4 services · Boston
Drains & sewer in Boston, MA
A single slow sink is usually a local clog a plumber can clear in one visit. Several drains backing up at once, gurgling toilets or water at a basement floor drain point to the main sewer line, which may need cleaning, a camera inspection and sometimes repair.
- Licensed local plumbers
- The problem explained before work starts
- Price agreed before the job begins
Drains & sewer services in Boston
Drain cleaning in Boston
UrgentIf one fixture is slow, the clog is usually in that fixture's branch line. If several drains back up at once, or the basement floor drain fills when you run the washer, the main sewer line is blocked and needs a larger cable or a jetter.
Hydro jetting
Hydro jetting cleans the full width of a drain pipe with high-pressure water, washing out grease, scale and fine roots that a cable only punches a hole through. It works best on sound pipe and is usually done after a camera inspection confirms the pipe can take it.
Sewer camera inspection
A sewer camera inspection runs a waterproof camera through the line from your house to the city main and records what it finds: roots, cracks, sags, offset joints or collapsed pipe. It's the best way to decide between cleaning, spot repair and replacement.
Sewer line repair
UrgentA damaged sewer line can be fixed with a spot repair, a trenchless liner, pipe bursting or an open-trench replacement. Which one fits depends on what the camera shows, how deep the pipe is, and what's on top of it, such as a driveway, trees or landscaping.
Local conditions
Drains & sewer in Boston: what's different
Cast-iron stacks in Boston triple-deckers and brownstones run the full height of the building and crack and leak with age. Because the plumbing is stacked, a clog or a split stack upstairs often shows up as a leak or backup in the unit below.
Older homes in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale also have aging laterals out to BWSC sewers. A camera inspection shows whether the problem is a clog, roots or a broken pipe, and Massachusetts requires licensed plumbers for the repair.
- Water and sewer in Boston
- The Boston Water and Sewer Commission provides water and sewer service.
- Permits in Boston
- Plumbing permits are issued by Boston's Inspectional Services Department (ISD), and work must be done by Massachusetts-licensed plumbers.
Boston housing and plumbing
Triple-deckers, brownstones and row houses, many over a century old, typically have basements, cast-iron drains and older service lines.
Other Boston conditions that affect plumbing
- Frozen pipes: Nor'easters and cold snaps freeze pipes in exterior walls and porches.
- Old drains and stacks: Cast-iron stacks in triple-deckers crack and leak with age.
- Lead service lines: BWSC runs a lead service replacement program for older homes.
- Old water mains: Boston's water system is one of the oldest in the country, and older homes may connect through aging service lines.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes
Plumbers on Thawline cover Boston and Suffolk County, including Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, South Boston, Roslindale, Charlestown, West Roxbury. ZIP codes: 02108 · 02109 · 02110 · 02111 · 02112 · 02113.
When to call a plumber in Boston
- Water backing up in the tub or shower when a toilet flushes
- Several fixtures draining slowly at the same time
- Water or sewage at a basement floor drain
- Gurgling from drains or toilets
- Sewer smell inside or a soggy patch in the yard
- The same clog returning within weeks of being cleared
How these problems start and how to choose between repair options is covered in the drains & sewer guide.
Drains & sewer questions in Boston
Why does my Boston triple-decker drain back up on the first floor?
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use?
More plumbing in Boston
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