Sewer Backups and Drain Cleaning in Wake Forest

First, stop adding water

When sewage comes up through a floor drain, tub or lowest toilet, every flush, shower and load of laundry upstream adds to the overflow. Stop using water in the house, keep children and pets away from the affected area, and avoid contact with the water. Photograph the damage before cleanup for insurance purposes.

Then decide who to call. The Town of Wake Forest's utilities contact page lists 919-996-2737 for sewer backups and other sewer issues, and Raleigh Water's main page tells customers with a sewer back-up, overflow or water leak to call its Customer Care and Billing line at 919-996-3245, twenty-four hours a day, and press 2 for instructions. If the utility's main is the problem, it is the utility's job.

Public main or private line

Raleigh Water's FAQ is explicit about responsibility: it is responsible for breaks in water and sewer mains in the street, while the property owner is responsible for breaks on private property. In practice, that means a blockage or break in the part of the sewer line on your lot is a job for a plumber, while a problem in the main under the street belongs to the utility.

Clues help. If only one fixture is slow, the blockage is probably in that fixture's drain. If every drain in the house backs up, the problem is likely in the main building drain or the lateral. If neighbors are reporting backups too, or you see sewage overflowing from a manhole, call Raleigh Water first, since that points to the public system.

Drain cleaning and who may do it

North Carolina's plumbing board licenses contractors for drain, waste and vent piping: P-I contractors in any building, P-II contractors in single-family detached dwellings only. It also lists a Restricted Limited Plumbing license that covers exterior building sewer piping, exterior water service piping two inches or less, exterior backflow preventers on two-inch or smaller piping, and water filtration systems.

Ask a provider what method they plan to use to clear the line and whether they will inspect it afterward. If the line is damaged rather than just clogged, repair or replacement is plumbing work that may need a permit under North Carolina law; see plumbing permits in Wake Forest and how to check a license.

If a line must be dug up

Replacing a sewer lateral usually means excavation in the yard. North Carolina's one-call center, NC 811, handles locate requests before digging, and the Town of Wake Forest's utilities contact list gives 811 as the number for marking utility lines. Gas, electric and communications lines often share the yard with the sewer lateral.

Ask who will place the locate request and wait for marks before any digging starts. Ask too whether the work stays on private property or touches the connection to the public main, which may involve Raleigh Water. For general emergency steps, see what to do in a plumbing emergency.

Bills and adjustments after a backup

A sewer backup does not usually change the water bill by itself, but a related water leak can. Raleigh Water's billing FAQ says leak adjustments may be granted under certain conditions, only after the leak is repaired, generally with a plumber's receipt or other proof of repair, and covering no more than two consecutive months. Adjustments are denied when a leak continues for three or more months.

Keep every invoice. If the problem involved a leaking supply line as well as a drain, our high water bill guide explains how to read the bill and request an adjustment, and our calculator shows what the extra water cost at published rates.