Sewer Line Repair in Glendale, AZ

Who do I call when the sewer backs up in Glendale?

Start by figuring out whether the problem is yours or the city's. If wastewater is spilling from a manhole or neighbors are having the same trouble, contact Glendale Water Services at 623-930-4100, since the department handles wastewater collection and treatment. If the street is fine and only your house has slow drains, gurgling toilets or water coming up in a tub, the blockage or break is in your private line, and that's a plumber's call. One exception to keep in mind for water service: homes in the Hedgepeth Hills area are City of Phoenix water customers, so check your bill if you're unsure which utility serves you.

Will a sewer repair in Glendale need a permit?

Usually, yes. Glendale's building permit Q&A says replacing drain or waste piping requires a permit from Building Safety, Codes and Services. Simply clearing a clog doesn't involve new pipe, but cutting out a broken section, adding a cleanout or running new pipe does. The plumber normally pulls the permit and schedules the inspection, so ask about it when you talk through repair options.

Is my Glendale home old enough for the pipe to be wearing out?

Possibly. City-data figures put the median Glendale house at about 1985, so a large share of homes are now decades old. Drain lines from that era and earlier can be cast iron, which rusts and scales from the inside, or clay, whose joints let roots through. Homes built since the 1990s mostly have plastic, which fails differently: a sag where the trench settled, a cracked section under a driveway, or a fitting disturbed during later work. A camera inspection tells you which situation you're dealing with before anyone digs.

Signs that point to the main line rather than one drain include:

• Water rising in the shower when a toilet is flushed
• Gurgling from several fixtures at once
• Clogs that come back soon after clearing
• Sewage odor near the cleanout in the yard

A local note

Some downtown Glendale lots still get flood irrigation through Salt River Project urban irrigation. If your yard is flood irrigated, mention it to the plumber, because saturated soil can make digging slower and affects how quickly a trench can be backfilled and compacted.