Sewage coming up in the lowest drain right now
The lowest fixture in the house, often a ground-floor tub or a floor drain, fails first. These steps limit the damage.
Stop all water
Turn off the washing machine, dishwasher and any running faucet. One extra load of laundry can put 30 or more gallons into a full line.
Keep people out
Sewage carries bacteria. Keep children, pets and bare feet away, and wash hands after any contact.
Check the street side
If a neighbor has the same problem or the manhole in the street is overflowing, the blockage may be in the city's pipe. Call the city's after-hours sewer line at (407) 571-8686.
Move items and photograph
Lift rugs and boxes off wet floors. Photos of the backup and the time it started help if you later ask an insurer or a landlord about it.
If the city's sewer main is fine, call (407) 964-8940. We take night and weekend backups, and same-day visits are offered when a crew is free.
Signs the blockage is in the main and not one fixture
Run a faucet in the bathroom nearest the street. If water backs into the tub or the floor drain beside the water heater, the problem sits downstream of every branch. A single slow sink without gurgles points to its own trap or branch line.
Toilets that gurgle after you run the washer, a tub that rises as you flush, and a cleanout cap that is wet or damp are other signs. A clogged vent can cause gurgling too, so we check the roof vent if the main flows freely once we open the cleanout.
What to check before the crew arrives
A few minutes of looking saves time on site.
- Find the cleanout cap, usually a 4 inch cap near the foundation, in the garage wall or in the yard.
- Note if the nearest storm drain or street manhole is also running over.
- Write down when the backup began and what was just flushed or washed.
- Clear a path to the cleanout and secure pets.
- Turn off any water-using appliance and keep the main water valve location in mind.
- Locate any cleanout caps you can see but do not open one with sewage standing near the top.
Cable machine or jetter for a main line
Most main lines are cleared with a large cable machine. When grease or scale is thick, a hydro jetting pass cleans more thoroughly and costs more. The table shows how each one performs.
| Method | What it handles | What it leaves |
|---|---|---|
| Sectional cable with cutting head | Roots, paper wads, a stuck toy or wipe cluster | Film on the pipe wall that may grow again |
| Water jet with rotating nozzle | Grease, sludge, fine roots, light scale | Cleaner wall and a longer clear time |
| Retrieval tool on a camera line | Dropped objects, broken pipe pieces | Needs a clear view to work |
| Vacuum truck | Debris and standing sewage in large amounts | Does not open a rooted joint alone |
Roots, wipes and grease: why mains clog
Tree roots find the thin gap at a pipe joint, enter as hair-fine growth and thicken until paper catches. A 4 inch line can go from slow to full in a single season once a root mass forms.
Wipes sold as flushable do not break down like paper, and they knot around roots and rough spots. Grease poured down the kitchen sink cools in the main and hardens. Camera footage tells which of the three is to blame, and that tells you what to change after the line is clear.
The city sewer and your private line
The city maintains gravity sewers, force mains, manholes and lift stations, and runs after-hours sewer backup help at (407) 571-8686, with Sewer Collection at (407) 571-8533 during business hours. The city pages we reviewed do not say who owns the lateral, the pipe from your house to the main. Ask the city before you pay for work outside your property line.
Flooding also matters. The Little Wekiva River reached record levels during Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 and overflowed again during Hurricane Milton on October 14, 2024. After a flood, check for slow drains and a smell at the cleanout, and call us if the main starts to fill.
Clearing a line needs no permit, but any repair that follows falls under the plumbing code, the Florida Building Code, Plumbing, an adaptation of the IPC. Ask Building and Fire Safety at (407) 571-8446 whether a permit applies.
Keeping the line clear after we leave
Simple habits reduce repeat calls. Keep wipes, paper towels and feminine products out of toilets. Pour cooled grease into a can and put it in the trash. Run water for a minute after the disposal so scraps move through the house line instead of settling in it.
If roots are the cause, a camera and a sewer inspection tell you how many joints are open. Cutting roots every year or two is a maintenance task. If the camera shows cracks, the next conversation is repair, not more cabling.
What sets the price of a main line cleaning
The price follows access, length and what is in the pipe. A cleanout makes the work easier, and a missing one makes it harder.
| Job | Typical ballpark |
|---|---|
| Main line cable cleaning | $250 to $600 |
| Main line cleaning with jet pass | $400 to $900 |
| Camera recording after clearing | $150 to $400 |
- Cleanout accessA cleanout near the house is quick. If there is none, we may need to pull a toilet or work from the roof vent.
- Length of lineThe run from the house to the connection at the street can be 40 to 120 feet or more.
- What blocks itRoots need a cutting head, and grease needs a jetter.
- CameraA recorded pass after clearing is a separate line on the quote.
- Hour of the callAfter-hours calls are charged at a higher rate.
These are typical ballparks that shift with the job. Our technician explains the options and states the cost up front before anything starts.
Where we stop and the city or 911 starts
We clear the pipe on your side of the property line. Sewage in the street or overflowing from a public manhole goes to the city first. Standing sewage near live outlets, a gas smell, or a flooded basement with unknown depth is a reason to call 911 or the utility before a plumber. We also serve nearby towns such as Maitland with the same backup service.
Sewer line cleaning questions answered
Yes. The line is open 24/7 and a sewage backup is treated as urgent. Call (407) 964-8940, tell us which drains are affected and whether the street is also running over, and we will advise you right away.
If the manhole in the street is overflowing or neighbors are backed up, call the city. If only your home is affected, the blockage is likely in your line. Ask the city's Sewer Collection office to confirm where the public side starts.
Many main lines clear in an hour or two once we reach the cleanout. Heavy roots, a collapsed section or a long run adds time.
Roots, grease, wipes and a sag or crack are the common causes. A camera pass finds which one and tells you whether cleaning every year or two is enough or whether repair is needed.
We advise against it. Chemicals sit in a pipe that is already full, and rarely cut roots or break up wipes. They also expose anyone working on the line afterward.
A small, contained backup in a tub or floor drain is usually manageable if you keep out of the wet area. Large amounts of sewage, a flooded floor or anyone with health concerns means you should leave and call us from outside.