How To Find Your Sewer Line Cleanout Location

Is your toilet draining slowly? Do you smell suspicious odors around your home?

When it comes to drain problems, a sewer cleanout provides an entry point to your sewer line for repair and maintenance.

Knowing where your cleanout is placed in your house can help plumbers apply quick fixes to your plumbing.

Find out everything you need to know about sewer cleanouts in this article.

What Is a Sewer Line Cleanout?

A sewer line cleanout is a direct access point to a home's plumbing system and the main sewer line inside or outside your house.

It's usually white or black, around 3 to 6 inches in diameter, and has a removable cap.

The main sewage line runs under your property and is attached to the municipal sewer system.

The purpose of a sewer cleanout is to give plumbing professionals an accessible point where they can reach clogs and backups WITHOUT having to dig up pipes.

Only plumbing professionals should use this access point, but knowing where it is located in your home can help during emergencies.

Plumbing services also charge less when the plumbers don't need to locate the drain cleanout themselves.

How Can I Find My Sewer Cleanout?

When your main sewer line clogs, it leads to raw sewage backup that can damage your house. A clogged sewer line means you can't use any drains until the clog is cleaned out.

In these cases, you would want to know WHERE your drain cleanout is located for the plumber to work on.

The Main Cleanout

The best way to clear a blockage is through the main cleanouts. A plumber will use a drain snake to unclog the drains.

The main sewer cleanout can be located in different areas depending on the local climate:

• Colder climates - Houses would have drain cleanouts located inside the house. Homes built on a slab foundation in colder climates can have an indoor or outdoor drain cleanout.
• Warmer climates - Houses in warm climates typically have an outdoor drain cleanout located in the YARD.

A drain line indoors would be connected to the main sewer line. Look for a T or Y-shaped pipe fitting with a threaded plug. The pipe may have a plastic cap covering the square nut.

If your home has a slab foundation, it's worth checking both indoors and outdoors. Check your utility rooms, garages, bathrooms, and yard.

The Bathroom or Utility Area

Houses with a slab foundation may have drain cleanouts in the bathroom or utility room.

If it's in the bathroom, look for a capped black or white pipe near the toilet. It would be near a couple of drain lines like a full bathroom.

You can follow the drainage pipes attached to the bathroom to the main sewer line.

Otherwise, it would be near a floor drain if it's located in a utility room.

Drain cleanouts installed indoors may have the thread plug mounted to the floor near the toilet. Look for a drain line with a square nut in the center.

You can open it using a pipe wrench. If not opened for a long period, it would be nearly impossible to unscrew.

Basement

The drain cleanout in most houses in cold climates is built on the basement floor. You can often find it near the foundation wall.

Follow the shortest direct line of vertical soil stack to the foundation wall. The main sewage line will most likely be placed along this line.

If not, you can look for a Y-shaped pipe fitting below the main line soil stack where it connects to the concrete.

Outdoors

If you can't find your sewer line cleanout indoors, you can look outside your yard.

Look for a large-diameter pipe with a threaded plug. It may be extended above the ground or may be hidden inside a metal ground box.

The drain cleanout may also be obscured by lawn decorations if you have any.

If you're connected to the city sewer line, you can look for the nearest manhole and go backward to your house.

The main drain cleanout is usually located between the septic tank and your home.

How Do I Open a Sewer Cleanout?

Now that you've found the drain cleanout, you would need to know how to access it for a sewer line cleaning.

A PVC cleanout has a threaded plug with a molded nut or a plastic cap on top. With a pipe wrench, grip the nut and turn it counterclockwise to remove it.

You can also use a spray lubricant if you're struggling to pull off the plastic cap or nut.

We recommend calling a PROFESSIONAL plumber for major sewer line repairs and drain cleaning.

Why Should I Keep My Sewer Cleanouts Clean?

A sewer line cleanout is an ESSENTIAL part of your plumbing system.

Homeowners should know where the drain cleanout is to know how they can repair and maintain it.

Keeping your sewer clean ensures that the toilets flush properly, sink and shower drains run thoroughly, and no hazardous sewage seeps into your home.

Sewer gasses not only smell terrible, but methane, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide are dangerous to your and your family's health.

Where Is the Sewer Line Cleanout Used For?

Plumbers use sewer lines for two main purposes: to clean a main sewer line clog and to perform a sewer camera inspection.

Hydro-jetting

An effective method to clean sewer lines is hydro-jetting.

Hydro-jetting is a non-invasive plumbing solution that uses high-pressure water jets to remove clogs and debris.

A hydro jet is made up of a pressure pump and a self-propelled nozzle with a water pressure of up to 60,000 PSI to clear sewer pipes.

The hose is connected to a water tank and a machine that can create pressure.

A plumber will first inspect the condition of your pipes through a video inspection. That's because older homes may have weak pipes that can't handle intense pressure.

Once access points have been identified, the hoses will be dropped into the pipe. The hydro jetting machine will be activated to dislodge the blockage.

Sewer Camera Inspection

A CCTV sewer inspection helps identify sewage problems, like blockage and pipe breaks in a sewer line or septic tank.

It's a minimally invasive process that doesn't require excavating floors or tearing down walls.

A special camera is attached to a flexible cable that is inserted into the drain cleanout or the vent stack and into the drainage pipes.

A camera inspection is used to prevent sewer issues and spot weak points or blockages like grease in drainage pipes.

Knowing possible problems in your drain cleanout can help you repair it before it can get damaged further.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sewer cleanouts are certainly very helpful in cleaning and maintaining your home's plumbing.

To understand them more, below are commonly asked questions about them:

Do I Need to Have a Sewer Line Cleanout Installed?

A sewer line cleanout can help prevent frequent sewage problems.

It also gives plumbers convenient access points if you have drain problems without having to employ invasive methods.

With this fixture, it's easier to fix clogged pipes and even REDUCE the cost of sewer repair.

How Much Does Installing a Sewer Line Cleanout Cost?

The cost of a cleanout installation largely depends on the complexity of the job and the accessibility to the main line.

You can expect a simple installation to cost under $1,000.

If the installation requires large-scale excavation and retrofitting, it can cost upwards of $2,000 for the job.

What if I Don’t Have a Sewer Line Cleanout?

Most older homes do not have a sewer cleanout in their yard. In these cases, the septic system can only be accessed through the vent pipe on the roof.

Homes without a cleanout most likely have cast iron plumbing.

In most homes, sewer cleanouts are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, there are still some homes built before the 1970s with cast iron pipes.

There are also brass and copper drainage lines, but these pipes tend to be rarer.

We recommend replacing the entire system instead of putting a cleanout ON the cast iron pipe.

If the main drain clog isn't severe or you don't have a septic tank, you can try some simple steps:

• Use a plumbing snake
• Try a wet and dry vacuum
• Clean drain lines using a vinegar and baking soda solution
• Look for invasive tree roots

Conclusion

Keeping plumbing systems in good condition is important for a functional home.

A cleanout allows professionals to repair your sewer line more efficiently without the need for excavation.

If you have a drain issue, consider contacting a contractor to restore your plumbing system.