How Often Should Sewer Lines Be Cleaned?

Sewer lines are just as important as water lines, yet they don’t get nearly the same attention. We understand why: sewer lines are… (keep reading)

Posted 8 years ago

Note to readers: This post was updated on July 18, 2026 to update warning signs, clarify our current cleaning methods, and add links to related service and pricing pages. We refreshed the details below so the advice reflects how we approach this work today.

Sewer lines don’t get nearly the attention water lines do — mostly because they’re buried and out of sight. That’s exactly what makes them risky: by the time a problem is obvious, it’s often already expensive. Here’s what every homeowner in the San Gabriel Valley should know about keeping a sewer line clear before it becomes a backup.

Warning Signs You Need Your Sewer Line Cleaned

Raw sewage backing up into a drain, toilet, or bathtub
Gurgling sounds coming from pipes
Water pooling around a floor drain
Water backing up into a shower or tub when the washing machine runs
Recurring clogs, or multiple drains clogging at once
Slow drains that never fully clear
Sewer odor inside the house

What Causes Clogged Sewer Lines

Grease

Pouring used cooking grease down the kitchen drain is one of the most common causes of sewer line clogs. Even with hot water chasing it, grease cools and hardens as it travels through the line, gradually narrowing the pipe until it blocks completely.

Bellied Pipes

When the soil under a pipe shifts or erodes, the pipe can sag — a condition called bellying. The low point collects waste and debris over time, slowly forming a blockage. A sewer camera inspection is the most reliable way to spot a bellied section before it fails completely.

Broken or Aging Pipes

Cast iron pipe corrodes from the inside over decades of water and oxygen exposure and typically needs replacement well before the 75-year mark. Clay pipe resists corrosion but is brittle and prone to breaking at its joints. Either way, age and material matter when predicting how much maintenance a line needs.

Tree Roots

In our experience, tree roots are the single most common cause of clogged sewer lines in this area. Roots find the smallest crack or joint gap, grow inward, and widen over time until they crack the pipe outright. Left untrimmed, root intrusion will eventually take a line out of service completely.

Why It’s Worth Staying Ahead of It

Many homeowners insurance policies don’t cover the section of sewer line running from the house to the municipal connection, since it’s technically outside the structure. That makes regular maintenance a homeowner’s responsibility — and a backed-up line can mean not just an inconvenient service call, but real flooding damage and cleanup costs inside the home.

How Sewer Lines Get Cleared

Cable / Auger (Rooter)

A sewer auger, or “rooter”, feeds a rotating cutting head down the line to break up roots and clear obstructions. It’s fast and effective for most routine clogs.

Hydro Jetting

Hydro jetting uses water at up to 4,000 psi to scour the entire diameter of the pipe, not just punch a hole through the clog. It’s the more thorough option for grease buildup and long-term maintenance.

Sewer Camera Inspection

A sewer line camera inspection lets a technician see the exact condition of the pipe — roots, bellies, cracks, or blockages — and pinpoint the depth and location from the surface, so any needed repair is targeted instead of guesswork.

How Often Should You Clean Your Sewer Line?

As a general rule, we recommend scheduling a sewer line cleaning once a year as preventative maintenance. Doing it on a schedule is far cheaper than waiting for a backup and calling for emergency service. A routine maintenance cleaning typically takes about half an hour; a severely clogged or damaged line can take considerably longer, especially if replacement is needed.