7 Signs Your Main Sewer Line Is Clogged, and What to Do Next

The main sign of a main sewer line clog is more than one drain slowing or backing up at the same time, especially the lowest drains in the house. Others include gurgling toilets, water rising in a tub when the washer drains, sewer smells and water standing in the outdoor cleanout. Stop using water and call when you see them.

Every drain in the house joins the building drain, which leaves the house as the lateral. A clog in one branch only affects the fixtures on that branch. A clog in the main affects everything upstream of it, so the whole house starts to slow down, and water comes up at the lowest opening first.

1. Two or more fixtures slow down together. 2. Water rises in the tub or shower when the toilet is flushed. 3. The washer's drain water appears in a tub or shower. 4. Toilets gurgle when other fixtures drain. 5. A sewer smell inside the house or near the cleanout. 6. Standing water in the outdoor cleanout. 7. The plunger helps for a day, then the clog is back.

Find the outdoor cleanout, usually near the foundation or along a side yard. Wearing gloves, loosen the cap slowly. Standing water inside means the clog is between the cleanout and the street. A dry cleanout means the clog is inside the house. Either way, tell the provider what you saw. The steps are also on our page about drain cleaning Rosemead.

In Rosemead homes, the usual causes are roots entering older clay joints, grease building up from the kitchen, wipes catching on rough spots, and pipe damage from age or ground movement. A camera shows which one it is.

LA County Public Works maintains Rosemead's public mains, but the county says the owner is responsible for the entire lateral. A clog anywhere between the house and the main is usually the owner's to clear.

Gurgling can also come from a blocked vent. Vents are pipes that go up through the roof and let air into the drain system so water flows smoothly. When a vent is blocked by leaves, a nest or debris, fixtures can gurgle and drain slowly even with a clear main line. The difference is that a vent problem rarely causes water to come up out of a lower drain. If water is rising, assume it is the main line.

The provider usually starts at the outdoor cleanout. If water stands there, the clog is downstream, toward the street. They run a heavy cable through the cleanout until the line opens, then test by running several fixtures together. A camera look after clearing shows what caused the clog and whether it is likely to come back.

Say which drains are affected, where water is coming up, what the cleanout showed and whether this has happened before. Mention large trees near the line, the age of the house if you know it and any recent work on the plumbing. Those details help the provider bring the right equipment the first time.

Once the main line flows again, run several fixtures together for a few minutes to make sure it keeps up. Watch the lowest drain in the house for the next few days. If the problem comes back within weeks, the cause has not been dealt with, and a camera inspection is the next step. Keep a simple record of each clog, its date and what came out, because a pattern of dates and causes is one of the most useful things you can give a provider.

A main line clog rarely clears on its own. Each shower and load of laundry pushes more water toward it. If sewage is already coming up, read emergency drain service Rosemead. Homes near Valley Boulevard Rosemead drain cleaning and across the city follow the same steps. Check the provider's license with the CSLB license check.