4 services · Richmond
Drains & sewer in Richmond, VA
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 Richmond
Drain cleaning in Richmond
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 in Richmond
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 Richmond: what's different
Richmond's rowhouses and homes in the Fan, Museum District and Church Hill date from 1880 to 1930, with old cast-iron drain stacks and clay laterals that crack and collect roots. Shared walls and narrow lots make drain repairs more involved than in a detached house.
Older parts of the city have combined sewers that can back up during heavy storms, pushing water through basement floor drains. A backwater valve helps in homes that see storm backups.
A camera inspection shows whether a recurring clog is roots, scale or a broken pipe. The Department of Public Utilities provides wastewater service, and permits come from the city's Permits and Inspections division.
- Water and sewer in Richmond
- The Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides water, wastewater and natural gas service.
- Permits in Richmond
- Plumbing permits are issued by the City of Richmond's Permits and Inspections division under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.
Richmond housing and plumbing
The Fan, Museum District and Church Hill have rowhouses and homes from 1880 to 1930, with cast-iron drains, older supply and basements or crawl spaces.
Other Richmond conditions that affect plumbing
- Combined sewers: Older parts of the city have combined sewers that can back up during heavy storms.
- Historic rowhouse plumbing: Old drain stacks, galvanized supply and shared walls make repairs in the Fan and Church Hill more involved.
- City gas service: Because the city provides gas, gas line work and leak calls go through the Department of Public Utilities for emergencies.
- Hard winters on older homes: Cold snaps freeze pipes in Fan and Church Hill rowhouses with plumbing on exterior walls and in unheated rear additions, and vacant homes are especially at risk.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes
Plumbers on Thawline cover Richmond and City of Richmond, including The Fan, Museum District, Church Hill, Northside, Carytown, Southside. ZIP codes: 23173 · 23219 · 23220 · 23221 · 23222 · 23223.
When to call a plumber in Richmond
- 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 Richmond
Why does my Fan rowhouse basement back up in storms?
Are chemical drain cleaners safe to use?
More plumbing in Richmond
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