How Do You Locate a Sewer Line?

In most cases, all the drains in your home lead to the same place—a single sewer line. This line then extends to your septic tank or a municipal sewer system. Since all the sewage from your home needs this line to dispose of waste properly, it’s essential you know where the line is if you’re planning on doing some digging on your property or are experiencing some sewage issues. Learn more about how to locate your sewer line and why it’s important to know where it is.

Why Is It Important to Know Where Your Sewer Line Is?

Knowing where your sewer lines are located is incredibly important for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest ones is that you could damage them if you’re planning on digging in your yard. Accidentally making contact with the line could break it and lead to a major problem. For example, a broken sewer line can spill sewage into your yard and home, resulting in extensive water damage and a smell you’ll likely never forget. Additionally, pets have a sneaky way of finding it and getting into it.

Besides the potential for sewage to escape into your yard, it’s also crucial to know where your sewer line is when you suspect the pipes are clogged or damaged. If you know where your sewer lines and sewer clean-out point are located, you can give this information to professionals who can use it to take action on an issue fast. 

How to Find the Sewer Clean-Out Point Inside Your Home

When you suspect your sewer line is clogged, one of the first steps you should take is to find where your sewer clean-out point is located outside your home. This clean-out point connects directly to your main sewer line and allows professionals to easily access your sewer system. Once you’ve found the clean-out point, a professional can use it to clean your drains or remove a clog in your main sewer line. Hiring a sewer professional is especially important for this service. California requires in-wall cleanout points on homes. If opened during a backup, the sewage would spill into the house

Since most exterior sewer lines are installed outside about 16” – 36” away from the foundation, you’ll want to start there when looking for the clean-out point. As you search around the house, look for a pipe around four inches in diameter. This pipe should also have a screw cap on its top, with this cap featuring a square knob or notch. Once you locate this pipe, you’ll have found your clean-out point. Oftentimes the clean-out is located in a plastic box labeled SEWER, although you should check all the boxes around the house since many times the wrong lid was used when installed or it might have been replaced with whatever lid they found.  

If you can’t locate the clean-out point, it’s possible it was never installed. More likely, it might have been buried by landscaping. We often find a plant growing on top or near hard-to-find sewer lines. To be sure you don’t have one, contact a plumber to inspect your home. Following their inspection, the plumber should be able to tell you whether you have a clean-out point and provide you with sewer line services.

4 Ways to Find Your Sewer Line in Your Yard

If you want to check where your sewer pipes are in your yard, you have a few different options for finding them. Find out more about how to locate sewer lines in your yard below:

• Speak to the last homeowner: When you have the contact information of your home’s last owner, you can try to speak with them about the sewer line’s location. If the previous homeowner lived at the home for a while, they’re more likely to know where the sewer line is placed. 
• Contact the city: Many cities keep maps of where underground utilities and sewer lines are located. You can often call your city to see if they have these maps. If they do, you can use the maps to find where the sewer lines are on your property.
• Explore your yard: Poke around the yard, uncovering and moving things. Keep in mind MOST sewers exit the home either in the front or back yard.
• Hire a plumbing professional: When you can’t find your sewer lines through other methods or don’t want to spend the time doing it yourself, it’s a great idea to contact a plumbing professional. A great plumber will offer sewer line location services, where they inspect your home and find all the sewer lines on your property. They’ll then be able to tell you where the lines are located, mark them for you, and give you advice on any sewer line services you might need.

Choose Bonney for Sewer Line Location Service in Sacramento

If you live in Sacramento, California, turn to Bonney for sewer line location services. Our team of professionals can perform advanced electronic line location to find your sewer line and then perform an inspection. Besides locating and inspecting sewer lines, we also offer repair, installation, and replacement sewer line services to ensure your home’s sewage system always performs at its best. We even offer various trenchless sewer line repair and replacement options and several coupons to give you the best deal possible. You can trust any of the plumbing professionals within the Bonney network, including those at Boyd Plumbing.

Review our sewer line services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule service, please don’t hesitate to contact us.