Sewer backup: what to do first
A backup gets worse with every flush and every load of laundry. These four steps limit the damage until the plumber is there.
1Stop all water use
No flushing, no washer, no dishwasher, no showers. Everything you send down the line has nowhere to go but the lowest opening in the house.
2Protect the lowest level
Lift rugs, boxes and electronics off the basement floor. Stay out of standing water near outlets, the furnace or the panel, and treat it as contaminated.
3Ask about the neighbors
If the next house is backing up too, the blockage may sit in the district's main and not in your line. Mention that on the call.
4Say what you see
Tell the dispatcher which fixtures are involved, whether the lowest drain is the one rising, and whether you know where the cleanout is.
Dispatch at (801) 207-7520 is open overnight and on weekends, and a licensed plumber is booked for the same day when a slot is available. No arrival time is promised, since it depends on how many calls are ahead of yours.
Whose line is blocked? A quick way to tell before you call
North Davis Sewer District owns the large collection mains under the street. Under its ordinances, the building sewer from your house, including the connection to the main, belongs to the property owner, who pays for its upkeep and repair. That split decides who clears a given blockage.
One house backing up usually means your own line. Several homes at once points to the main. The district lists a daytime line at (801) 825-0712 and after-hours numbers on its website, and Clearfield Public Works is the fallback if the district cannot be reached. The district also serves Clinton and Layton, so the same ownership split applies there.
Why main lines clog in Clearfield homes
The Census Bureau counts 12,042 housing units in Clearfield with a median build year of 1989, and about 4,732 were built before 1980. A house that old has a sewer lateral that has carried wastewater for decades, and the pipe material varies from one street to the next. That is why a plumber runs a camera when a main clogs more than once.
The district's own list of things that never belong in a drain reads like a clog report: fats, oils and grease, baby wipes, and wipes labeled flushable. Grease coats the pipe and wipes snag on it. After one winter of holiday cooking, a line that was fine in October can be half closed by January.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 housing tables and the North Davis Sewer District What Not to Flush page.
How a main line gets cleared
The plumber finds the access point, learns what is blocking the line, and picks the tool that clears it without harming the pipe. Two kinds of calls come in, and they run a little differently.
Finding the cleanout
Most houses have a capped cleanout near the foundation, in the basement or crawlspace, or in the yard. When none exists, the plumber may pull a toilet to get at the line. Knowing where yours is before the call saves time.
Sewer drain cleaning for a single branch
A branch that serves one bathroom or the laundry can often be cleared with a cable at the nearest access point. The blockage is closer, the cable is shorter, and the rest of the house usually keeps working while it is done.
Main sewer cleaning, start to finish
For the main, the plumber feeds a larger cable with a cutting head from the cleanout toward the street, retrieves what it catches, and runs water to test the flow. If grease or roots coat the wall, hydro jetting is the next step, and a camera run confirms the result.
Symptoms and where they usually point
What you see and hear in the house gives a strong hint about where the blockage sits.
| What you notice | Likely location | First move | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet bubbles when the washer drains | Main or building sewer | Stop water use | Your plumber |
| Lowest floor drain rises | Main line, often near the street | Open cleanout, cable the line | Your plumber |
| One bathroom drains slowly | That branch only | Cable the branch | Your plumber |
| Neighbors report backups too | District main | Call the district | The district |
| Backup returns within weeks | Roots, grease or a damaged section | Camera the line | Your plumber |
These are starting points. A cable and a camera confirm what is really in the pipe.
Sewer backing up tonight? Call (801) 207-7520. The line is open 24/7, and same-day appointments are booked when available.
Call (801) 207-7520Backwater valves and the district's rule
A backwater valve sits in the building sewer and closes to stop flow from coming back into the house when the main is overloaded. The district's ordinance says a valve is required where its manager decides one is needed, and that the property owner installs and maintains it at the owner's expense.
Whether your home needs one is the district's call, not ours. What a plumber can do is show whether one is already in your line, check that it moves freely, and clean the housing so a clog does not hold it open. Ask when you call, especially if the lowest drain in the house is below the street.
What shapes the cost of clearing a sewer line
A sewer job is priced by what the line needs, and you hear the price before work starts. These factors drive it.
- Where the blockage is
- A clog in a single branch is a smaller job than a main blocked near the street, and a blockage in the district's main is not your cost at all.
- What is in the pipe
- Paper and soft waste clear quickly. Roots, grease buildup and wipe ropes take more passes or a jet.
- Access to the line
- A working cleanout speeds things up. A missing or buried one means pulling a toilet or digging it out.
- The tool required
- A cable at a cleanout and a full jetting job differ in setup and time, and the plumber starts with what the clog calls for.
- Camera follow-up
- If the line has clogged before, looking at it is part of the answer, and any repair found is quoted separately.
Many standard homeowner policies exclude sewer or drain backup unless an endorsement was added, and a cleaning visit is maintenance either way. If a backup damaged finished space, check whether your policy has that coverage before you rule it out.
Call (801) 207-7520 and describe what the drains are doing, and the plumber will explain the options and the price before any work begins.
When cleaning is only the first step
Cleaning clears the pipe but cannot repair it. If a camera shows a belly that holds water, a joint pulled apart, or roots growing through the wall, the line will clog again no matter how well it was cleared. The right next move is sewer line repair, and a closer look is covered under sewer camera inspection.
We do not treat septic systems. A camera cannot see inside a wall cavity by itself either, so a stain above a bathroom may need a different test. Permit rules vary, so ask the Clearfield City building department before any line is replaced.
Sewer line cleaning questions from Clearfield homeowners
Do you handle sewer line cleaning emergencies at night or on weekends in Clearfield?
Yes. The dispatch line at (801) 207-7520 is open 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays. A licensed plumber is booked for the same day when a slot is available. We do not promise an arrival time. Stop using water, keep out of standing sewage, and move valuables off the floor.
How do I know whether the sewer district or I should fix the backup?
The district owns the large mains in the street. The building sewer from your house, including the connection to the main, belongs to the owner. If only your home is backing up, the problem is probably in your line. If neighbors are affected too, call the district. A plumber's camera can confirm which side.
Why does my toilet gurgle when the washing machine drains?
The gurgle is air pushed ahead of water that is meeting a restriction in the main line. It is an early warning that the line is partly blocked. Stop heavy water use and call before the lowest fixture in the house starts to rise.
How often should a sewer line be cleaned?
There is no fixed schedule that fits every house. A line with no history of problems does not need routine cleaning. A line that has backed up before, has large trees nearby, or carries a lot of grease may benefit from a planned visit, and the plumber can advise after seeing a camera view.
Can wipes labeled flushable really cause a backup?
Yes. North Davis Sewer District lists both baby wipes and wipes labeled flushable as items never to flush, because they do not break apart like paper. They collect on grease and roots and form a rope that blocks the line. Throw them in the trash.
Does cleaning the line fix a cracked sewer pipe?
No. Cleaning removes the blockage but cannot close a crack or pull a joint back together. If the camera shows damage, the plumber will describe the repair choices and the price before work starts. Until then, a cleared line can run normally for a while and then clog again at the same spot.