All items, A to Z

67 items, sorted by headline.

• Backwater valve upkeep: what the owner is responsible for

  8 Backups & backwater valves

• Before anyone digs for a sewer line: the 811 rule in New York

  9 Repair & lining

• Blockage in the main or in your line? How towns tell the difference

  1 Who owns what

• Cast iron drain and sewer pipe in older homes

  3 Pipe materials

• Chemical drain cleaners: label rules and the mixes to avoid

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• The chemical smell during sewer lining, and keeping it out of the house

  9 Repair & lining

• Choosing a sewer contractor in Westchester

  H Hiring & paying

• Clay sewer pipe: strong pipe, weak old joints

  3 Pipe materials

• Cleaning up after a sewage backup, by the CDC and EPA rules

  8 Backups & backwater valves

• Cooking grease is a sewer line problem that starts at the sink

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Copper sulfate and foaming root killers: what the labels allow

  5 Tree roots

• Cross bores: when a gas line runs through a sewer pipe

  S Safety

• Cured-in-place lining for a house sewer line

  9 Repair & lining

• The fresh-air inlet is a vent, and it can let sewer gas out

  7 House traps & vents

• Gas smell or sewer smell? If in doubt, treat it as gas

  S Safety

• A gurgling toilet usually means air is moving the wrong way

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• House trap clogs and the cleanout plugs on top

  7 House traps & vents

• The house trap: the U-shaped fitting in many older New York basements

  7 House traps & vents

• How a backwater valve keeps the sewer out of the basement

  8 Backups & backwater valves

• How much slope a sewer line needs, and how deep it runs

  3 Pipe materials

• How Rye and Mamaroneck codes define the lateral

  1 Who owns what

• How to tell what your sewer pipe is made of

  3 Pipe materials

• How tree roots get into sewer lines

  5 Tree roots

• Hydro jetting or a cable machine: how sewer lines get cleared

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Hydrogen sulfide: why sewer gas can be dangerous

  S Safety

• Inflow and infiltration: why rain ends up in the sanitary sewer

  2 Town rules & home sales

• Main sewer line clog: what to do in the first hour

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Mount Vernon: the owner's line runs all the way to the city sewer

  1 Who owns what

• New Rochelle, White Plains, Scarsdale and others: how to check your town's rule

  1 Who owns what

• New York's 2025 plumbing code: the sewer rules homeowners notice

  2 Town rules & home sales

• New York's rules for home improvement contracts and deposits

  H Hiring & paying

• Orangeburg pipe: the tar-paper sewer line under older houses

  3 Pipe materials

• Permits for sewer line work: what to ask your building department

  2 Town rules & home sales

• Pipe bursting a sewer lateral under New York's code

  9 Repair & lining

• Reading a sewer inspection report and its defect codes

  6 Cameras & cleanouts

• Removing a house trap under New York's plumbing code

  7 House traps & vents

• Roof leaders and sump pumps tied into the sanitary sewer are not allowed

  2 Town rules & home sales

• Rotten-egg smell: sewer gas, natural gas or the water heater?

  S Safety

• Rye's sewer lateral law for home sales

  2 Town rules & home sales

• SDR 35 or Schedule 40: which PVC belongs in a sewer line

  3 Pipe materials

• Selling a house in Westchester: when a sewer lateral certificate is required

  2 Town rules & home sales

• Seven signs the trouble is in the sewer line, not one drain

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Sewage in the basement: what to do first

  8 Backups & backwater valves

• Sewer backup coverage in New York is usually an add-on

  8 Backups & backwater valves

• Sewer gas smell in the house: the usual causes

  S Safety

• Sewer line protection plans: what to check before buying one

  H Hiring & paying

• Sewer line repair options for older laterals

  9 Repair & lining

• A sewer scope before you buy an older house

  6 Cameras & cleanouts

• Spot repair or full replacement of an old sewer line

  9 Repair & lining

• Ten questions to ask before signing a sewer repair contract

  H Hiring & paying

• Village of Mamaroneck's sewer lateral certificate, step by step

  2 Town rules & home sales

• Westchester plumbing and home improvement licences, in plain terms

  H Hiring & paying

• Westchester's county sewer districts and treatment plants, explained

  2 Town rules & home sales

• What a sewer camera can miss

  6 Cameras & cleanouts

• What a sewer camera inspection shows

  6 Cameras & cleanouts

• What drives the cost of replacing a sewer line in Westchester

  9 Repair & lining

• When a sewer line can't be lined

  9 Repair & lining

• When New York's code requires a backwater valve

  8 Backups & backwater valves

• Where a water softener drains, and the air gap the code requires

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Where the sewer cleanout is in an older house

  6 Cameras & cleanouts

• Which trees to keep away from a sewer line

  5 Tree roots

• Who owns the sewer line between your house and the street

  1 Who owns what

• Why drains back up after heavy rain in older Westchester neighborhoods

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Why no one should climb into a manhole or sewer pit

  S Safety

• Why roots come back after the line is cleared

  5 Tree roots

• Wipes and the sewer: what goes down the toilet and what doesn't

  4 Clogs & warning signs

• Yonkers: owner lines and a city system with combined sewers

  1 Who owns what