24/7 Drain Cleaning & Sewer Service in Peoria, IL

The East Bluff, the West Bluff, the High Wine district and the neighborhoods around Bradley University have homes from the 1870s through the 1930s, many on steep lots with basements and clay tile laterals.

The South Side and the neighborhoods near the riverfront were built for workers in the distilleries, Caterpillar's plants and the railroads, with small frame houses and old clay sewer lines.

North Peoria, along Knoxville Avenue, War Memorial Drive and up toward Route 91, was built from the 1950s onward, with ranches and split-levels in the older parts and PVC drains in newer subdivisions.

Large parts of the older city have combined sewers that carry both storm water and sewage, and during heavy rain they can overflow and push water into basements.

Peoria was once the whiskey capital of the world and later Caterpillar's hometown, and many of its older homes are now rentals, especially near Bradley University.

The City of Peoria owns the public sewers, and the Greater Peoria Sanitary District treats the wastewater. In Peoria, a property's private lateral, from the building to the main, is the owner's responsibility.

Spring and summer storms overload the combined sewers and drive the most basement backups, while roots grow fastest in warm weather.

Winter brings cold snaps that freeze drains in garages, crawlspaces and enclosed porches.

Peoria's East Bluff and West Bluff neighborhoods sit on high ground above the river, with Victorians, foursquares and bungalows built from the late 1800s into the 1930s. Many lots are steep, and the clay tile laterals run long distances or at steep angles to reach the main. Roots from mature oaks, maples and elms have worked into many of those joints, and freeze and thaw cycles and soil movement on the slopes have cracked others. A camera inspection is the best way to see what's going on.

On the West Bluff, many big old homes have been divided into apartments for Bradley University students, adding heavy use to aging lines.

Like many older river cities, Peoria built a combined sewer system in its older neighborhoods, so storm water and household sewage share the same pipes. During heavy rain, those sewers can fill and overflow, and water looks for the lowest exit, often a basement floor drain. The city has been working on long-term projects to reduce overflows, including green infrastructure that soaks up rain before it reaches the sewers. In the meantime, backwater valves, floor drain plugs and disconnected downspouts help protect basements.

The neighborhoods around Bradley are full of older homes converted into student rentals. Several students per house push far more hair, grease and wipes through old clay laterals than they were built for. Landlords who jet the main every summer before classes start avoid many fall emergencies.

Peoria's South Side and the neighborhoods near the riverfront were built for workers in the distilleries, breweries, Caterpillar plants and rail yards. Small frame houses there often have very old clay sewer lines, some without cleanouts. Root clogs and cracked pipe are common, and low ground near the river can raise groundwater levels after storms.

On a humid June evening, after a heavy thunderstorm, a family in a 1920s bungalow on the East Bluff finds an inch of water around the basement floor drain. The plumber opens the cleanout and finds a partial clog from roots about forty feet out, made worse by the surcharged sewer. After cutting the roots, the camera shows cracked clay joints. The family books lining and a backwater valve.

North Peoria, built from the 1950s onward, has ranches, split-levels and, farther north, newer subdivisions with PVC drains. Older homes there may have cast iron under the floor and clay laterals with root problems. Newer homes mostly see grease, wipes and sump pump failures.

On steep bluff lots, sewer laterals can drop sharply from the house to the street. Water can run ahead of solids, leaving paper and waste stranded in the pipe. Long laterals also have more joints for roots to find. Jetting can clean these lines thoroughly, and a camera shows whether the pipe has sagged or cracked.

Downtown Peoria's restaurants, the revived Warehouse District and the corridors along Knoxville Avenue, University Street and War Memorial Drive have many commercial kitchens. Grease traps pumped on schedule and lines jetted regularly keep them running smoothly.

Peoria's winters bring cold fronts that can drop temperatures below zero. Drains in garages, enclosed porches and crawlspaces freeze first. Insulate exposed pipe, close garage doors and let faucets drip on the coldest nights. Thaw frozen lines gently with warm air, never with a flame.

Give your neighborhood and the home's age, whether it's on a bluff or near the river and whether there's a cleanout or backwater valve. Mention whether the trouble started during rain, whether neighbors also have water and whether it's a rental.