4 services · Denver
Drains & sewer in Denver, CO
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 Denver
Drain cleaning in Denver
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 in Denver
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 in Denver
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 Denver: what's different
Denver's drain and sewer calls follow the age of the neighborhood. Bungalows and foursquares in Capitol Hill, Baker and Highland often still have clay sewer laterals, and the silver maples, elms and cottonwoods along those streets put roots into every joint. Post-war ranches in Harvey Park have cast-iron drains that are now 70 years old.
Denver homeowners own the sewer service line from the house to the main, and work in the street needs a right-of-way permit on top of the plumbing permit from Community Planning and Development. That is why a camera inspection comes before any dig: it shows whether the fix is cleaning, a spot repair or a new lateral.
- Water and sewer in Denver
- Denver Water supplies drinking water. Wastewater is collected by the city and treated by Metro Water Recovery. Homeowners own the sewer service line from the house to the main in the street.
- Permits in Denver
- Plumbing permits and inspections are handled by Denver Community Planning and Development. Sewer work in the street also needs a right-of-way permit from the city.
Denver housing and plumbing
Bungalows and foursquares from the 1900s–1930s often have clay sewer lines and partial galvanized supply lines, sometimes spliced to copper during earlier remodels. Post-war ranches from the 1950s typically have cast-iron drains and copper or galvanized supply. Many have finished basements added decades later, which hide pipes that run along cold foundation walls.
Other Denver conditions that affect plumbing
- Roots in clay sewer laterals: Mature silver maples, elms and cottonwoods line many older Denver streets, and their roots find every joint in clay sewer pipe. Recurring main line clogs in a pre-1960 home are usually roots.
- Galvanized supply pipe: Low pressure and rusty water in older homes usually trace back to galvanized steel pipe corroding from the inside. Partial repipes are common where only some runs were replaced.
- Lead service line replacement: Denver Water runs a lead service line replacement program for homes with lead pipes from the main. If you get a notice, the utility's program can cover replacement of the service line.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes
Plumbers on Thawline cover Denver and Denver County, including Capitol Hill, Highland, Washington Park, Park Hill, Baker, Berkeley, Harvey Park, Montclair, Central Park, Green Valley Ranch. ZIP codes: 80202 · 80203 · 80204 · 80205 · 80206 · 80207 · 80209 · 80210 · 80211 · 80212 · 80216 · 80218 · 80219 · 80220 · 80222 · 80223 · 80224 · 80230 · 80231 · 80236 · 80237 · 80238 · 80239 · 80246 · 80247 · 80249.
When to call a plumber in Denver
- 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 Denver
Is a recurring main-line clog in an older Denver home usually roots?
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use?
More plumbing in Denver
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