Longmont property owners own and maintain the sewer service line from the house to the city main, while the city maintains the mains and investigates problems in them. So the fix for a slow or backed-up drain in Longmont usually starts with a plumber. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Longmont.
Is the backup my problem or the city's?
Start with how much of the house is affected. A slow shower or a single clogged toilet is in your plumbing, full stop. When the lowest drain in the house fills with water as other fixtures run, the block is in the main building drain or the service line, which Longmont's sewer page says belongs to the property owner. The city steps in only for its mains. If a plumber clears your line and finds it open all the way out but the backup continues, the city's Water Utilities staff should look at the main; after hours, Longmont directs residents to Police and Public Safety Dispatch.
What usually clogs Longmont drains?
It depends on the age of the house. Census survey estimates put the median Longmont home at 1991, with about 37% built before 1980. Older houses near the revived Main Street downtown, settled since the 1871 Chicago-Colorado Colony days, are the ones most likely to have cast iron indoors and clay or concrete pipe in the yard, where roots and scale build up. In newer subdivisions, plastic pipe holds up well, and clogs come from grease, wipes, hair and food scraps. A camera inspection settles the question when a line keeps clogging and nobody knows why.
Should I try to clear it myself first?
A plunger on a single fixture is fair game. Beyond that, be careful. Chemical openers seldom clear a main line and leave caustic water for whoever opens the pipe next. Rented drum augers can kink inside a toilet or scratch porcelain, and a cable that gets stuck in a yard line turns a cleaning into a dig. If more than one fixture is involved, stop using water and call. Longmont's water is soft, so mineral scale is less of a factor than in harder-water towns; grease and roots are the usual culprits.
A note on repairs
Cleaning a line is service work. If a camera shows a broken or sagging section that needs to be dug up or lined, check permit requirements with City of Longmont Building Services at the Development Services Center, 385 Kimbark Street, before the work starts. A plumber who works in Longmont will know the process and can tell you whether the fix needs a permit.
Drain Cleaning questions in Longmont
Who pays to fix the sewer line between my house and the street?
Are chemical drain cleaners from the store a good idea?
Will tree roots get into a sewer service line?
Why does a drain clog again a few weeks after it was cleared?
More plumbing services in Longmont
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