Main Sewer Line Cleaning

When toilets gurgle, the basement drain backs up, or slow drains return weeks after plunging, the blockage is often in the main sewer line of an Elizabeth, NJ building. Grease, wipes, roots and scale build up inside pipes, and the city's median home was built in 1957.

How a main line is cleaned
A plumber typically opens the cleanout and feeds in a cable machine with a cutting head to break up roots and debris, or uses a water jetter to scour grease off the pipe walls. A camera run afterward shows whether any damage remains.

Why a slow main line gets worse
In buildings with two or more units, one blocked main can back up into the lowest drain of every apartment. Skip chemical openers on a main line clog, and tell the plumber about anything already poured down the drain.

Call about main line cleaning and say which drains are slow or backing up, and how often.