Hydro Jetting in Longmont, CO

What does the City of Longmont handle, and what's mine?

The city maintains the sewer mains and investigates main-line problems. The sewer service line from your house to the main is owned and maintained by the property owner. So if a backup comes from the main, the city wants to know; after hours, it directs residents to Longmont Police and Public Safety Dispatch. If only your house is affected, the private service line is the likely problem, and that's where a plumber jets.

Is my Longmont home likely to have older pipe?

It depends on the neighborhood. Longmont was founded in 1871 by the Chicago-Colorado Colony, and census survey figures put the city's median home at 1991, with about 37% built before 1980. Older homes near Downtown Main Street and the original grid can have cast iron and clay lines, where scale and roots are the usual trouble. Newer neighborhoods such as Prospect New Town are mostly plastic, where grease, wipes and lint cause most clogs. A camera look tells the plumber which case applies and how to set the jet.

Does soft water mean fewer drain problems?

Partly. Longmont's water is soft, about 1-2 grains per gallon according to the city, so mineral scale inside drains is less of an issue than in harder-water parts of the metro. Grease and soap are another story: they still coat pipe walls and catch debris. That's the buildup jetting clears best, because the nozzle sprays the full circle of the pipe instead of just boring through the clog.

A local note on permits

Longmont requires a permit for any change to plumbing systems, so a repair after jetting goes through Building Services at the Development Services Center, 385 Kimbark Street, (303) 651-8332. Cleaning the line itself is maintenance.

When you call, say which neighborhood you're in, roughly when the house was built and which drains are slow. Mention whether the city has checked its main. Until the plumber arrives, hold off on laundry and the dishwasher, and skip chemical drain openers, which won't clear a service-line clog and can damage older pipe.