4 services · New Orleans
Drains & sewer in New Orleans, LA
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 New Orleans
Drain cleaning in New Orleans
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 in New Orleans
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 New Orleans: what's different
New Orleans sits below or near sea level in many areas, and settling soil cracks and separates buried sewer lines. Heavy rain floods streets quickly, and the city's drainage pumps and canals can be overwhelmed, backing up drains.
Raised shotgun houses and Creole cottages in Uptown, Bywater and the Marigny have plumbing under the house, while many homes were rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina with new plumbing connected to older lines. The Sewerage and Water Board maintains the public system, and permits come from the Department of Safety and Permits.
- Water and sewer in New Orleans
- The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans provides water, sewer and drainage service.
- Permits in New Orleans
- Plumbing permits are issued by the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits.
New Orleans housing and plumbing
Raised shotgun houses and Creole cottages in Uptown, Bywater and the Marigny have plumbing under the house; newer homes are on slabs.
Other New Orleans conditions that affect plumbing
- Subsidence: Settling soil cracks and separates buried water and sewer lines.
- Hurricanes and flooding: Storms flood streets and back up drains.
- Raised-home plumbing: Pipes under raised homes are exposed during rare hard freezes.
- Pump-dependent drainage: New Orleans relies on a network of drainage pumps and canals, and heavy rain can still flood streets and back up drains quickly.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes
Plumbers on Thawline cover New Orleans and Orleans Parish, including Uptown, Mid-City, Bywater, Marigny, Lakeview, Gentilly. ZIP codes: 70112 · 70113 · 70114 · 70115 · 70116 · 70117.
When to call a plumber in New Orleans
- 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 New Orleans
Why do New Orleans sewer lines break?
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use?
More plumbing in New Orleans
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