How to Clean the Main Sewer Drain in Your Home

If you have a serious clog in your home sewer line, don’t despair. These clogs can occur for many reasons. Often a clogged sewer line is the result of objects like toys, towels, and other household items being thrown down the drain. The good news is that you can clean out the main sewer drain with just a few tools. Follow these steps to clean the main sewer drain in your home.

    1. 1. First, you have to find the main cleanout for the sewer line in your home. It is usually a PVC pipe that sticks out of the ground between your house and the city sewer line.
    1. 2. There will be a plug on the cleanout. On that plug is a raised square. Place an adjustable wrench on that raised square, and turn it to open the plug.
    1. 3. Next, get a pressure washer, and attach a high pressure sewer hose to the pressure washer. Put a nozzle coupling on the pressure washer nozzle. Different types of couplings are required based on whether your pressure washer is gas or electric, so check the manufacturer’s instructions for specific details. You should wear safety goggles to protect yourself from the spray of the pressure washer and any sewage that might splash out.
    1. 4. Now place the hose next to the cleanout line and turn on the pressure washer. Feed the hose down into the cleanout line by about 12 inches. Pull the trigger to make the pressure washer spray into the cleanout line.
    1. 5. Continue to feed the hose further into the cleanout line until you have inserted three to four feet of hose. Then pull it back out by two feet. Keep repeating this process, maintaining pressure on the trigger the entire time. Do this until you hear the water surge and flush. Which signals that the obstruction has passed?
    1. 6. As soon as you hear the line flushing out, pull the hose out halfway so that sewage doesn’t splash out of the cleanout line.
    1. 7. Stop pulling the trigger on the pressure washer, and slowly remove it completely from the cleanout line.
    1. 8. Take the sewer hose off the pressure washer. Drain and clean the sewer hose according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  1. 9. Replace the plug on the cleanout line, tightening it with the adjustable wrench until it is fully closed.

Cleaning the main sewer line of your home is a nasty job. If you would rather leave it to the professionals, contact Scott English Plumbing. We have cleaned many main sewer drains, and we have all of the necessary equipment on hand to get the job done.

If you don’t have a pressure washer or sewer drain hose, or if you don’t even know where your main sewer drain is located, don’t worry. We can handle all of those details. Just leave the job to the professional plumbers at Scott English Plumbing.

We started servicing the plumbing of Orange County residents more than 19 years ago. Our quality work and reliable service has earned us a great reputation in the community, of which we are very proud.

Call us whenever you have a plumbing problem.

We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to handle plumbing disasters. Our helpful operators will send a professional plumber to your home right away to restore your plumbing to working order.

Don’t hesitate to call Scott English Plumbing when you encounter a plumbing issue in your home. We will provide you with quality work and friendly service at affordable rates.

Learn more about: Sewer Line Repair | Sewer Pipe Repair | Sewer Line Inspection

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