Main Sewer Line Clearing in Scarborough

Every drain in the house funnels into one pipe on its way to the street. When that pipe stops, nothing downstream of the problem can drain.

Camera footage shown before any digging

Roots and scale cut back to the pipe wall

Cleanouts opened, plugs replaced

Line flushed and re-checked on video

Signals of a blocked main

Water rising in the basement floor drain when a toilet upstairs is flushed
The lowest toilet or shower filling with grey water
Several fixtures, on different floors, slow at the same time
A sewage odour near the floor drain or laundry tub

Van sheet

On the job: Main Sewer Line Clearing in Scarborough

We open up	Front-wall cleanout or the floor drain trap
Tools in hand	Drum machine with 4-inch cutters, sewer camera, locating sonde
Parts on the van	Cleanout plugs, rubber couplings, test caps
Before we leave	Camera pass from cleanout to city connection

Why main lines fail in Scarborough

Many houses south of the 401 were connected to the city sewer with clay or cast iron laterals that are now sixty years old or more. Clay joints let in fine roots from the maples and silver birches planted along front lawns. Cast iron scales inside. Newer homes in the north end, around Malvern and Milliken, have PVC laterals, but they still collect wipes, paper towel and grease that should never have gone down the toilet.

Stop the water: Until the line is cleared, skip laundry, showers and the dishwasher. Every litre you send down is a litre that may come up in the basement.

How the line is cleared

We find the cleanout fitting, most often beside the floor drain on the street-facing basement wall.
The cap is opened carefully, since the line may be under pressure from water above it.
A heavy machine cable with a cutting head is run toward the street.
Once flow returns, the line is flushed and the cutting head is checked for roots or debris.
Where roots or pipe fragments appear, a camera inspection reveals the pipe under the lawn.

Factors in the price

An accessible cleanout makes the job straightforward. If the only access is through a toilet flange or a floor drain trap, more work is needed. Root-filled lines and very long laterals to a deep street main take extra time. You will hear what we expect before we begin.

Do not wait on this one

A main line backup is a sanitation problem, not just an inconvenience. Call as soon as you see it. If backups keep happening during storms, look at a backwater valve as the longer-term fix.

Things callers ask us

Which part of the sewer pipe do I own?

The part on private property is generally the owner's to maintain. The City of Toronto looks after the section under the road. A camera inspection helps show where a problem sits.

Where would my cleanout be?

Look for a round threaded cap on a pipe near the basement floor drain, often at the front wall. If you cannot find one, we can locate it during the visit.