24/7 Drain Cleaning & Sewer Service in Boston, MA

The South End, Back Bay and Beacon Hill have brick and brownstone row houses from the 1830s through the 1890s, many on filled land, with old cast iron and clay sewer connections.

Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale and parts of Somerville's edges are full of triple-deckers and two-families from the 1890s through the 1920s, with basements and old laterals.

East Boston, Charlestown and South Boston have row houses and multi-families from the 1800s, some on filled land near the harbor.

West Roxbury, Hyde Park and parts of Roslindale have single-family homes from the 1910s through the 1950s on tree-lined streets.

Parts of the older city have combined sewers, and the region's wastewater goes through the MWRA's Deer Island treatment plant.

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission maintains the city's local sewers, and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority operates Deer Island. Boston property owners own the building sewer from the house to the public main and are responsible for repairs.

Nor'easters, spring rains and summer thunderstorms load the sewers and push water into low basements, and roots grow fastest from June through August.

Long, cold winters freeze pipes in unheated basements, back porches and exterior walls, especially in old triple-deckers.

Boston's signature working-class house is the triple-decker, a three-story wood-frame building with one apartment on each floor and porches stacked across the back. Thousands were built in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale and South Boston from the 1890s through the 1920s. All three units share one basement and one building sewer, and when it clogs, water from the upper floors drains down and comes out the lowest opening, usually a basement floor drain or laundry sink. Owners who keep the line clean protect all three households.

Much of Boston was once water or marsh. The Back Bay was filled in the mid 1800s, and the South End, parts of East Boston, Charlestown and the waterfront were also created with fill. Buildings there sit on wood piles, and sewer lines run through settling ground. Over time, laterals can sag, crack or separate. The Back Bay's groundwater levels are monitored closely because the wood piles must stay wet to avoid rotting.

The South End's bow-front brick row houses and Back Bay's brownstones were built in the 1800s with basements and cast iron or clay sewer connections. Many have been divided into condos, with several units sharing one line. Grease, wipes and old pipe cause most problems. Repairs under sidewalks and streets require permits and careful work around historic buildings.

Parts of Boston and neighboring cities have combined sewers that overflow into the Charles River, the Mystic and Boston Harbor during heavy rain. The MWRA and BWSC have spent decades separating sewers and building storage to reduce overflows. During big storms, low basements can still take on water. A backwater valve helps protect them.

After a September nor'easter, the first-floor tenant in a 1910 triple-decker in Dorchester finds water spreading from the basement floor drain. The owner calls a plumber, who opens the cleanout and clears roots about thirty feet out, near the street tree. On the camera, the clay lateral has cracked under the sidewalk. The owner books a liner.

Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have triple-deckers, two-families and Victorians on hilly, tree-lined streets near the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park. Clay laterals under big trees are the most common cause of backups. Granite ledge close to the surface in places makes digging hard.

Boston sits on a mix of filled land, glacial drumlins and granite and slate ledge. In neighborhoods like Roslindale, West Roxbury and parts of Dorchester, ledge sits close to the surface, so sewer lines were sometimes laid shallow or blasted into rock. Trenchless lining is often the most practical repair.

East Boston and Charlestown have row houses and multi-families from the 1800s, many on filled land near the harbor. Rising seas and storm surge have brought coastal flooding to low streets, and groundwater can seep into cracked laterals.

Boston has more than 100,000 college students, and many live in old triple-deckers and row houses in Allston, Brighton, Mission Hill and Fenway. Heavy use and frequent turnover mean more clogs, especially around September 1, the city's famous moving day. Landlords who jet lines in August avoid many emergencies.

The North End's Italian restaurants, Chinatown, the South End's restaurant row on Tremont Street and the Seaport put a lot of grease into old lines. Commercial kitchens are required to maintain grease traps, and pumping them on schedule prevents backups.

Boston winters bring weeks of hard cold and nor'easters with heavy snow. In triple-deckers, back porches and kitchens along exterior walls are the first places pipes freeze. Keep the basement heated, insulate exposed pipe and let a faucet drip on the coldest nights.

West Roxbury and Hyde Park have more single-family homes from the 1910s through the 1950s, on larger lots with big trees. Long clay laterals mean roots, and finished basements make a backwater valve worth the cost.

Give the neighborhood, the building type and age, how many units share the line and where the cleanout is. Mention whether a storm came first and whether neighbors have water too.