Many municipalities in St. Louis County have sewer lateral programs established that can cover up to 100% of the costs to repair sewer lines from the foundation of the home to the main city sewer line.  This program is beneficial for homeowners because the cost to repair or replace the sewer can be quit expensive.   Homeowners pay an annual fee, normally connected to their real estate tax to help cover the costs of repairs.  Below are links to some St. Louis County Sewer Lateral Programs.  The list is not all inclusive, just because your city is not listed does not mean your county does not offer this type of assistance.  If your sewer is broken, before paying for the repair, call your city hall to see if the sewer lateral program is available in your area.  (Most programs pay for sewer lines up to the foundation of the home, if the sewer is broken inside of the home that is normally the homeowner's responsibility) 

                                       Berkeley     Bellefountaine      Black Jack       Bridgeton        


                                     Clayton          Ferguson            Florissant        Jennings 
 
                                   Kirkwood       Maplewood    Maryland Heights    Moline Acres        
    
                                Olivette       University City         St. Ann        St. Louis County  


                                        



 



                                        

This morning I was thinking about the homes I've visited where customers attempted to unclog their own sewer drains.  I understand, sometimes you only have so much left after paying your bills, buying food for the family and making sure the kids have shoes and clothes that fit and are appropriate for the current season.   

Many customers go to the local hardware store and rent cable machines for $60 - $70.  They may spend about 1-2 hours trying to find out which drain they need to run the cable through and maybe another 2-3 hours trying to run the cable through the drain.  In some cases they may even get the cable stuck in their sewer pipe and need assistance getting it out.  If the sewer cable is stuck in the sewer line a trained professional may be able to get the cable out without digging the pipe up.  If they can't get it out this job may escalate to requiring the pipe to be dug up and replaced.  This job could cost anywhere from $2,500-$5,000 depending on which pipe have to be replaced, and how much of the pipe has to be replaced.

Before renting a cable machine to clear the drain yourself, give me a call.  You would be surprised how much money and time you could save.   Right now we are clearing sewer lines for only $100.00.  We also always offer senior discounts.

I recently went to a customer's home that spent a lot of money renovating his basement to rent the space for extra income.  He  gave me a call because his sewer backed up and damaged a lot of the new carpet and tile he had placed on the floor.

Here are a few signs that will let you know your sewer is starting to back up. (Sometimes you can catch it before it damages your property.)

1.  If there is a toilet in the basement the toilet may not flush properly.  It may gurgle, drain slow or may over flow.
2.  When you do laundry, your floor drain typically backs up.   You may see water come out of this drain while washing. (The floor drain is located near the furnace or near the washer and dryer hook ups on the floor)
3.  If you take a shower or run water in the tub or flush the toilet (on the main level of the home) you may see toilet paper or clear water come  out of the floor drain in the basement.