Sewer Line Repair in Ellenwood, GA

What happens when you call

A call through this page connects you with an independent plumber who works in the Ellenwood area. Tell them your county if you know it, which drains are affected and whether the line has been cleared before. On the visit, the plumber will usually open the line, restore flow, and run a camera to find the defect, confirm what the pipe is made of and measure its depth. Repair options come from that footage.

What affects cost

• Pipe depth and how much of it is damaged
• Lawn, driveway or landscaping over the line
• Spot repair, lining or replacement
• Cleanout access
• Which county permit applies. In unincorporated DeKalb, plumbing permits must be submitted by a plumbing contractor, not the homeowner, through the county's e-Permitting Portal. In Clayton, the county's Community & Economic Development office in Jonesboro issues plumbing permits. In Henry, the county Building Department handles trade permits through its online portal.

Local conditions in Ellenwood

Ellenwood is a suburban mailing area southeast of Atlanta along I-675 and GA-42, mostly made up of subdivisions, many of them built between 2000 and 2009. Housing figures for the 30294 ZIP show about 16.5% of houses built before 1980. That means most laterals here are PVC, which tends to fail through settling, separated joints and construction damage rather than corrosion.

The utility map is the tricky part. In the DeKalb portion, DeKalb County Watershed Management provides water and sewer. In the Clayton portion, the Clayton County Water Authority does; its after-hours line for problems such as sewer backups is 770-960-5200. In the Henry portion, the Henry County Water Authority serves customers. Some Ellenwood properties may not be on municipal sewer at all, though that wasn't verified. Your utility bill is the fastest way to know which system you're on. Because three utilities and three permit offices are in play, settling that question before the plumber arrives saves time on the day of the repair.

Before the plumber arrives

• Check your bill to confirm your water and sewer provider
• Stop running water in the house
• Find the cleanout near the foundation
• Note which drain backed up first
• Keep children and pets away from any wastewater

If the camera shows the defect sits near the street, ask the plumber to confirm with your county's utility where its responsibility begins before digging close to the right-of-way.