Everything we wish
someone told you sooner.
Drains and sewers are full of expensive surprises — most of them avoidable if you know what you’re looking at. These are the questions we answer on the phone every day, written down honestly.
What is a house trap and why does it cause sewer backups?
A house trap is a U-shaped fitting installed on the main house drain, usually in the basement floor, where the building's drain meets the city sewer. Its curve holds water to block sewer gas — but that same curve catches grease, debris and roots, which makes it the single most common place for a whole-house backup in older New York homes..
Read the answer →Why does my basement drain back up only when it rains?
A drain that backs up only in heavy rain points to one of two causes: your own house drain is partially blocked and the extra water pushes it over the edge, or the city's combined sewer is surcharging — overwhelmed by stormwater and pushing back into homes connected to it. A camera inspection tells you which, and the fix is very different for each..
Read the answer →Do I need a backwater valve for my NYC home?
A backwater valve is worth installing if your basement backs up during heavy rain because the city's combined sewer surcharges, and your own line is clean. It's a one-way gate that lets wastewater out but blocks sewer water from flowing back in.
Read the answer →Sewage doesn’t keep
business hours. Neither do we.
Nights, weekends, holidays — the emergency line rings a dispatcher, not a voicemail.