How the job runs
- 1Stop the flowask everyone to stop flushing, running taps and using the washer
- 2Find the accesslocate the cleanout on the main drain, often beside the floor drain or under the stairs
- 3Clear the linerun a cable auger with a cutting head out toward the property line
- 4Look insidepush a camera through to see roots, breaks, sags or grease
- 5Adviseexplain whether the problem sits on your side, at the city side, or was caused by a storm surcharge
01Two very different backups
There is the slow kind, where the floor drain gurgles for weeks and then overflows one morning after laundry. That is almost always a blockage in your own line: roots, a broken joint or years of grease. Then there is the sudden kind, during or right after a heavy rainstorm, where several houses on the street flood at once. That points to the city sewer surcharging, and the cure is a backwater valve rather than an auger.
Knowing which one you have saves money, so we always ask about the weather when you call.
| Typical cause | Tree roots in clay laterals, grease build-up, collapsed or offset pipe |
|---|---|
| Storm-related backups | Usually point to an overloaded municipal sewer, not a blockage |
| Key protection | A backwater valve fitted to the building drain |
02Roots and clay
Many Scarborough houses from the fifties and sixties were connected to the street with vitrified clay pipe in short lengths. The joints are where roots from boulevard maples and silver maples find their way in. Cutting them out gets the water moving, but they return, so we show you the camera footage and talk about lining or replacement.
03After the water goes down
Sewage is a health hazard. Keep children and pets away, wear gloves and boots, and throw out porous items that were soaked. Your home insurer may want photos before anything is removed.