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Clogged Sewer or Drain…Who’s Really to Blame?

One winter, on a Saturday night, it was my turn to cover the phones.  A customer called at about 10:00 p.m. and said “everything was backed up” in his house.  No matter how many times he tried to fix the problem, he couldn’t stop the downstairs shower drain from overflowing, and he needed help.

When I got there, the customer showed me around the house and the backed up drains, and I asked the normal questions: “How long have you lived here?”…“Are you on Septic or City Sewer?”…“Has this happened before?”…“When was the last time this happened?” I learned that it happened often; at least once a year, and usually in the fall or winter.  Finally, the customer showed me the clean-out in the garage and said “This is where they usually run their “snake” from”.

Since this was our first time at this customer’s house, I told him I’d be a minute and that I wanted to look around a little more.  This just frustrated him because he was anxious to get things draining in their home, and everyone was after him to get it done.  I insisted, and looked around some more, walking around the house, and out front into the street where the lay of the land obviously showed the sewer line drained to.  I grabbed my pry bar and went to the first sewer man-hole downstream from the front of their house and popped the lid.  Sure enough, the city main was backed up almost to the top of the man-hole and nothing was moving.  About that time, a neighbor came out to see what was up saying they were backed up too.

I called 911 right away, got connected to the city’s Public Utility Emergency Line, and had a crew out there within the hour.  Since they said they would be quick, I hung around to make sure my customer’s sewer line drained properly once the main got clear. It was a good thing because a couple of his ‘side drains’ were still clogged after the main drained out, due to solids getting backed up into them. So I cabled and tested them all.

After getting paid by my customer I advised him to pass this bill on to the city, because it was their responsibility, and I made that clear on the invoice.  My customer was very pleased, and had us give them a price on installing a back-water valve which would protect his home in the future should the city sewer back up again.  (A sewer line back-water valve is what we call a big ‘check-valve’ that will help protect the home from city main back-ups).

Clogged Sewer or Drain…Who’s Really to Blame? | Day and Nite Plumbing and Heating Inc

My customer also asked “How come the other guys who cleared my drain didn’t check the city main?”, and of course I didn’t have an answer.  I told him I had no way of knowing that any past problems were connected to the city backing up.  But I did tell him, “Any licensed plumber who cleared a mainline drain on a home like his should normally look at the whole picture, including the Sewer Main in the street.  We strongly recommend calling in a company like ours, who uses licensed plumbers for these kinds of jobs so you have the best chance of getting the most for your money”.

Several times a year, when we help a customer with a clogged sewer or an underground water leak, we find that the responsibility of the problem lies with the city, county, or neighbor, and not with our customer.  Bottom line… hire a licensed professional who has the training and expertise to look at the whole picture, and ask all the right questions…because it always pays to check….because it’s still usually true; you get what you pay for…because when you don’t know, what you don’t know; it’s best to let the professionals worry about it.

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Bruce Davis, Sr. 

Licensed Journeyman Plumber

Licensed Electrician, HVAC/R

Electrical Administrator, HVAC/R

Certified WA State C.E.U. Instructor

Bruce Sr is President of Day and Nite Plumbing and Heating, a 70-year-old family owned and operated plumbing and heating business in Lynnwood, Washington.  Bruce can be contacted at:  Email: Bruce@dayandnite.net 

Day and Nite Plumbing and Heating Inc. 16614 13th Ave. W. Lynnwood, WA 98037  800-972-7000.

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S. Lippold

Outstanding Service! Scheduler was pleasant and receptive. Technician (Collin) communicated well, arrived in the agreed upon time frame, diagnosed the problem and fixed the issue quickly. Previously, we had two other companies misdiagnose the problem and one company stand us up for a scheduled appointment. If we have plumbing issues in the future, Day & Night Plumbing will be our first call !

E. Rubio

I had the privilege to meet Zach on two separate occasions within a two week span. He was upfront and honest about the work that needed to be done. He is a hard-working, dedicated, professional employee of Day and Nite Plumbing. He explained what needed to be done. I asked questions and he was patient and explained things further so that I truly understood.

D. Thomas

We had a great experience with Day and Nite from start to finish. Chris was great at the no obligation consult. He explained things clearly and covered everything but didn’t waste our time. They also provided lots of options and thoroughly explained them but never tried to push or up-sell us. Installation was fast and very professional. We will definitely be using Day and Nite in the future.

M. Lindell

Collin was our tech and he was very knowledgeable answered our questions and what they charged was very reasonable and we are very happy to have water again. I was really impressed by everyone that we dealt with they all were professional and helpful.

D. Campbell

Very pleased with the professional technician, Donavan, who came out when our water heater quit working. This was the third major problem with this water heater, so we took his advice and replaced it. Thankfully, he was able to also install the new one right away. I had confidence in his advice and ability to do the job. He was thorough and friendly. It was a five star experience. I highly recommend.

D. Lee

The technician was great: he knew exactly what the problem was and fixed it quickly and efficiently. Even when a glitch happened in the repair, he was totally prepared to handle the situation. I will definitely contact Day & Nite Plumbing for future problems. Thank you!

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