Edmond drain lines, era by era
Half of Edmond's homes are older than 1996 and half are newer, by Census estimates, but the spread behind that midpoint is wide, and each era brings its own kind of clog.
- Before 1970. About 1 in 12 Edmond homes falls here, mostly near downtown and the university. These are the houses where we still find cast-iron and clay drain pipe. Rust scale inside cast iron snags grease and paper, and the joints in clay pipe let roots in.
- 1970 to 1999. About half the city was built in these three decades. Most of these homes have plastic drains that resist corrosion, but expansive clay soil can shift a buried line until it sags or a joint pulls apart, and a belly that holds water also holds debris.
- 2000 and newer. Roughly 4 in 10 homes. The pipe is usually in good shape, so clogs tend to come from what goes into it: wipes, grease, hair and the occasional toy.
City sewer or septic changes the job
In sewered neighborhoods, which cover most of Edmond, wastewater flows to the Coffee Creek plant, so a main-line clog sits somewhere between your house and the city main. Not every home is connected, though. A sizable number of Edmond properties treat their own wastewater with septic or aerobic systems. On those homes, a slow drain can be a clog in the house line, or it can be a full tank or a struggling drainfield. Running a cable harder fixes the first kind and does nothing for the second.
For septic homes we stick to mechanical cleaning and skip harsh chemicals. The city's septic guidance lists what to keep out of the system, including wipes, paper towels, cotton swabs, cat litter and household chemicals, and recommends pumping the tank every three to five years. If your drains slow down around the same time every year, the pumping schedule may be the real issue, and we will tell you so.
How we clear it
- Find the clog point. Which fixtures are slow tells us whether the problem is in one branch or the main line.
- Match the tool to the pipe. A hand auger for traps, a cable machine for branch and main lines, and hydro jetting for grease and roots when the pipe is sound enough to take it.
- Camera the repeat offenders. If a line keeps clogging, we look inside before we guess.
- Explain and prevent. You see what we pulled out and get specific advice for your house.
For the full list of what our drain cleaning and clogged drain repair covers, including grease lines and root cutting, see the main service page.
No permit for a clog, sometimes one for the fix
The City of Edmond's permit guide is clear: clearing a stoppage does not need a permit. If the camera shows a broken or bellied pipe that has to be cut out and replaced, the job becomes a plumbing alteration, which needs a permit and an inspection. We tell you which situation you are in before any work beyond cleaning begins. For more on local housing, water and sewer service, visit our Edmond plumbing page.