Sewer Cleanout Service in Winston-Salem, NC

What a sewer cleanout is

A sewer cleanout is a capped pipe fitting that opens into the drain line so it can be cleared or inspected without pulling a toilet or working through a sink trap. Outdoors it usually looks like a 3- or 4-inch white PVC or black ABS pipe, or an older cast-iron fitting, with a threaded or push-on cap at or just above ground level. A two-way cleanout has two openings, one pointed toward the house and one toward the street, so the line can be rodded in either direction.

The North Carolina Plumbing Code (2018 edition) calls for a cleanout at the junction of the building drain and the building sewer, outside the building wall and brought up to finished grade; an approved two-way cleanout can serve both lines at that point. It also calls for cleanouts on building sewers at intervals of not more than 100 feet (North Carolina State Building Code: Plumbing Code, 2018 edition (NC Office of State Fire Marshal)). Older homes were often built before these rules or have had their cleanout buried by landscaping, so many Winston-Salem houses either lack one or nobody knows where it is.

The courtesy cleanout and who clears what

On Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities sewer, there may also be a courtesy cleanout at the edge of the public right-of-way, near the street or sidewalk. When sewage backs up, the utility's policy is to check that cleanout first: if water is standing in it, the blockage is on the public side and utility staff clear it. If the courtesy cleanout is dry, or there is none, the blockage is on the private side and the homeowner hires a plumber, who is asked to clear the line all the way to the main and camera-inspect it (WSFC Utilities, Sewer Backup Policy & Responsibilities). Call City Link at 311 or 336-727-8000 before you hire anyone, and before cleanup, because a first-time backup caused by the main may qualify under the Good Neighbor Policy (WSFC Utilities Good Neighbor Policy).

How to find your cleanout

1. Walk the foundation on the side facing the street, especially below a bathroom or where the main stack comes down. Look for a capped pipe a few inches out of the ground, sometimes hidden in shrubs, mulch or pine straw.
2. Check the crawlspace or basement. In many older Ardmore, West End and Buena Vista homes, the accessible cleanout is a fitting on the main drain under the house, near where it leaves the foundation.
3. Look near the street for the courtesy cleanout at the edge of the right-of-way, sometimes in a small box or flush with the grass.
4. Check paperwork. Inspection reports, survey plats and permit drawings for newer homes sometimes show it. On plastic sewer pipe, the code calls for a tracer wire that is reachable at, or ends at, the cleanout between the building drain and sewer (North Carolina State Building Code: Plumbing Code, 2018 edition (NC Office of State Fire Marshal)), which helps a plumber's locator find it.
5. Still nothing? A plumber can run a camera with a locating transmitter from inside the house and mark the line and its depth from the surface.

When the cleanout is needed

• Several drains backing up at once, or water coming up in a tub or floor drain when a toilet flushes or the washer drains. That points to the main line, which is cleared through the cleanout.
• Sewage or water coming out of the cleanout itself. The line is blocked downstream of it. Stop using water in the house and call City Link if you are on city sewer.
• Repeat clogs or roots. The cleanout is where the camera goes in. See sewer line repair for what the video can show.
• A broken, missing or stuck cap. An open or cracked cleanout lets in rainwater, soil, debris and odors. Replacement caps are standard parts, but a cast-iron plug rusted in place should be removed carefully so the fitting is not cracked.

Do not open a cleanout cap when you suspect the line is full: pressure can push sewage out as soon as it loosens. Open it slowly, standing to the side, or leave it to a plumber.

Adding or replacing a cleanout

If your home has no accessible outdoor cleanout, adding a two-way cleanout near the foundation is one of the most useful upgrades you can make. It turns future main-line clogs into a quicker job, gives the camera a direct path, and helps the utility's backup response. The work means digging down to the lateral, cutting in a two-way fitting and bringing it up to grade with a cap. Call NC811 before digging, and expect the plumber to handle any permit the local inspections office requires. It is often done at the same time as main-line drain cleaning or a sewer line repair.

Homes on septic

Many homes in Pfafftown, Tobaccoville, parts of Bethania and much of Davie County are on septic systems. They still have a building drain and usually a cleanout between the house and the tank; the cleanout is how a clog in that pipe is cleared. Tank pumping and drain-field work are separate specialties.

Sources: North Carolina State Building Code: Plumbing Code, 2018 edition (NC Office of State Fire Marshal); WSFC Utilities, Sewer Backup Policy & Responsibilities; WSFC Utilities Good Neighbor Policy.