemical drain cleaners to try and fix the problem yourself.<\/p>\n
The chemicals in products like Drano or Liquid Plumber can damage your pipes and sometimes even make the problem worse. Depending on what\u2019s causing your clog, these grocery store products can\u2019t get through them and instead pile up creating an even bigger clog. And then instead of draining through your system, those chemicals are now sitting there eating away at your pipe\u2019s lining.<\/p>\n
So what should you do instead?<\/p>\n
You have a few options here, with some that allow unclogging without a snake.<\/p>\n
You can get a blow bag at a home improvement store or order one online. Attach the blow bag to a hose and feed it into the drain until it stops. You want to get the hose into the line as far as possible but don\u2019t force it.<\/p>\n
Once you turn the water on, the bag fills with water and then bursts out hopefully creating enough pressure to clear whatever is clogging your pipe.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/sewer-machine-300x300-1.jpg\")
Another option is a sewer machine. These are also called sewer snakes, plumber\u2019s snake, drain snake or variations of all of those. You can rent one from a home improvement store or even buy one.<\/p>\n
You feed a cable that is attached to the machine into the pipe. Just like with the blow bag hose, you want to keep pushing it in but don\u2019t force it. Once the cable hits the obstruction, depending on the type of machine \u2014 mechanical or motorized \u2014 the attachment at the end of the cable spins breaking up whatever is causing the clog.<\/p>\n
Once the clog is broken up, flushing the pipe with water should clear the debris that is left.<\/p>\n
***WARNING***<\/strong><\/p>\n There are a lot of things that can go wrong if you don\u2019t know how to or haven\u2019t operated a sewer machine. This is why I don\u2019t recommend the layman homeowner use one of these machines.<\/p>\n You could damage your pipes, the machine not to mention also hurt yourself if you don\u2019t know what your doing.<\/p>\n To try both of the options above, you need to find the sewer cleanout. These can be in a number of locations so you just have to look for it. It could be coming out of the ground close to your house or somewhere on the side of the home. And if you don\u2019t have one or can\u2019t find it, you need to call a plumber.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve exhausted your options and you still have a clog, contact a licensed plumber. We have sewer machines in a variety of sizes not to mention can more accurately diagnose your problem.<\/p>\n Calling a plumber when you can try to DIY it might sound like an unnecessary expense. But imagine how much more you\u2019ll be spending if you cause more damage or hurt yourself.<\/p>\n To say something I\u2019ve said many times here on the blog, it depends. Every house is different so there is no one-size-fits all fix or cost.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, though, it can cost you anywhere from $100 to $250. A lot depends on the company you use and what needs to be done.<\/p>\n Here at In-House Plumbing Company, we find it typically runs around $150 to $175 for us to clear out a main sewer line clog. But again, it depends on your system and the problem.<\/p>\n Every situation is different.<\/p>\n If you suspect the clog is not in your home\u2019s system but in the city\u2019s, call the city. Homeowners do not take care of the city\u2019s line. Your responsibility is only what is in and under your home and the line from your house that runs to the alley or the street.<\/p>\n So if you even think it\u2019s possibly the city\u2019s line, call them. This saves you time and money because they will come out and do an investigation. They may tell you it\u2019s on your side and if that\u2019s the case, you can take steps to get your problems solved.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never seen a city charge for coming out to investigate and find it\u2019s the homeowner and not the city. Sometimes they even clear something if it\u2019s in the yard. Although, they generally don\u2019t do that much anymore because of liability problems, too many sue happy people these days.<\/p>\n If you think you have a clog in the main sewer line or anywhere in your sewer system, give us a call at 972-494-1750 or email service@inhouseplumbingcompany.com. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you find yourself with a slow drain or even a total backup and have come to the internet to figure it out, it\u2019s possible you\u2019ve come across the term \u201cMain Sewer Line\u201d at some point in your research. But what is a main sewer line and could that be causing your drainage problem? While […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","entry","override"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigwesttemp.com\/inhouseplumbing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Call a Reliable and Licensed Plumber<\/h3>\n
Cost to Unclog a Main Sewer Line<\/h2>\n
What if the City Sewer Line is Clogged?<\/h2>\n
Call In-House Plumbing Company<\/h2>\n
\nWe can help you determine if you do in fact have a clog and if it\u2019s in the main sewer line. From there we can come up with the best repair option for you and your budget.<\/p>\n