When a sewer backup is an emergency
One slow sink is a nuisance. Sewage rising through a floor drain is another matter.
Treat it as urgent when the lowest drain in the building fills with dirty water, when two or more fixtures back up together, or when a toilet bubbles after you run the washer. Those patterns point past a single trap to the main line that carries everything out of the building.
Do this while you wait
- Stop using every sink, tub, shower, dishwasher and washing machine.
- Do not flush. Each flush sends more water toward the lowest opening.
- Move rugs, boxes and electronics off the floor near the drain that is rising.
- Keep kids and pets out of the wet area. Sewage water carries germs.
- Do not pour drain chemicals into a full line. They sit in the water and burn whoever works on it next.
If water is already touching outlets or a furnace, shut off power to that area at the panel only if you can reach the panel without stepping in the water. Otherwise wait outside and tell us when we call back.
How we tell a main-line stoppage from a branch clog
Callers usually describe a symptom, not a pipe. A toilet that gurgles when the tub drains, a floor drain that burps, or a whole bathroom group that drains slowly all say the same thing: the problem sits downstream of the branches.
Before cutting anything we run water at two or three fixtures and watch where it stalls. We also check the cleanout, the capped fitting that gives a cable direct access to the main. If your building has no cleanout, we say so, because that changes how the job is done and how long it takes.
A quick test you can do
Flush the toilet closest to the lowest floor, then look at the nearest floor drain or tub. If water rises or gurgles there, the blockage is on the shared line. If nothing else reacts, the clog is probably in that one toilet's own branch, and our toilet repair crew can handle it.
What a cleaning visit looks like
Quick look and price
We find the cleanout or the lowest access point, confirm the symptoms, and quote the job before we start.
Cable or jet the line
A cutting head on a power cable opens most blockages. For grease, scale or thick root hair, we step up to water pressure, which is covered on our hydro jetting page.
Flush and test
We run water until the line drains freely, then check the lowest fixtures one more time.
Tell you what came out
Roots, wipes, grease or pipe scale each mean something different. We tell you which one it was and whether it is likely to return.
If the cable keeps hitting the same spot or brings up pieces of clay or cast iron, cleaning has reached its limit. At that point a sewer camera inspection shows the pipe wall, and you decide on repair with real pictures in hand.
Why shared lines clog in buildings like these
North Chicago is mostly rented. Two of every three occupied homes are rentals, and nearly three in ten housing units live in buildings of five units or more. Those buildings often tie many kitchens and baths into one lateral, so one tenant's wipes or grease become everyone's backup.
The median home here was built in 1973, but about a third of the housing predates 1960. Pipes from those older decades are more likely to be clay or cast iron with rough joints, and joints are where roots find a way in. That is why a line that was cleared last spring can slow down again by fall.
Landlords and property managers can call us directly. We write down what we found and where, so the next cleaning has a record to work from.
Cable, jet or camera: picking the right tool
| Situation | Usual tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time stoppage, paper or soft debris | Power cable | Fast and enough for most clogs |
| Repeat backups every few months | Camera, then jetting | Finds the cause instead of repeating the symptom |
| Grease buildup from a kitchen line | Hydro jetting | Water scours the pipe wall, a cable only punches a hole |
| Roots at a joint | Cutting head, then camera | Roots regrow unless the opening is repaired |
| Cable stops at the same spot | Camera | Suggests a collapse, offset or belly |
We will not talk you into jetting when a cable will do. We also will not keep clearing a line that needs a repair. If you want the dig-and-replace side of the story, our sewer line repair page explains when that conversation starts.
Sewers, the district and the July 2017 storm
Who handles what in North Chicago
Per the city's resident guide, sewer service comes from NSWRD, the regional North Shore agency that serves 17 communities. The district describes its sanitary and storm lines as two networks, with no combined sewers anywhere in its area. Rain has no business in the sanitary line, so a backup that follows heavy weather is worth reporting.
The county's count after the July 11 and 12, 2017 storm came to ten problem areas in the city, 23 properties and three sewer backups. If your street backs up in heavy rain and your neighbors see it too, the cause may be the public main, not your pipe. Call City Hall at 847-596-8600 and tell us what you learned.
We clean the private line from your building to the connection. We do not repair the public main. If we find the blockage is beyond your property line, we say so and point you to the right office rather than charge you for a cleaning that cannot last.
What changes the price of a sewer cleaning
What moves the price
The price follows the work needed to reach and clear your line. We agree on the number before the cable goes in.
Backed up right now? Call and we will dispatch.
Call (847) 281-8626Sewer line cleaning questions we hear
Dispatch runs 24/7, holidays included. Night and weekend calls are booked the same day when available, and the dispatcher will tell you what to shut off and what to leave alone while the crew is on the way.
If sewage is rising and you can reach the main water shutoff, closing it can slow the flow from supply-fed fixtures. Do not stand in standing water to reach it.
No. Store-bought chemicals rarely move a main-line stoppage and leave caustic liquid sitting in the pipe. That is a hazard for anyone who has to open the line afterward.
Ask neighbors. If several homes on your block back up at the same time, the cause is often the public main. If only your building is affected, the stoppage is usually on your private line. Where the cable stops often settles it.
It depends on the cause. Paper and debris clearing is usually a one-time fix. Roots, grease and scale tend to return, and a camera inspection shows whether the pipe itself needs repair.
Yes. Tell us who has the key and which units sit on the affected stack. We record which fixtures cleared and which stayed slow, so you can tell a one-unit problem from a shared-line one.
We are set up for buildings connected to a sewer. If you believe yours is on a septic tank, tell the dispatcher when you call so we can confirm what we can do before sending a truck.
Sewer line backing up? Call now.
We answer around the clock and can usually get a technician to your door the same day. Stop the water, then call.
Call (847) 281-8626