Hydro Jetting in Douglasville, GA
A backup that starts at the lowest fixture is unpleasant, and the order of what happens next matters. For Douglasville homes, that means stopping water use, getting the main opened and cleaned with a jetter, then learning from the camera what blocked it.
Hydro jetting is often how a fully blocked main sewer line gets opened and properly cleaned after a backup. The warning usually comes from the lowest drain in the house: a basement floor drain, a downstairs shower or a ground-floor toilet that suddenly fills with dirty water when someone upstairs turns on a tap. In a Douglasville home, that is the moment to stop and act in the right order.
What to do the moment sewage comes up
- Stop running water everywhere in the house: no flushing, showers, dishwasher or laundry. Every gallon has to go somewhere, and right now it is coming up the lowest drain.
- Keep children and pets out of the affected area.
- Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a backed-up line; it can splash back and makes the pipe dangerous to open.
- Leave the cleanout cap alone while the line is full, because loosening it can release a rush of sewage.
- Call for help. Alpha answers calls 24/7, and an active backup is exactly what emergency plumbing is for.
Why the lowest drain shows it first
Every drain in a house feeds into one building sewer. When that line is blocked somewhere between the house and the street, wastewater backs up until it reaches the lowest opening and spills out there. One fixture backing up on its own points to that fixture's branch. Several fixtures at once, or the lowest drain filling whenever others are used, points to the main.
Opening a backed-up main
With the line full, the first job is to give the water somewhere to go. The technician opens the line at a cleanout, sometimes running a cable first to punch through the blockage so the standing water can drain. Then the jetter goes in with a nozzle chosen for the cause, whether grease, roots or wipes, and scrubs the full length of the pipe so the clog is removed rather than just pierced. Once the water is down, a camera shows what caused it. Our hydro jetting overview describes the equipment in more detail.
Finding the cause before it happens again
Footage from a sewer camera inspection after cleaning usually reveals what stopped the line: a grease plug, a root mass at a joint, a pile of wipes caught on a rough spot, a sag or a break. Buildup on sound pipe calls for changes in what goes down the drains. Roots, sags and breaks call for a talk about main sewer line repair, because jetting by itself will not prevent the next backup.
Cleaning up after the water goes down
Sewage on floors and in walls is a different kind of water damage from a clean supply leak. Porous materials that soaked it up, such as carpet and pad, often cannot be saved, and the area needs thorough cleaning and drying. Once the line is flowing again, a water restoration crew handles extraction, drying and removal of materials that cannot be dried.
Douglasville rules if the sewer lateral is replaced
If the camera shows the lateral needs replacing, more than one body is involved. Plumbing permits come from Douglasville's Building Division, and WSA, the Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority, sets standards of its own: its rules and regulations expect a private lateral's size, slope, materials, joints and backfill to meet state and local plumbing codes.
Sewage backup questions in Douglasville
Does the cleanout need to be outside for the line to be jetted?
No. An outdoor cleanout near the foundation is the easiest way into the main, but plenty of houses lack one. The jetter can also go in through an indoor cleanout, or a toilet can be lifted to reach the line. If access is poor and backups keep happening, adding an outdoor cleanout is worth discussing once the line is open.
Why did the line back up while we had guests over?
Extra people mean more flushing, more cooking and more grease and paper going down the drains in a short time. A line already narrowed by buildup or roots may cope with normal use and then fail under that load. The camera footage after cleaning shows whether the line had been partly blocked for a while.
Is a backup always a sign the sewer pipe is broken?
No. Many backups come from a blockage in a sound pipe, such as grease, wipes or a root mass, and jetting clears those. A broken, sagging or collapsed pipe is one possible cause among several, which is why a camera look after the line is open is worth doing before deciding on any repair.
When the lowest drain overflows
If sewage is rising in your Douglasville basement or downstairs bathroom, stop using water and call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448. We will open the main, clean it and look on camera for what caused the backup.