24/7 Drain Cleaning & Sewer Service in Norfolk, VA

Ghent, Freemason, West Ghent and the neighborhoods near downtown have homes from the 1880s through the 1920s, many with crawlspaces or shallow basements and old clay or cast iron sewer lines.

Larchmont, Edgewater, Colonial Place, Riverview and Park Place were built in the 1910s through the 1940s with Colonial Revival homes, foursquares and bungalows.

Ocean View, Wards Corner, East Norfolk and parts of the city near Naval Station Norfolk filled in from the 1940s through the 1960s with smaller homes and cottages.

Much of Norfolk sits at or just above sea level, surrounded by the Elizabeth River, the Lafayette River and the Chesapeake Bay, and flooding from tides and storms is frequent.

Norfolk is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world, along with Old Dominion University and a busy port.

Norfolk's Department of Utilities runs the city sewer collection system, and HRSD treats the wastewater. Norfolk property owners own their lateral up to the cleanout or the main.

Hurricane season and summer storms bring heavy rain and surge, and king tides in fall can flood streets even on sunny days.

Nor'easters in fall and winter push water into low neighborhoods for days at a time.

Ghent, laid out in the 1890s around the Hague inlet, is Norfolk's best-known historic neighborhood, with Victorian and Colonial Revival homes, brick row houses and apartment buildings under big oaks and crape myrtles. Freemason, near downtown, is even older. Many homes have clay tile or cast iron laterals that are well over a century old, and roots, cracks and corrosion are common. Because these neighborhoods are low and close to the water, high groundwater adds to the strain.

Larchmont, Edgewater, Colonial Place and Riverview line the Lafayette River and were built in the 1910s through the 1940s with Colonial Revival homes, foursquares and bungalows. Large trees, old clay laterals and low ground near the river make root clogs and groundwater infiltration common. Some streets flood regularly during king tides and storms.

Norfolk has one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise on the East Coast, from rising seas and sinking land. Streets in Larchmont, the Hague, Colonial Place and other low areas flood during king tides, nor'easters and storms. When groundwater and floodwater rise, they seep into cracked laterals and can surcharge sewers, slowing drains or pushing water back into homes. Backflow preventers, repairing cracked pipe and raising cleanouts above flood levels help protect homes.

During an October king tide, a family in a 1925 foursquare in Larchmont notices the downstairs toilet gurgling and the tub draining slowly. The plumber opens the cleanout near the sidewalk and clears roots about thirty feet out, then runs a camera that shows cracked clay with groundwater seeping in at several joints. The family books lining and a backflow preventer.

Ocean View, along the Chesapeake Bay, and neighborhoods near Naval Station Norfolk have many smaller homes from the 1940s through the 1960s, often rentals for military families. Cast iron and clay lines in these homes are aging, and sandy soil near the bay can let pipe settle. Families who move often should have the line checked when moving in.

The neighborhoods around Old Dominion University, like Highland Park and Lamberts Point, have many older homes rented to students. Several tenants per house push heavy loads through old laterals. Landlords who jet lines before each school year avoid many emergency calls.

Because the water table is so high, most Norfolk homes have crawlspaces or very shallow basements. Drain lines run through the crawlspace before exiting to the lateral, and cast iron there can corrode in the damp, salty air. Sewer odors or damp floors are signs to have the crawlspace lines checked.

Downtown Norfolk, Granby Street, Colley Avenue in Ghent and the waterfront have a busy restaurant scene, much of it in older buildings. Seafood kitchens and busy weekend service produce a lot of grease. Grease traps pumped on schedule and lines jetted regularly prevent backups.

Much of Norfolk is built on sandy soil, marsh fill and old dredge spoil. Over time, that ground settles, and laterals can sag or separate at the joints. Bellies in the line collect grease and paper. A camera inspection shows where the line has moved.

Ghent, Park Place and the neighborhoods around downtown have many older brick apartment buildings and duplexes where several units share one sewer line. A blockage in the shared line can back up into the lowest unit, often a ground floor apartment with a tub only a few inches above grade. Building owners who schedule regular jetting and keep the cleanout accessible keep tenants dry and avoid middle-of-the-night calls.

Before hurricane season, have older laterals inspected and cleared, and consider raising cleanouts and adding a backflow preventer. After a storm, check for slow drains, odors and backups.

Give your neighborhood and the home's age, whether it's on a crawlspace or slab, and whether the street floods. Mention whether there was a storm or high tide, where water appeared and whether big trees grow near the line.