Drain Cleaning in Rex, GA

Who do I call when sewage comes up in a Rex home?

Look at where it's coming from. If sewage is surfacing from a manhole or in the street, call the Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA), which provides water, sewer and stormwater throughout the county; its customer service number, 770-960-5200, also takes after-hours emergencies such as sewer backups. If water is rising through your own tub, toilet or floor drain, the blockage is almost always in your private plumbing, and that's a plumber's job. CCWA says its service line responsibility ends at the meter on the water side, and the rest of the plumbing on the property is the customer's.

What usually clogs drains here?

Rex grew around the historic Rex Mill, but most homes in the community are newer: census survey data put the median at 1995, with about 20% built before 1980. Plastic drains in those homes clog mostly from grease in the kitchen, hair in showers and wipes in toilets. Older homes near Rex Village may have cast iron or clay that scales or lets roots in. Wooded lots near Cotton Indian Creek mean roots are worth considering when a clog keeps returning.

When should I stop and call?

• Two or more fixtures are slow at once
• Water comes up at a lower drain when something else is used
• A toilet gurgles while the washer or tub drains
• The clog returns within weeks of plunging
• You've used a chemical opener without success

Those signs point to the main building sewer or a clog beyond a plunger. Keep using water and you risk an overflow at the lowest drain in the house. A plumber can open the line from a cleanout, and if the clog is recurring, look at the pipe with a camera to find out why.

Local note

Because Rex has no city government, plumbing permits for repair work come from Clayton County Community Development's building permits section in Jonesboro. Simple clearing needs no permit. When you call, you'll be connected with an independent plumber who covers Rex; have a sense of which fixtures are affected and where your cleanout is before they arrive, and mention any past clogs.