4 services · Milwaukee
Drains & sewer in Milwaukee, WI
A single slow sink is usually a local clog a plumber can clear in one visit. Several drains backing up at once, gurgling toilets or water at a basement floor drain point to the main sewer line, which may need cleaning, a camera inspection and sometimes repair.
- Licensed local plumbers
- The problem explained before work starts
- Price agreed before the job begins
Drains & sewer services in Milwaukee
Drain cleaning
UrgentIf one fixture is slow, the clog is usually in that fixture's branch line. If several drains back up at once, or the basement floor drain fills when you run the washer, the main sewer line is blocked and needs a larger cable or a jetter.
Hydro jetting
Hydro jetting cleans the full width of a drain pipe with high-pressure water, washing out grease, scale and fine roots that a cable only punches a hole through. It works best on sound pipe and is usually done after a camera inspection confirms the pipe can take it.
Sewer camera inspection
A sewer camera inspection runs a waterproof camera through the line from your house to the city main and records what it finds: roots, cracks, sags, offset joints or collapsed pipe. It's the best way to decide between cleaning, spot repair and replacement.
Sewer line repair
UrgentA damaged sewer line can be fixed with a spot repair, a trenchless liner, pipe bursting or an open-trench replacement. Which one fits depends on what the camera shows, how deep the pipe is, and what's on top of it, such as a driveway, trees or landscaping.
Local conditions
Drains & sewer in Milwaukee: what's different
Older duplexes share one sewer lateral, so a clog affects both units. Heavy storms back up sewers into basements.
A camera inspection shows the lateral's condition.
Older laterals in Bay View, Riverwest and Washington Heights are often clay and collect roots from mature trees. A camera inspection shows whether a repeat clog needs cleaning or repair. MMSD handles regional wastewater, and the lateral belongs to the property owner.
Older duplexes often share one lateral, so a clog affects both units, and heavy storms can push sewer water back through basement floor drains.
- Water and sewer in Milwaukee
- Milwaukee Water Works supplies water; the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) handles regional wastewater.
- Permits in Milwaukee
- Plumbing permits are issued by the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services.
Milwaukee housing and plumbing
Duplexes and bungalows from the early 1900s in Bay View and Riverwest commonly have basements and old service lines.
Other Milwaukee conditions that affect plumbing
- Lead service lines: Milwaukee has many lead service lines and a citywide replacement program.
- Frozen pipes: Deep cold freezes pipes and shallow water services.
- Basement backups: Heavy storms back up sewers into basements.
- Deep Tunnel: MMSD's Deep Tunnel stores stormwater to reduce overflows, but intense storms can still back up basements.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes
Plumbers on Thawline cover Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, including Bay View, Riverwest, Washington Heights, Third Ward, East Side, Tosa Village. ZIP codes: 53201 · 53202 · 53203 · 53204 · 53205 · 53206.
When to call a plumber in Milwaukee
- Water backing up in the tub or shower when a toilet flushes
- Several fixtures draining slowly at the same time
- Water or sewage at a basement floor drain
- Gurgling from drains or toilets
- Sewer smell inside or a soggy patch in the yard
- The same clog returning within weeks of being cleared
How these problems start and how to choose between repair options is covered in the drains & sewer guide.
Drains & sewer questions in Milwaukee
Why does a clog affect both units of my Milwaukee duplex?
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use?
More plumbing in Milwaukee
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