Your side of the sewerMain line and branch drains cleared
Cable or jetterChosen to suit the pipe
Camera afterwardSo you see the cause
Your line or the City’s? Sorting it out in Auburn
A backup raises one question before any other: whose pipe is blocked? In Auburn the City inspects and clears problems in the public sewer main. The side sewer, the pipe that carries everything from your house toward that main, is the owner’s to maintain on private property, and the City’s utility guide says the owner is also responsible for plugs that form anywhere along it.
The City asks residents to report blockages and backups to its Maintenance and Operations staff so crews can check the main. If the main is clear, the problem is in your line, and that’s where we come in. It’s a sensible call to make when a floor drain or ground-floor shower is backing up and nothing you’ve done explains it.
How a blocked main drain shows itself
- A floor drain, tub or shower on the lowest level that fills when water runs elsewhere
- Toilets that bubble when a sink or the washer drains
- More than one fixture running slow together
- A drain that was cleared and blocked again within weeks
- Sewer smell indoors, in the crawlspace or near a cleanout
- Wet ground or seepage around an outdoor cleanout cap
Two kinds of blockage, two ways to clear them
Something solid in the way
Roots, a wad of wipes or a lodged object. A drain machine spins a steel cable and cutter down the line, breaks the obstruction up and gets a stopped drain flowing again.
A pipe that has narrowed
Years of grease and sludge lining the pipe. Hydro-jetting sends pressurized water through a nozzle that scours the wall clean, fine root hair included, as long as the pipe is sound enough to take it.
We match the method to the pipe. Brittle or broken line gets a gentler approach, and if the camera shows the pipe itself has failed, we’ll say so before we make it worse.
Access matters too. Auburn’s current side sewer standard calls for cleanouts within three feet of the building and at or near the property line. A home built before that standard may not have one where it’s needed, which can mean working through a pulled toilet or a roof vent instead.
What blocks drains in Auburn’s older neighborhoods
The valley floor holds the oldest part of Auburn’s sewer system, and the City notes that older areas still have concrete and clay pipe, which it replaces as repairs come up. Private side sewers follow the same history: the City’s handout says they may be clay, concrete, PVC or ductile iron depending on when they were installed. King County, which treats Auburn’s wastewater, puts it simply: side sewers are often the age of the house, and tree roots commonly get into them.
So in a pre-1950 house near downtown or a 1950s house in South Auburn, the prime suspects in a main line clog are roots at a joint and buildup in a rough-walled old pipe. In newer plastic lines on the hills, it’s more often grease, wipes or a low spot.
Rain adds a twist. Roof and foundation drains are not allowed to connect to Auburn’s sanitary sewer. If your drains only act up in heavy rain, an old connection like that, or groundwater leaking into a cracked line, may be part of the story.
After the line is open
Getting water moving is half of it. Then we want to know why it stopped. A camera run shows whether the cause was roots, a sag holding water, a broken section or plain buildup, and where along the line it sits. You see the picture, and you get options priced by the job, not by the hour.
Camera found damage? Repair and replacement are covered under sewer line services in Auburn. Just one slow sink or tub? Start with kitchen and bathroom clogs. Restaurants and other businesses can see commercial plumbing.
Drain Cleaning FAQs
Should I call the City of Auburn or a plumber when my sewer backs up?
The City asks residents to report blockages and backups to its Maintenance and Operations staff so crews can check the public main. If the main is clear, the blockage is in your side sewer, which is the owner’s responsibility. That is the line we clear.
Who pays to clear a clog in the side sewer in Auburn?
The property owner. Auburn’s utility guide makes the owner responsible for side sewer pipe on private property and for plugs anywhere along the side sewer, while the City clears problems in the public main.
My Auburn home has no cleanout. Can you still clean the drain?
Usually. The City’s current standard puts cleanouts within three feet of the building and near the property line, but a home built before that standard may not have them. We can often reach the line through a pulled toilet or a roof vent. That limits the equipment we can use, and we’ll explain the trade-offs before starting.
Why do my drains only back up when it rains hard?
Rain shouldn’t affect a sound sewer line. In Auburn, roof and foundation drains aren’t allowed to run into the sanitary sewer, and the City’s sewer plan notes that groundwater gets in through cracks and misaligned joints when the water table is above the pipe. A camera inspection can show whether your line has a defect that is letting water in.
Is hydro-jetting safe for an old pipe?
It depends on the pipe, which is why we look before we jet. Sound clay, concrete or plastic can be jetted. Pipe that is cracked, offset or collapsing gets a gentler method, or a repair.