24/7 Drain Cleaning & Sewer Service in Kent, WA

The historic downtown core around Meeker Street and the old valley neighborhoods have homes from the early 1900s through the 1950s with older clay or concrete side sewers.

The East Hill, Kent's largest residential area, was built mostly from the 1960s through the 1990s with ranches, split-levels and daylight basements.

The West Hill, near Des Moines and SeaTac, has a mix of postwar homes and newer developments.

The Green River valley floor is mostly industrial, with warehouses and distribution centers, but some homes sit on low, wet ground with high groundwater.

Kent has one of the most diverse populations in Washington, with many large households and immigrant families from East Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

The City of Kent maintains most local sewer lines, with King County treating the wastewater, and some areas on the hills are served by water and sewer districts. The private side sewer from the house to the main is owned by the property owner.

The long wet season raises groundwater in the valley and soaks the hillsides, pushing water into cracked side sewers, while spring and summer bring the fastest root growth.

Winter freezes are rare but can freeze drains in garages and crawlspaces when arctic air arrives.

Most Kent residents live on the East Hill, which rose from farmland and forest into neighborhoods of split-levels, ranches and daylight basement homes from the 1960s through the 1990s. Many of the older homes have concrete or clay side sewers that have cracked or filled with roots after fifty or sixty years. Big evergreens and maples planted in yards and along streets have grown large, and their roots find every gap.

Kent's historic downtown grew up around the railroad and the farms of the Green River valley, once famous for lettuce and dairy. A few older neighborhoods near Meeker Street and the old town core have homes from the early 1900s with very old side sewers. The valley floor sits on low, wet ground, and high groundwater can seep into cracked pipe through the wet season.

Before the Howard Hanson Dam was built in the early 1960s, the Green River flooded the valley regularly. Today the levees and dam control most floods, but the valley still has high groundwater and slow-draining soils. Homes on the valley floor see more groundwater infiltration in their sewer lines than hill homes do.

On a rainy evening in November, a large family in a 1974 split-level on the East Hill finds water rising in the lower-level bathroom while the washer drains. The plumber opens the outdoor cleanout and clears roots about thirty feet out, near a big Douglas fir. The camera shows a cracked concrete joint. The family schedules jetting every year and gets a quote for lining.

Kent has many large and multigenerational households, and more people means more water and more cooking. Grease in kitchen lines is one of the most common causes of clogs, especially in homes where families cook large meals daily. Wiping pans, using a grease can and keeping wipes out of toilets prevent many calls.

East Hill homes are often split-levels or daylight basements, with a lower level that holds a bedroom, bathroom and laundry. When the side sewer slows, that lower bathroom is usually the first place water appears. If the lower-level fixtures sit below the main, there may be an ejector pump to check as well.

Kent's West Hill, near SeaTac and Des Moines, has postwar homes and newer developments. Older homes there may have the same aging side sewer problems as the East Hill, and some are close enough to the airport that remodels and soundproofing projects have changed their plumbing over the years.

Kent's restaurants reflect its diversity, from Ethiopian and Somali cafes to Vietnamese pho shops, Mexican taquerias and Eastern European bakeries along Central Avenue, the East Hill strip malls and the Kent Station area. Commercial kitchens need grease interceptors pumped regularly and lines jetted to avoid backups.

Kent's long wet season keeps the soil saturated for months, and in spring the trees put on new roots fast. Any crack or open joint in a side sewer lets both water and roots in. Regular jetting or root cutting keeps lines flowing between repairs.

Kent rarely freezes hard, but when arctic air arrives, homes built for mild weather can have trouble. Drains in garages and crawlspaces freeze first. Close crawlspace vents, wrap exposed pipe and let faucets drip during a freeze.

A side sewer inspection is a smart move for any Kent home built before 1990, and especially on the East Hill. Look for roots, cracks and offsets in the footage, and ask how far the camera traveled toward the main.

Mention whether you're on the East Hill, West Hill or valley floor, the home's age and layout, and whether there's a lower-level bathroom or pump. Note where the water appeared, big trees near the line and whether trouble started in heavy rain.