Apollo Plumbing

  • Services
    ▼
    • Plumbing Repairs
      ▼
      • Emergency Repair
      • Water Leak Repair
      • Faucet Repair and Installation
      • House Repiping
      • Toilet Installation & Repair
      • Leak Detection
    • Water Heater Installation
      ▼
      • Tankless Water Heater Installation
      • Tank Water Heaters
      • Water Heater Replacement
      • Water Heater Services
    • Drain Cleaning Everett
      ▼
      • Drain Clearing Service
      • Garbage Disposal Repair
      • Hydro Jetting Services
      • Video Inspection
    • Water Line Replacement
      ▼
      • Trenchless Water Line Replacement
      • Water Line Warning Signs
      • Trenchless VS Traditional
    • Sewer Line Repair
      ▼
      • Leak Detection
      • Sewer Relining Services
      • Sewer Rooter Service
      • Trenchless Sewer Repair
      • Underground Sewer Work
  • About
    ▼
    • Our Story
    • What We Believe
    • What You Can Expect
    • Customer Reviews
    • News You Can Use
    • Plumbing Coupons
    • Service Areas
  • Reviews
  • Join the Team
  • Schedule an Appointment
MENUMENU
  • Services
    • Plumbing Repairs

      Professional Plumbing Repairs
      Emergency Repairs
      Faucets
      Toilets
      Repiping
      Water Leaks
    • Drain Cleaning

      Drain Cleaning Service
      Hydro Jet
      Garbage Disposals
      Video Inspection
    • Sewer Service

      Leak Detection
      Video Inspection
      Trenchless
      Sewer Relining
      Underground Sewer Work
    • Water Heaters

      Water Heater Replacement
      Water Heater Service
      Water Heater Installation
      Tank Water Heater Installation
      Tankless Water Heaters
    • Water Lines

      Trenchless Line Replacement
      Trenchless VS Traditional
      Water Line Replacement
      Leak Detection
  • About
    • Our Story
    • What We Believe
    • What You Can Expect
    • Service Areas
    • News You Can Use
    • Customer Reviews
    • Payment Options
    • Specials
  • Careers
  • Reviews
    • Plumbing Reviews
    • Yelp Reviews
  • (425) 387-1507
  • Schedule Now

Sewer Cleanout

Plumbing usually attracts no attention until it stops working. However, it deserves great respect for the service it provides and has done so for thousands of years. As one of the best ideas that contribute to civilization, the invention of pipe ranks high. 

Understanding the Importance of a Sewer Cleanout

 Almost always hidden behind walls, pipes create a network throughout your home. Whether bringing in clean water or removing waste, they create conveniences that become easy to take for granted. However, clogs can form, causing backed-up drains and toilets that do not flush. Professional plumbers need a sewer cleanout to access and clear underground stoppages, breaks in the line, or invasive tree roots.

 Drinking water comes into your home under pressure, but the pipes that remove it must maintain a slope underground that allows gravity to create flow. As a result, wastewater and the resewer cleanoutfuse it carries cannot bypass blockages. In addition, a sagging sewer line can develop a dip that holds water until it can contain no more and starts backing up. An access point allows a plumber to break up the clog and get waste moving again.

Finding the Cleanout on Your Property

 Almost every home has a sewer cleanout, but most people do not know where to find it. A preference for hiding white PVC may give it a spot in a flower bed or under a few inches of dirt. While understandable that no one wants to look at it, a cleanout serves a particular purpose. 

 You can locate it when you understand it lies in line with the pipe that connects your bathroom and kitchen drains to a sewer or septic tank. You may also get an idea of its location by sighting the plumbing stack on your roof. As a vent pipe, it prevents vacuums and helps move wastewater along without gurgling.

 • Around the Foundation

 Usually, within 3 feet of your home, if you have a septic tank, the cleanout may seem easy to find when you start looking for it. 

 • Near the Sidewalk

 Markings on the curb may guide you directly to your cleanout. Some municipalities put an “S” to mark where your sewer line enters the mainline. Then, when you look at your house, your gaze makes a straight line to the bathroom lateral where you can find the cleanout.

 • Inside the Attic or Basement

 While it may not occur in your home, a location inside some older houses can make a cleanout hard to find. New construction in the United States started using PVC for plumbing in the 1950s, and upgrades usually included adding it for exterior sewer cleanouts. You may need to look in the basement, attic, or crawl space. An exterior cleanout provides the access that a professional plumber needs to detect and remove a clog. Updating your plumbing system with a capped PVC pipe can immediately access blocked lines when you need it.

Considering the Health Hazards of a Plumbing Backup

 The need to locate your sewer cleanout relies more on health safety than convenience. When clogs occur in pipes that take waste and wastewater away from your home, they can cause raw sewage to back up in shower or tub drains. Contact with the bacteria and viruses that live there can provide severe health threats. So when you notice a drain that moves water slowly or a toilet that threatens to overflow, you receive an alert to take preventive action.

 At the first sign of a sewage problem with a drain or toilet, you can help prevent damage by turning off the water supply lines. Then, delay using any water fixtures until your drains work freely again. When you locate your outside sewer cleanout, make sure to clear away any grass, dirt, or plants that hide it from view.

Enjoying the Sewer Cleanout Benefits

 Aside from the peace of mind that comes from knowing your preparedness can handle the disposal of waste from your home, a convenient and accessible cleanout offers many benefits. You may never experience a clog in your sewer line, but then you may have a backup when you least expect it. A child’s toy, an accidental toss of a washcloth into a toilet, or a tree’s fine roots can create a problem that requires professional help.

 • Saving Money

 A cleanout gives a direct and convenient way to find the cause of a blockage in a lateral line. Without it, plumbers can still fix the problem. However, it may require removing the toilet and going to the stacks on a roof to repair it. Access to your sewer line through a convenient outdoor cleanout lets you avoid a costly and unnecessary expense. 

 • Conforming to State Regulations

 Some states require cleanouts, but others may treat them as optional guidelines. Still, the benefits and conveniences make them well worth having when you need them. When you take preventive action that preserves the value of your home and prevents intrusion of unhealthy backups, you deserve praise for your efforts.

 • Preventing Disruption to Your Landscape Plants

 Plumbers can send a camera down a lateral line to detect and identify blockages and use a snake or a water jet to clear them. Unfortunately, when the only way to find a clog requires digging up a sewer line, your landscaping may suffer from it. Whether you lose a favorite rose bush, a beautiful shrub, or only the sod, the uprooting of your lawn creates an ugly mess that takes time to recover.

Considering Your Options

 A cleanout can provide convenience and a healthy environment for your home. However, wastewater that backs up can create significant health threats when it seeps into drywall, floors, and furnishings. In addition, sewer gasses provide exposure to harmful influences as well. When you know the location of your sewer cleanout, your plumber can use it to find minor or significant problems with your drains.

How can Apollo help you?

  • Hidden

Everett Plumber Truck Pic

Contact Apollo Plumbing

Apollo Plumbing, LLC
1239 State Ave.
Marysville, WA 98270

2918 Colby Ave. #210
Everett, WA 98201

Seattle: (206) 678-3630
Everett: (425) 387-1507

Apollo Plumbing Logo
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • YouTube

Plumbing Repairs

Emergency Repairs
Faucets
Toilets
Repiping

Sewer Service

Leak Detection
Video Inspection
Trenchless
Sewer Relining
Underground Sewer Work

Water Heaters

Water Heater Service
Tank Water Heater Installation
Tankless Water Heaters

Water Lines

Trenchless Line Replacement
Trenchless VS Traditional

Drain Cleaning

Hydro Jet
Garbage Disposals
Video Inspection
Drain Cleaning Service

Service Areas

Everett, WA | Lynnwood, WA | Mill Creek, WA | Marysville, WA | Edmonds, WA | Mukilteo, WA | Arlington, WA | Stanwood, WA | Monroe, WA | Ballard, WA | Bothell, WA | Kirkland, WA
Financing

Copyright © 2023 Apollo Plumbing