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Kitchen and bath drains · Shared stacks · Sewer laterals · Somerville, MA

Somerville drain cleaning,from the top-floor sink to the street

A slow kitchen sink on the third floor, a tub that drains into a puddle, a basement floor drain pushing up gray water after a hard rain. Drains in Somerville's old houses tend to fail in their own ways. One call connects you with an independent local drain contractor who can talk through what you are seeing and how they would clear it.

Call Now(617) 716-8728Find your symptom

What a cleared drain looks like

From backed up to flowing, drain by drain

Illustrative examples of how common Somerville drain problems look before and after a proper cleaning. Drag the handle to compare.

  • After: the same kitchen sink empty and draining clean
    Before: kitchen sink filled with standing gray water and food scraps
    BeforeAfter

    Kitchen sink full of standing water

  • After: the same shower floor dry with a clean drain cover
    Before: water pooled on a shower floor around a hair-clogged drain
    BeforeAfter

    Shower drain clogged with hair

  • After: the same pipe on camera, clean after hydro jetting
    Before: drain camera view of a pipe narrowed by thick grease buildup
    BeforeAfter

    Grease-lined drain pipe

  • After: the same clay pipe joint clear once the roots were cut
    Before: sewer camera view of tree roots growing through a clay pipe joint
    BeforeAfter

    Tree roots in a clay sewer joint

  • After: the same basement floor dry with the drain grate visible
    Before: dirty water spreading across a basement floor from the floor drain
    BeforeAfter

    Basement floor drain backing up

  • After: the same bathtub clean and empty
    Before: bathtub holding slow standing water
    BeforeAfter

    Bathtub that will not drain

What are the drains in your Somerville home doing?

Key facts: Home

  • Most of Somerville drains into a combined sewer, so the same city pipes carry household wastewater and street stormwater toward the MWRA's Deer Island plant [1].
  • Under Massachusetts plumbing rules, clearing a stoppage does not need a permit, but repairing or replacing drain piping does, and permits go only to licensed plumbers [2].
  • Somerville is the most crowded municipality anywhere in New England, and much of its housing went up in building booms that ran through the 1940s [3].
  • Triple-deckers stack three flats, and their kitchens and baths usually share vertical drain stacks, so one clog can affect every floor above it [4].

When a drain backs up

What to do in the first hour of a Somerville backup

Most of the damage from a backup comes from water that keeps arriving. These steps are safe for any household and buy time until a contractor is on the line.

  1. First minute

    Stop running water and flushing anywhere in the building, including upstairs units on a shared stack.

  2. Next few minutes

    Keep people and pets away from dirty water. Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a line that is already backing up.

  3. Within the hour

    Note which fixtures are affected and on which floor. That tells the contractor whether it is one drain, the stack or the main.

  4. On the call

    Describe what you see and ask about emergency availability. You speak with an independent local drain contractor on that call.

  5. After it clears

    Ask whether a camera look makes sense, especially in older homes with clay or cast iron lines.

Services

Drain work you can be connected with in Somerville

Each service page explains what the contractor does, which tool fits which clog, and where a cleaning ends and a plumbing repair begins.

Not sure? Call(617) 716-8728
  • Bathtub holding slow standing water from a clogged drain

    Bathroom Drain Cleaning

    Lavatory sinks clogged by hair and soap at the stopper, the overflow or an old drum trap.

    Explore service
  • Technician running a drum drain machine at a basement cleanout

    Clogged Drain Repair

    Any clogged fixture in the house, starting with the question that decides everything: is it one drain or the line they all share?

    Explore service
  • Drain camera view of a pipe narrowed by thick grease buildup, typical of restaurant lines

    Commercial Drain Cleaning

    Drain and grease-line cleaning for restaurants, cafes and mixed-use buildings, scheduled around service hours where possible.

    Explore service
  • Technician feeding a drain camera into a basement cleanout

    Drain Camera Inspection

    A push camera run through interior drains and stacks to show what is inside the pipe, where it is, and whether it needs more than cleaning.

    Explore service
  • Murky water pooled across a concrete cellar floor around a floor drain

    Emergency Basement Sewer Backup

    Sewage on the cellar floor: protect appliances and belongings, call in the right order, and document everything for later.

    Explore service
  • Close-up of a drain cable being fed into a shower drain with the cover removed

    Emergency Bathroom Drain Cleaning

    A sink or tub overflowing onto the floor and into the unit below: stop the water, protect the ceiling, then clear the drain.

    Explore service
  • Technician at an open basement sewer cleanout with a drain camera and monitor

    Emergency Clogged Drain Service

    For nights when two or more fixtures quit together and you need to know whether it is one shared clog or the main.

    Explore service
  • Drain camera view of a pipe narrowed by thick grease buildup, typical of restaurant lines

    Emergency Commercial Drain Cleaning

    Restaurant or storefront drains down mid-service: grease interceptor overflows, Somerville FOG rules, and urgent clearing.

    Explore service
  • Basement floor drain backing up with dirty water spreading across the concrete

    Emergency Drain Cleaning

    A triage guide for urgent drain trouble: sort out which drain failed, what to shut off, and when to call tonight.

    Explore service
  • Floor drain grate in a concrete basement surrounded by a spreading puddle

    Emergency Floor Drain Backup

    A floor drain filling up: clean water or sewage, laundry and boiler discharge, test plugs, and when to call for urgent help.

    Explore service
  • Old metal drain pipe with rust and buildup running along a basement wall

    Frozen Drain Line

    When a cold snap stops a sink or laundry drain: which pipes freeze in older Somerville houses and how to thaw them without damage.

    Explore service
  • Hydro jetter hose entering an outdoor sewer cleanout outside a Somerville triple-decker

    Emergency Hydro Jetting

    When urgent hydro jetting is the right answer for a blocked line, and when older pipe calls for a cable or a camera first.

    Explore service
  • Close-up of hands removing a kitchen sink P-trap into a bucket

    Emergency Kitchen Drain Cleaning

    A full, greasy kitchen sink before a big meal: safe steps, disposal jams, and when the kitchen branch needs a cable tonight.

    Explore service
  • Technician at an open basement sewer cleanout with a drain camera and monitor

    Emergency Sewer Line Cleaning

    Sewage in the basement: sort a blocked lateral from a storm-surcharged city sewer, and know what urgent main line work involves.

    Explore service
  • Row of older wood-frame multi-family houses on a residential street

    Shared Stack Backup

    Water from upstairs rising in your sink or tub: how to coordinate every unit, the owner and access during a shared stack emergency.

    Explore service
  • Technician clearing a toilet with a closet auger in a white-tiled bathroom

    Emergency Toilet Drain Cleaning

    A toilet spilling over: stop the tank, protect the ceiling below, and decide whether the clog needs someone tonight.

    Explore service
  • Dirty water spreading across a basement floor from a backed-up floor drain

    Floor Drain Cleaning

    Clearing and checking basement floor drains in older Somerville homes, from dried-out traps to laundry overflow and storm backups.

    Explore service
  • Hydro jetter hose entering an outdoor sewer cleanout outside a Somerville triple-decker

    Hydro Jetting

    Water jetting to scour grease, sludge and fine roots from sound drain and sewer pipe, with a camera check before and after.

    Explore service
  • Close-up of hands removing a kitchen sink P-trap into a bucket

    Kitchen Drain Cleaning

    Grease, disposal jams and stacked triple-decker kitchens that drain through the units below.

    Explore service
  • Technician at an open basement sewer cleanout with a drain camera and monitor

    Main Sewer Line Cleaning

    Cleaning the building drain and the lateral to the street, usually from a basement cleanout, when several fixtures back up at once.

    Explore service
  • Drain camera view of a clean pipe after hydro jetting

    Preventative Drain Maintenance

    Scheduled cleaning and camera checks for multi-unit Somerville buildings, with records owners and condo boards can use.

    Explore service
  • Technician feeding a drain camera into a basement cleanout

    Sewer Line Inspection

    A documented assessment of the building drain and lateral, for buyers, condo conversions, repeat backups and relining decisions.

    Explore service
  • Close-up of a drain cable being fed into a shower drain with the cover removed

    Shower and Bathtub Drain Cleaning

    Hair and soap scum in tub waste-and-overflows, shower strainers and clawfoot drains.

    Explore service
  • Technician clearing a toilet with a closet auger in a white-tiled bathroom

    Toilet Drain Clearing

    Clearing stopped toilets, from the trap in the bowl to the closet bend and the branch that joins an old cast-iron stack.

    Explore service

Three floors, one pipe

Why a triple-decker drain clog rarely stays on one floor

A triple-decker is three flats stacked one on top of another, a building type that went up across New England from roughly the 1870s into the 1930s [4]. To keep plumbing simple, builders lined the kitchens up over each other and did the same with the bathrooms. Each flat's sink, tub and toilet drains into a short branch, and the branches join a vertical stack that runs down to the basement and out to the street.

That layout is why a grease clog can sit in the second-floor branch for years without bothering anyone, and then one day the first-floor kitchen sink starts filling with water that came from upstairs. Water always finds the lowest open fixture below a blockage. If the clog is in the stack or the building drain in the cellar, the first-floor tenant or the basement floor drain usually finds out first, even though the grease came from the people above.

The contractor you are connected with will want to know which fixtures are slow on which floors, whether the problem moves when someone else runs water, and where the cleanouts are. With that, they can tell a branch clog from a stack clog from a main line problem before a cable ever goes in. Our shared stack guide walks through the same questions in more detail.

  • Lowest fixture below the clog floods first
  • Kitchen stacks collect grease from every floor
  • Tell every unit before running water during a backup
Technician running a drum drain machine at a basement cleanout in a Somerville home

The call

How getting a Somerville drain cleared works from your first call

  1. 1

    You call and describe the drain

    Say which fixture is slow or backing up, which floor it is on, how long it has been happening and whether other units are affected. The call reaches an independent, locally based drain contractor, and you speak with them directly.

  2. 2

    The contractor asks the right questions

    Expect questions about the age of the house, whether there is a basement cleanout, whether water rises in the floor drain, and what has already been tried, including any chemical drain opener.

  3. 3

    You agree on a visit, or not

    Timing, access and anything else about the job are worked out between you and the contractor on that call. Nothing is booked unless you choose to book it.

  4. 4

    The drain is opened at the right point

    Depending on where the clog is, the contractor may use a hand auger at the fixture, a cable machine through a cleanout, a water jetter, or a camera to see what is inside the pipe.

  5. 5

    You hear what was found

    A good drain contractor tells you what came out of the line and whether the pipe itself looks sound, so you can decide whether anything more is needed.

Sewage or dirty water coming up in the basement right now

Stop running water everywhere in the building and tell the other units to do the same. In a two- or three-family, every flush and shower upstairs drains toward the same blocked pipe. Keep children and pets away from the water, do not wade through it near outlets or a furnace, and do not pour chemical drain openers into standing sewage.

Then call. The contractor you are connected with can tell you whether the pattern points to a blocked building drain or to a storm-related surge in the city sewer, and you can call to check emergency availability. If you suspect the city side is backed up, Somerville asks residents to report water and sewer problems through 311 [5]. Every urgent situation, from a frozen line to a stack backing up through three units, is collected on the [emergency drain help page](/emergency/).

  1. Stop all water use in every unit
  2. Keep away from outlets and gas appliances near the water
  3. Never mix or add chemical drain cleaners
  4. Call to check emergency availability

What is in the pipe

Old cast iron, clay laterals and a combined sewer under the street

Many older Somerville houses still drain through cast iron stacks inside the walls and a clay or cast iron lateral under the yard. Cast iron lasts a long time, but the inside surface can roughen and scale over the decades, which catches grease and paper [6]. Clay pipe comes in short sections joined end to end, and those joints are where tree roots can work their way in [7].

Below the street, most of the city drains into a combined sewer that carries both household wastewater and runoff from roofs and pavement [1]. During a heavy storm that system can fill up, and a house with a low basement floor drain can see water push back in even when nothing inside the house is clogged. Telling these two problems apart is the first job on any basement backup call, and it is why a camera look at the line is often worth it before deciding on a main sewer line cleaning or a repair.

Technician feeding a drain camera into a basement cleanout

Matching tool to clog

Which drain cleaning method fits which Somerville clog

Typical approaches a drain contractor considers; the right choice depends on what the pipe looks like.
What you are seeingLikely locationMethod usually considered
One sink or tub slow, rest of the house fineFixture trap or branch lineHand auger or small drum machine at the fixture
Lower-floor kitchen sink fills when upstairs drainsShared kitchen stack or its baseCable machine from a stack cleanout, sometimes jetting
Toilet and tub on the first floor back up togetherBuilding drain in the basementLarger cable machine from the main cleanout
Floor drain backs up during heavy rain onlyCity sewer surcharge or lateralCamera inspection, then advice on a backwater valve
Main line clogs again every few monthsRoots or broken joints in the lateralRoot cutting, then a camera to judge repair
Restaurant line slow with greaseKitchen branch and grease interceptorWater jetting where the pipe can take it

Clearing a stoppage is not permit work in Massachusetts; repairing or replacing pipe is, and must be done by a licensed plumber [2].

Neighborhoods

Somerville neighborhoods and what their drains have in common

From the hills of Spring and [Winter Hill](/areas/winter-hill/) to the squares, housing age and layout shape which drain problems turn up. Each page covers one part of the city.

All service areas
  • Bathtub holding slow standing water from a clogged drainService area

    Davis Square

    Post-Civil War West Somerville houses near Tufts and the Red Line, where several households often share one stack.

    Learn more
  • Hydro jetter hose entering an outdoor sewer cleanout outside a Somerville triple-deckerService area

    East Somerville

    Older multi-families east of McGrath Highway, beside Assembly Row's growth and the Mystic River.

    Learn more
  • Technician feeding a drain camera into a basement cleanoutService area

    Spring Hill

    A drumlin ridge of 19th-century houses and triple-deckers, with steep lots and long laterals down to the street.

    Learn more
  • Technician running a drum drain machine at a basement cleanoutService area

    Teele Square

    Two-families on Clarendon Hill at the Cambridge, Arlington and Medford lines, where the address decides the inspector.

    Learn more
  • Close-up of hands removing a kitchen sink P-trap into a bucketService area

    Union Square

    Somerville's oldest commercial square, with restaurant kitchens, flats over storefronts and newer buildings on filled land.

    Learn more
  • Technician at an open basement sewer cleanout with a drain camera and monitorService area

    Winter Hill

    Triple-deckers and restored homes along Broadway, on a hill the city has slated for sewer separation.

    Learn more

Rules that apply here

Permits, the city and the state: who handles what on a Somerville drain

Drain cleaning and plumbing repair are not the same thing under Massachusetts rules. The state plumbing regulations say no plumbing may be installed, altered, removed, replaced or repaired until the local inspector has issued a permit, and they list the clearance of a stoppage among the jobs that need no permit [2]. In practice, a contractor can snake or jet your drain without paperwork, but cutting in a new cleanout, replacing a cracked section of stack or installing a backwater valve is permit work for a licensed plumber.

The city's Water and Sewer Department looks after the public sewer mains and responds to backup calls on the city side [5]. Wastewater from Somerville then travels to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's treatment plant on Deer Island [1]. If digging in the yard is ever needed to reach a lateral, Massachusetts law requires a Dig Safe notice before excavation, even on private property [8].

Guides

Plain-spoken guides to the drain trouble Somerville owners call about

Short answers first, then safe checks, likely causes and what to tell the contractor on the phone.

All guides
  • Murky water spread across a concrete basement floor around a drainGuide

    Backwater valves explained

    What a backwater valve does on a combined sewer, where it is fitted, its limits, and why a licensed plumber and permit are needed.

    Read the guide
  • Dirty water spreading across a basement floor from a backed-up floor drainGuide

    Basement floor drain backing up

    Why water comes up through a Somerville cellar floor drain, how to tell a blocked lateral from storm surcharge, and what to do first.

    Read the guide
  • Inside of an old drain pipe crusted with rust scale and debrisGuide

    Cast iron drain pipe problems

    Why old cast iron stacks and building drains scale, crack and slow down, and how to tell when cleaning stops being enough.

    Read the guide
  • Bathtub holding slow standing water from a clogged drainGuide

    Gurgling drains

    Why sinks, tubs and toilets gurgle, how to tell a vent problem from a building clog, and what a drain contractor checks first.

    Read the guide
  • Drum drain machine set up beside an opened cellar cleanout fittingGuide

    Finding your sewer cleanout

    Where cleanouts hide in old cellars, what the cap looks like, and why it is safer to locate it than to open it during a backup.

    Read the guide
  • Open cabinet under a kitchen sink showing the trap and old drain pipingGuide

    Kitchen grease clogs in older homes

    Why grease builds up so quickly in old cast-iron and galvanized kitchen lines, and what a lasting clearing involves.

    Read the guide
  • Row of wooden multi-family houses with front porches on a residential streetGuide

    Landlord vs tenant drain clogs

    Who calls whom when a rental drain clogs, what a tenant can safely try, and how shared pipes change the conversation.

    Read the guide
  • Murky water pooled across a cellar floor around a floor drainGuide

    Sewer backup during heavy rain

    How combined sewers behave in storms, what to do the day before heavy rain, and how responsibilities split between the city and the owner.

    Read the guide
  • Drain camera view of a clean pipe after hydro jettingGuide

    Sewer smell in the basement

    Why older Somerville cellars smell like sewer gas, from dried floor drain traps to cracked cast iron, and how the source gets found.

    Read the guide
  • Inside of a sewer pipe choked with a mass of fine tree rootsGuide

    Signs of a clogged main sewer line

    The whole-house symptoms that separate a main line clog from one bad drain, and how a contractor confirms it at the cleanout.

    Read the guide
  • Technician feeding a drain camera into a basement cleanoutGuide

    Tree roots in clay sewer laterals

    How roots work their way into the joints of old clay sewer laterals, the symptoms they cause, and how they are cut, cleared and inspected.

    Read the guide
  • Row of Somerville triple-decker houses on a tree-lined street in autumnGuide

    Triple-decker shared drain stack clogs

    How the shared cast-iron stack in a triple-decker carries three units of wastewater, and why one clog can flood a neighbor's sink.

    Read the guide
  • Clean, dry concrete basement floor around a round floor drain grateGuide

    Washing machine drain overflow

    Why the washer standpipe or laundry tub spills over, how lint and soap build up, and when the real problem is the main line.

    Read the guide
  • Close-up of hands removing a kitchen sink P-trap into a bucketGuide

    What not to pour down drains

    The short list of things that cause most avoidable clogs in Somerville homes: grease, wipes, coffee grounds and mixed drain chemicals.

    Read the guide

FAQ

Questions Somerville residents ask about drain cleaning

Still have a question?

A short call usually answers it.

Call Now(617) 716-8728

Who do I call when my drain is clogged in Somerville?

For a clog inside your house or in the private line to the street, call a drain contractor. Calling this site connects you with an independent local one. If you think the city sewer in the street is backed up, report it to the city through 311.

Is the landlord or the tenant responsible for a clogged drain?

That depends on your lease and on what caused the clog, so this site cannot answer it for you. Practically, tell the owner quickly, because in a multi-family building a clog in a shared stack affects everyone, and early action keeps water off ceilings.

Do I need a plumber or a drain cleaner for a backed-up sink?

For a simple clog, a drain contractor with the right machine is usually enough. If the pipe turns out to be cracked, rotted or sagging, repairing it is plumbing work that Massachusetts requires a licensed plumber to do under a permit.

Why does my basement drain back up only when it rains hard?

Much of Somerville has combined sewers that carry stormwater and wastewater together. In a heavy storm the system can fill, and water may push back through the lowest drain in the house. A camera look at your line helps rule out a blockage of your own.

Can I use a chemical drain opener before calling?

It is better not to. Chemical openers rarely clear a grease or paper clog deep in a stack, they can harm old pipe, and they make the job hazardous for whoever opens the line next. If you already used one, say so on the call.

Can someone come out tonight for a drain backup in Somerville?

It depends on which contractors are working when you call, so ask on the call if a visit can be arranged tonight. Nothing on this site promises an arrival time. While you wait, stop running water in the building, warn other units, and keep people away from any sewage in the basement.

Close-up of hands removing a kitchen sink P-trap into a bucket

Tell a Somerville drain contractor what your drains are doing

Call and describe the clog, the floor it is on and what you have noticed. You are connected with an independent local contractor and can ask your questions on that same call, including whether a visit can be set up tonight.

Call now(617) 716-8728

Sources and citations

  1. [1]City of Somerville: Combined Sewer Overflow Plan
  2. [2]248 CMR 3.05: Permits (Massachusetts plumbing regulations, via Cornell LII)
  3. [3]Somerville, Massachusetts (Wikipedia)
  4. [4]Triple-decker (Wikipedia)
  5. [5]City of Somerville: Water and Sewer
  6. [6]Cast iron pipe (Wikipedia)
  7. [7]Vitrified clay pipe (Wikipedia)
  8. [8]Mass.gov: About Dig Safe

Keep reading

Related services and guides

Call Now(617) 716-8728