Sewer backup in the house right now
Raw sewage carries bacteria, so treat any spill as a health matter. These steps limit the damage until help arrives.
Stop adding water
No flushing, laundry, dishwasher or long showers. Every gallon has nowhere to go but out of the lowest drain.
Keep people out
Children and pets stay out of the room. Wear rubber gloves and boots if you must go in.
Shut off power if water is near outlets
Use the breaker panel only if you can reach it while standing on dry ground.
Find the cleanout
Look for a capped pipe, usually 3 or 4 inches wide, near the foundation or in the yard. Tell the dispatcher where it is.
After-hours and same-day visits are available when the schedule allows, and the dispatcher makes no promise about arrival time. Gas smell anywhere? Leave and call the gas utility or 911 first.
What a main line cleaning does
The main sewer line is the single pipe, normally 3 or 4 inches across, that collects waste from the whole house and runs to the city mainline. When it clogs, the lowest fixtures fail first, which is why a basement or ground-level shower often shows trouble before the sinks do.
A plumber opens the cleanout and feeds in a motorized cable with a cutting head. That chews through roots, grease and packed paper. For heavy buildup, a hydro jet sends water at several thousand psi to scour the pipe wall, which leaves it cleaner than a cable alone.
Cleaning clears the blockage. It does not tell you why it formed, which is where a camera comes in.
Your lateral, the city mainline and Mauldin's red clay
According to the City Public Works Committee, the city system consists only of mainlines and manholes in street rights-of-way and easements. The lateral from house to mainline belongs to the property owner. So a clog inside your property line is yours to clear, and that is the work we do.
If sewage is coming up from a manhole in the street, or several neighbors are backed up at once, the problem is probably the city's mainline. Call Mauldin Public Works at (864) 289-8904, or (864) 289-8900 after hours. Reporting early helps even if your own line is fine.
Red clay soils are common across the South Carolina Piedmont, according to the USDA Cecil series description. Clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and that movement can shift older pipe joints and give roots a gap to enter. A backup that keeps returning may be a joint problem, not just grease.
Source type: City of Mauldin Public Works and USDA soil series description.
Cable, hydro jet or dig: which one clears your line
| Method | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Motorized cable | Roots, soft clogs, a first-time backup | Opens a channel but can leave a rough wall behind |
| Hydro jet | Grease, scale, repeat clogs | Needs a sound pipe, so not for a collapsed one |
| Camera first | Backups that return in weeks | Adds a step but shows the cause |
| Spot repair or sewer line repair | Broken, offset or collapsed pipe | Costs the most, so confirm with video before digging |
A plumber picks the method on site after seeing the cleanout.
Warning signs that a main line is closing up
A main line seldom fails without hints. Watch for these before the floor drain overflows.
- Gurgling in a tub or sink when the toilet flushes.
- Two or more fixtures draining slowly at the same time.
- Sewer smell near a floor drain or in the yard.
- Water rising in a shower when the washer drains.
- Soggy, unusually green patches over the sewer route.
What shapes the cost of a sewer cleaning
Typical U.S. prices run about $175 to $500 for a cable cleaning and $350 to $900 for a hydro jet. A real quote comes from a call.
Sewer backup coverage is often an add-on to a homeowners policy. Coverage varies, so ask your carrier before you need it. Call (855) 575-2890 for a clear price.
After the cleaning: preventing the next backup
If the clog was grease or paper, changing habits may be enough. Keep fats out of the kitchen drain and flush only toilet paper.
If roots were the cause, they grow back, often within a year or two. A camera inspection of the line shows where they enter, and regular cleaning can then be timed before they close the pipe again. Kitchen-only slowdowns may only need a smaller drain cleaning.
We also take sewer calls in Simpsonville, where lateral rules may differ, so confirm who owns the pipe with that town's office.
Backed up tonight? Call now
The line is open around the clock for sewer backups and main line clogs.
Sewer cleaning questions from Mauldin homeowners
Yes. The line is open 24/7 and after-hours visits are available when the schedule allows. No arrival time is promised, but the dispatcher tells you what to do while you wait.
The city covers mainlines and manholes in the street. The lateral from your house to that mainline belongs to you. If a manhole is overflowing, call Public Works at (864) 289-8904.
One slow sink is a branch clog. Several fixtures backing up together, especially the lowest one, points to the main.
No. It clears the blockage only. A camera shows whether the pipe is broken or offset.
No. Chemical products rarely reach a main line clog and can burn skin and harm pipes. Leave the line alone.
Many take 1 to 3 hours depending on access and what is in the pipe.
Clear a path to the cleanout and keep the area open. Pull valuables off the floor in the affected room.