Sewage backups and drain clogs are among the worst kind of plumbing emergencies to have in your home. Sewage backups not only expose your home to the possibility of being flooded by foul-smelling water, but they also endanger your family’s (or tenants’) health, warns First & Main Property Management.
Knowing how to prevent these issues or minimize their impact is vital for maintaining your sewer lines and protecting your property. To do this, one of the important things you must know is the location of the main sewer clean-out for your home or building.
What is the main sewer cleanout?
If you are like the typical homeowner, you wouldn’t know what a sewer cleanout is. The first time most homeowners hear the term “main sewer cleanout” is when they have a problem with their home’s plumbing and a plumber asks to know where the main cleanout is located.
What is the main sewer cleanout? In simplest terms, a sewer cleanout is a pipe on your property that offers easy access to your home’s sewer lines. The main sewer cleanout is not that hard to identify, just look for a large diameter pipe with a threaded plug on top of it.
What does the main sewer cleanout do?
The main sewer cleanout is the easiest way to gain access to your sewer lines when trying to clean the sewer lines or during emergencies. If your home lacks a sewer cleanout (often called a main house trap), you may need costly and time-consuming excavations to solve sewer line issues.
For instance, a sewer cleanout makes sewage backup issues easier to solve. When you have sewage backing up into your home, all plumbing fixtures in the home must go out of commission. Your home comes to a literal standstill if sewage is overflowing into the house.
The reason is that since water cannot go down the drain, you must cease all activities that release water into your home’s drain systems. You will be unable to use the shower, toilet, washing machine, kitchen sink, or dishwasher until the clog in your sewer line is removed.
The easiest and least expensive way for a plumber to gain access to your sewer line is through the main sewer cleanout. A sewer auger, snake, or hydro-jet is inserted into the sewer line through the main cleanout to quickly remove the clog causing the sewer backup.
This cleanout is located above ground, unlike the rest of the sewer line system. That’s why it is possible to gain access to the sewer lines without digging up your yard. Knowing where the main clean-out is will help you reduce the impact of plumbing emergencies on your home.
What does the main sewer cleanout look like?
In all likelihood, you have walked past the main sewer clean-out of your home several times, without knowing what it was or what it does. To find the main cleanout for the home, look around your yard for a pipe that matches the following description:
- It is most often a 4” diameter pipe with a screw cap on top.
- The screw cap will usually have a square knob or indentation to make it easy to unscrew the cap.
- The pipe will often be flush with the ground or sticking above the ground.
- The most probable location to find the pipe is on the side of the house closest to the bathroom.
Where to look for the main sewer cleanout for your house
The main cleanout should be located somewhere between the building’s foundation and the street, often close to the bathroom. Sometimes, however, you will not find the main sewer cleanout in this location. Other places where the main sewer clean-out may be found are:
Inside a ground box
If your home is built on a slab foundation, you should first look for the cleanout outside the building. It might be hidden by bushes or could be housed in a ground box. Look for a box recessed into the ground; this will often have a metal or plastic cover.
In the bathroom
If the cleanout is not outside, the first place you should look inside your home is the bathroom. Cleanouts are often found on the floor, close to the toilet. If this is the case with your home, you should find a threaded plug that is flush with the bathroom floor.
Other locations inside the home
If it is not in the bathroom, other places where the cleanout may be found inside the house are the garage and utility area. The cleanout will usually be flush-mounted or located on a short length of large diameter pipe.
In the basement
The final place to look for the main sewer cleanout is in the basement. In colder regions, a typical location for the cleanout is near a foundation wall inside the basement. Look for a short, large-diameter pipe with a threaded cap that is sticking up from the floor.