Main sewer line blockages are some of the nastiest problems you can face as a homeowner. If you catch one early enough, you might be lucky and only have to deal with a minor inconvenience. On the other hand, waiting too long to clean your drains can cause sewage to back up into your home, creating a disgusting mess that can be costly to clean and repair. Unfortunately, clearing a stoppage in the main sewer line is often more complex and time-consuming than removing an obstruction from a sink or toilet trap. In many cases, the best way to address this process is to use one of your home's sewer cleanout pipes. These plumbing features are critical for quickly and efficiently dealing with sewer problems

What Is a Cleanout?

A cleanout is an access point somewhere along your sewer pipe. Outdoor cleanouts typically consist of a riser with a cap to prevent debris and water from entering the sewer line. You may also have one or more cleanouts in your crawl space or basement. These cleanouts typically run horizontally and provide access to the sewer line closer to your home's interior. While these simple plumbing components may not seem particularly crucial, they quickly take center stage when your sewer drain has a severe issue. Since sewer lines can run for hundreds of feet before reaching the municipal sewer main, cleanouts provide access points for drain snakes, water jets, and other drain clearing and inspection equipment.

What If You Don't Have a Cleanout?

If your home doesn't have a cleanout along the sewer line, your plumber may have a far more challenging time dealing with drain clogs. Since the access points will be plumbing fixtures inside your home, they will need to use longer equipment that may provide less leverage for clearing a blockage. In some cases, drain cleaners may even need to cut into pipes in your basement or crawl space to attempt to reach a clog. While this can make a simple drain clearing job more costly, the good news is that it's relatively easy to add a cleanout to the cut section of piping. Your plumber can then use this cleanout if they need to return for future drain cleaning jobs.

Ultimately, your sewer cleanout pipes are essential to your home's plumbing system. Without these features, finding and removing clogs can be far more challenging, time-consuming, and costly. If you don't know the location of your home's cleanouts, now is an excellent time to find them so you can help your plumber the next time your sewer line stops up.

For more information, contact a plumbing service near you, such as LeadingEdge Plumbing & Rooter, Inc.