The first ten minutes

These steps limit damage and keep everyone safe while you arrange help.

  1. Stop all water use.Tell everyone in the house: no flushing, showers, laundry or dishwasher. Turn off any appliance that is mid-cycle. Water you run has nowhere to go but up through the lowest drain.
  2. Keep people and pets away.Sewage carries germs. Close the bathroom door, keep children and animals out, and wear gloves if you must touch anything that got wet.
  3. Protect what you can.Move rugs, towels and belongings away from the affected drain if you can do it without wading through sewage.
  4. Find the cleanout.Look for a capped pipe near the foundation or in the front yard. Do not open it yourself if sewage may be under pressure behind it; just note where it is.
  5. Call a licensed plumber.Ask for the CSLB license number before work starts and check it at cslb.ca.gov when you can.

Have this ready for the call

  • Which drains are backing up or slow, and which are still working.
  • When it started and what was running at the time.
  • Whether sewage has come into the house and where.
  • Where the cleanout is, or that you could not find one.
  • When the main line was last cleared and how, if you know.
  • Whether there is a large tree between the house and the street.
  • Whether any chemical drain cleaner has been poured in.

What usually happens next

On arrival
The plumber asks what you have seen, checks which fixtures are affected, and locates the cleanout or another access point.
Clearing
A drain machine with a cutting head is run down the line to open a path through the roots so the backed-up water can drain.
After flow returns
The plumber may recommend jetting to clean the pipe walls and a camera inspection to see where the roots got in.
Before leaving
Ask what was found, whether a repair is recommended, and get anything further in writing.

Why the lowest drain overflows first

Wastewater from every fixture collects in the main line on its way to the street. When roots block that line, the water backs up until it finds the lowest opening in the system. In a single-story Fullerton home built on a slab, that is usually a shower or tub drain, and in some homes a floor drain in a laundry area or garage.

That is also why an overflow can seem to come from nowhere: the shower that floods may not be the one anyone was using. A flush or a draining washer on the other side of the house is enough to push water up there.

Questions to ask before the plumber leaves

  1. What did the cutter bring back: roots, grease, paper or something else?
  2. How far down the line was the blockage?
  3. Do you recommend a camera inspection now or after the line is cleaned?
  4. Is there anything I should avoid sending down the drains for now?

Common questions

Can I keep using the toilet if it still flushes?

It is better not to. Each flush can push sewage up a lower drain somewhere else in the house until the line is cleared.

Should I open the cleanout cap myself?

If the line is backed up, sewage can spill out of the cleanout when the cap comes off. Leave it for the plumber unless you know the line is not under pressure.

Is a sewage backup an emergency?

Sewage in living areas is a health concern, so treat it as urgent. Stop using water, keep people away and get a licensed plumber out.

General information for Fullerton, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.