Blocked drain, main drain and sewer line clearing

Slow drains, a floor drain backing up, or gurgling when the washer empties? Tell us what is happening and a local plumber who covers your town gets back to you with a quote.

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One slow sink is usually a local clog. Several fixtures draining slowly at once, water coming up through the basement floor drain when the washing machine empties, or a toilet that gurgles when the shower runs point further down — to the main drain, or the sewer lateral that runs from the house to the street.

Older neighbourhoods here — postwar Etobicoke and North York, older Thornhill, and the original streets of Woodbridge, Richmond Hill and Unionville — often have clay or cast-iron sewer laterals under big mature trees. Roots find the joints, and a line that was cleared once tends to block again. A camera inspection shows whether it is roots, a sag, a break or a build-up, which decides whether clearing is enough or a section needs repair.

Newer subdivisions get blockages too, usually from grease, wipes and debris rather than roots. Whatever the house, if sewage is coming up through a floor drain, stop running water until the line has been cleared — and once it is, ask about a backwater valve.

York Simcoe Plumbing is a free referral service: your request goes to one independent local plumber who covers your town, and they quote and do the work.

What to Tell the Plumber

Which fixtures are slow or backing up — one, or several at once.
Whether water has come up through a basement floor drain.
Roughly when the house was built, and whether there are large trees between the house and the street.
Whether the line has been cleared or camera-inspected before, and what was found.
Whether you have a backwater valve, and when it was last checked.

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Drain clearing and sewer lines: Questions, Answered

A washing machine empties a lot of water quickly. If the main drain is partly blocked, that water has nowhere to go and comes up at the lowest opening, which is usually the floor drain. It points to a blockage in the main line rather than a problem with the washer.

Yes, particularly in older clay and cast-iron laterals, where roots get in at the joints. Clearing them restores flow, but they tend to grow back. A camera inspection shows how bad it is and whether a repair or a liner is worth considering.

In most Ontario municipalities the homeowner is responsible for the private side of the sewer lateral and the municipality for the part under public land, but where that line falls and how a shared problem is handled varies. If a camera inspection shows a problem near the property line, call your municipality before anyone digs.

For a minor sink clog it may help, but chemical cleaners do little for a main drain blockage or roots, can damage older pipes, and make the job hazardous for whoever opens the line afterwards. If several fixtures are slow, skip it and describe the problem on the form.

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York Simcoe Plumbing is a free referral service: your request goes to one independent local plumber, who quotes and does the work. We may receive compensation when you are connected with a plumber; there is no charge to you.