ResidentialSewer lines
Main Sewer Line Clearing and Root Cutting
When the basement floor drain bubbles up as the washing machine empties, the problem is rarely a single fixture. It is the main line that carries everything out to the street.
Contemporary bathroom featuring a glass shower and sleek fixtures in a minimalist design.
- Traps and cleanouts opened instead of forcing a cable through the fixture
- Cable heads and jetter nozzles matched to the pipe size
- Line run under load and proven clear before we pack up
- Camera look offered when the same line keeps blocking
- Licensing details confirmed when you call
- Residential
- Commercial
- Markham & York Region
How the job runs
- Water comes up through the basement floor drain when upstairs fixtures are used.
- Toilets on every level are slow at the same time.
- Sewage odour near the cleanout or the laundry tub.
- Gurgling in drains when nothing is running.
What's included on this job
What we open
The main cleanout in the basement floor or the front wall, often boxed in by drywall or buried beneath underlay.
What we bring
A 3/4-inch sectional cable machine with a root-cutting blade, then a camera to see what the blade missed.
What we replace
The cleanout cap and its gasket, which often crack after years in place.
How we prove it
Several toilets flushed at once and the floor drain watched for any rise.
Signs you need this
- Floor drain backing up when the washer drains
- Toilet gurgles when the tub empties
- Water in the lowest drain after heavy use
- Wet patches in the front lawn over the sewer line
Why main lines block in Markham
Two causes dominate. In established neighbourhoods such as Thornhill, Unionville and Markham Village, older laterals are made of clay tile or early plastics with joints that let roots in. Trees planted along boulevards decades ago now send fine roots into those joints, where they thicken and catch paper. In newer homes, the line is usually PVC and roots are less common, but wipes, grease and construction debris left from the original build cause trouble instead.
How we clear it
- First we find the main cleanout, a capped Y or T fitting that generally sits low on the street-side basement wall.
- We open it slowly, ready for the water that may be standing behind it.
- We run a heavy-duty cable with a cutting head out toward the city connection.
- We pull back what the head catches. Roots, wipes and grease each tell a different story.
- We flush the line with a large volume of water and watch the floor drain.
From the van: If roots come back on the cable, we suggest a camera inspection. It shows whether the pipe is cracked or simply has a root-prone joint.
Whose pipe is it?
In most Ontario municipalities, including Markham, your share of the lateral ends at the lot line and the city owns what lies beyond. When camera footage places the clog beyond your property line, the City of Markham has a process for reporting it. Check its current terms before you book any excavation.
What changes the cost
Access to the cleanout, the length of the run, how much root growth there is and whether the job needs a second pass all matter. A buried or missing cleanout may have to be found or added first.
Roots do not break into a sound pipe. They find the joint that was already open and fill it.
Call before it gets worse
Stop using water as soon as you see backup at the floor drain. Each flush upstairs adds to the mess downstairs.