Sewer Backup Service in Glenview, IL

Sewer backup in Glenview: your first ten minutes

When sewage is coming up a floor drain, tub or toilet, the first job is to stop adding to it. Every flush, shower and load of laundry sends more water toward a line that cannot carry it, and the only place it can go is back up the lowest drain.

1. Stop all water use in the house, including the washer, dishwasher and any sump that discharges into the sewer.
2. Keep people and pets away from the affected area.
3. Leave chemical drain openers on the shelf; they cannot reach a blockage in the lateral.
4. Leave the cleanout cap alone if the line is under pressure. Let the technician open it.
5. Call. Tell the person who answers which drains are affected and when it started.

That is all you need to do. Help is sent for the sewer backup in Glenview, today if a local tech has an opening, to get the line flowing again.

Why a floor drain backing up is the first sign

Every drain in the house feeds one sewer line. When that line is blocked or broken somewhere between the house and the main, water from upstairs has nowhere to go and rises at the lowest opening. In most Glenview homes with a basement, that is the floor drain.

So a floor drain backing up while you run the washer, or after someone showers upstairs, points to the main line rather than a single fixture. One slow sink is usually a branch drain. Several drains acting up together is the lateral.

Main line backup vs a broken or sagging lateral

A main line backup can come from a few different causes, and the fix depends on which one you have:

• A blockage in a sound pipe. Wipes, grease or a build-up of paper. Clearing usually solves it.
• Roots at the joints. Common in older clay laterals. Clearing restores flow, but roots tend to return.
• A sag or belly. Waste settles in the low spot and builds into a clog over time.
• An offset or broken section. A lip or gap that catches debris, or a section that has partly collapsed.

The symptoms look the same from inside the house. That is why clearing the line is only step one.

Clear it first, then film it to find out why

Once the technician arrives, the usual order is:

1. Find access. A cleanout is the easiest way in. If there is none, another opening is used.
2. Clear the line with a cable machine or a water jetter so it drains.
3. Run a camera through the cleared line to see what caused the backup.
4. Explain the findings and the options, with upfront pricing before any further work.

If the camera shows an older clay or Orangeburg line that is failing, read about clay sewer pipe replacement and the choices it involves. If there was no cleanout and the pro had to work through a toilet or vent, ask about sewer cleanout installation so the next visit is simpler.

Sewage backing up into house basements after storms

Many Glenview homeowners notice sewage backing up into house basements after heavy rain. In a big storm, a lot of water can reach the sewer system at once, and a lateral that is partly blocked, cracked or poorly sloped has less room to cope.

What a homeowner can control is the condition of their own line. Filming the line after a storm backup tells you if roots, a dip or a broken section played a part. Some homes also add a backwater valve, a one-way valve on the lateral that closes when flow tries to reverse; the pro can tell you whether your plumbing suits one and what installing it would involve.

If the camera shows the problem is beyond your property line, the technician can tell you that too, so you know when to contact your local sewer provider.

Backups in Glenview homes by age

Older houses in the downtown blocks and in Swainwood often have clay laterals with many joints under mature trees, so a backup there is frequently root-related. Our page on sewer line repair in Swainwood goes into those homes.

The 1940s and 1950s houses of Countryside share a lot of that story, sometimes with cast iron near the foundation that has scaled inside. That is covered on our page about sewer line repair in Countryside.

Newer homes on the west side and at The Glen tend to have plastic lines, where backups more often come from wipes, grease or a belly than from roots. And if you are buying a home in any part of Glenview, booking a sewer scope before buying a house puts the line on video while backing out is still possible.

Cleanup belongs to a restoration company

The pros on this line clear and repair the sewer pipe itself. Cleaning up after sewage on a basement floor, drying out finished spaces and dealing with damaged flooring or drywall is restoration work, and that is a separate trade.

If the backup has reached carpet, drywall or finished areas, a restoration company is the right call for the cleanup, and your insurance provider can tell you what your policy covers. The plumbing side, getting the line flowing and finding out why it backed up, is what we help with.