A Kenmore homeowner in the blocks above the north end of Lake Washington had a side sewer that was acting up, and no cleanout anywhere on the run to deal with it from. Like a lot of houses from Kenmore's 1960s build-out, it had no access point at all. Nick and Jeremy took care of the access problem first, and then put it straight to work.
What We Did
The crew excavated beside the house, cut into the existing line, and set a two-way sewer cleanout — a wye with a capped riser to grade, tied in with banded couplings at both ends. The two-way part matters because a cable or camera can now run from this one point toward the main or back toward the house, which turns every future service call into a driveway-level job.
Then they put the new access straight to work: machine through the cleanout to clear the line, then the camera down the run to see what the machine had been fighting. The screen told the story: roots in the line about fifteen feet out, right at the joints.
The homeowner ended the visit with a flowing line, a permanent access point, and footage showing exactly where the roots come in — so the next step, root maintenance or a spot repair at the bad joints, is a planned choice instead of a 2 a.m. emergency.
Why It Matters
- A line without a cleanout costs more every single time it clogs. Clearing through a roof vent or a pulled toilet is slower, messier and pricier than opening a cap at grade.
- Two-way access covers the whole run. One fitting, both directions — house side and street side — from the same hole.
- The camera turns "it keeps backing up" into a map. Roots at fifteen feet is actionable; a mystery is not.
- Root intrusion found early is a maintenance item. Found late, it is a backup into the house.
Why Kenmore Specifically
Kenmore's neighborhoods went in fast in the 1960s and 70s, and a lot of those side sewers were built straight from house to main with no thought for the day someone would need to get a cable in. Sixty years later the trees have matured, the joints have opened, and the missing cleanout has gone from an oversight to the most useful single upgrade many of these houses can get. In the Northshore Utility District's area, the side sewer is the homeowner's out to the main — so making it serviceable is the homeowner's win.
Get Ahead of Your Own Side Sewer
No cleanout, recurring backups, or a line you have never seen the inside of? Call 425-245-7552 for a free estimate, or request a callback.
More: sewer line repair · drain and pipe services · plumbing in Kenmore · trenchless sewer repair