Tree roots
Roots grow toward the moisture in a sewer pipe and work their way in at the joints, where they catch paper and waste until the line blocks.
Sewer Line Repair in Cleveland
Sewage odor near the foundation, a basement floor drain that backs up when the washer empties, or toilets that gurgle each time a tub drains can point to trouble in the sewer line. Call us and we set you up with a sewer contractor to repair it.
Sewer help covers the connection that runs from a Cleveland house out toward the street.
What goes wrong with a sewer line
Broken or shifted pipe
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District lists broken, collapsed, cracked or misaligned pipe and links it to shifting soil or frozen ground.
Grease and buildup
Fats and grease poured down drains cool and harden inside the pipe, narrowing it until wastewater can no longer pass.
Corrosion, sags and leaking joints
Older pipe that is not plastic can corrode, a section can sink and hold water, and joints can open up. The District notes a plumber will likely use a camera inspection to find the source.
Where your sewer line becomes the city’s
Under Cleveland’s sewer ordinance, the part of the connection running from about one foot beyond the curb line toward your house is installed and maintained by a licensed sewer builder at the property owner’s expense.
The stretch from that point out to the public sewer is maintained by the city’s Division of Water Pollution Control once it is installed.
The sewer builder’s license and connection permit
Cleveland bars anyone from installing, extending, maintaining or repairing a sewer connection without a sewer builder’s license from the Commissioner of Assessments and Licenses. Sewer connection permits are issued only to licensed sewer builders.
A new or replaced connection must be at least six inches across. Cleaning a sewer with powered equipment is covered on the drain cleaning page.
Where Cleveland’s sewage goes
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District treats the city’s wastewater at three plants, Easterly and Westerly in Cleveland and Southerly in Cuyahoga Heights, serving more than one million residents. Storm backups from combined sewers are covered on our emergency page.
Your house and its sewer pipe
The sewer line age checker starts at 1940 for Cleveland. Type in the year your house was built to see which sewer pipe was in use then and how its age compares with that pipe’s typical service life.
Some backups that look like a sewer failure clear with drain cleaning, which is worth ruling out before anyone digs up a tree lawn. For corroded supply pipe inside the house, see repiping. The home page has the rest of what we arrange.
Call for a free plumbing estimate
Call us to discuss your current issue and how we can assist you. The call is free and you get a free, personalized estimate with no obligation. We're here to help.
Call (855) 321-3426