24/7 Drain Cleaning & Sewer Service in Virginia Beach, VA

The Oceanfront, North End and older neighborhoods near Laskin Road and Birdneck have cottages and homes from the 1920s through the 1950s, some with clay or cast iron sewer lines.

Most of Virginia Beach, including Kempsville, Lynnhaven, Pembroke, Bayside and Great Neck, was built from the 1960s through the 1980s with slab and crawlspace homes, many with cast iron or early PVC drains.

Newer neighborhoods in Princess Anne, Red Mill and toward the southern rural areas were built from the 1990s onward with PVC.

Basements are almost nonexistent because the water table is so high, so most homes are on slabs or crawlspaces with drain lines under the floor.

The city has major Navy bases, including NAS Oceana and JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, and many military families move in and out every few years.

Virginia Beach Public Utilities maintains the city's sanitary sewer collection system, with treatment by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District. In Virginia Beach, the private lateral from the house to the city's cleanout or main is the property owner's to maintain.

Hurricane season from June through November brings heavy rain and storm surge that can flood low streets and overload sewers. Summer is also peak beach rental season.

Nor'easters in fall and winter push tides higher and keep groundwater elevated for days.

Virginia Beach was a resort town and a big rural county until the two merged in 1963, and then it grew explosively. Builders put up tens of thousands of homes on flat, sandy farmland and pine woods, almost all on slabs or crawlspaces because the water table is too high for basements. Drain lines run under the slab or through the crawlspace, then out to the street. In sandy soil, pipe can settle and shift, and sand can wash into cracked joints.

Many Virginia Beach homes built from the 1960s through the 1980s have cast iron drains under the slab. Salt air, high groundwater and decades of use can corrode the pipe from the inside and outside. Signs include slow drains throughout the house, frequent backups and sewer odors. A camera inspection shows whether the cast iron is scaled, cracked or collapsing. Repairs range from descaling to lining to replacement through tunnels under the slab.

Much of Virginia Beach sits only a few feet above sea level, with the water table close to the surface. Cracked laterals let groundwater in, and during heavy rain, nor'easters or hurricanes, flooded streets can overwhelm sewers. Neighborhoods near the Lynnhaven River, Back Bay and the low areas of Windsor Woods and Princess Anne Plaza have seen repeated flooding. Backflow preventers can help keep sewage out of low fixtures.

During a September nor'easter, a family in a 1972 slab ranch in Kempsville finds the shower filling with dirty water when the toilet flushes. The plumber opens the outside cleanout and finds the lateral partly blocked by roots from a big pine and sand that has washed into a cracked joint. After jetting, the camera shows the cast iron under the slab is heavily scaled. The family schedules descaling and a liner.

With NAS Oceana, JEB Little Creek-Fort Story and nearby Norfolk bases, Virginia Beach has many military families who rent or buy for a few years before moving on. New occupants may not know the home's plumbing history. A camera inspection when moving in, especially in an older home, helps avoid surprises.

The Oceanfront, Sandbridge and the North End are full of vacation rentals, condos and hotels. Rentals see heavy use from guests unfamiliar with the plumbing, with wipes, grease and sand going down drains. Property managers who jet lines before and after the summer season avoid many emergency calls.

Older neighborhoods like Great Neck, Bay Colony and the North End have big live oaks, loblolly pines and other trees with wide-spreading roots. In sandy soil, roots travel far looking for water, and any crack in a lateral is an invitation. Root cutting and lining keep lines open.

Atlantic Avenue at the Oceanfront, Town Center, Hilltop and the Shore Drive corridor have hundreds of restaurants. Seafood frying, grills and busy summer weekends produce a lot of grease. Commercial kitchens need grease traps pumped on schedule and lines jetted regularly, especially before peak season.

Homes on crawlspaces have drain lines running under the floor, where leaks can go unnoticed. In a humid coastal climate, crawlspace moisture can be high, and a leaking drain adds to it. If you notice sewer odors or damp floors, have the crawlspace lines checked.

Before hurricane season, it's worth having older lines inspected and cleared so they can handle the extra load of heavy rain. After a major storm, have the system checked for sand, debris and damage.

Share your neighborhood and the home's age, whether it's on a slab or crawlspace and whether it's a rental. Mention whether there was flooding or a storm, where water appeared and whether big trees grow near the line.