Sewer Backup Rescue in Collier Hills

Sewer Line Case Study

• Client Location: Ardmore Road, Collier Hills, Atlanta, GA
• The Problem: A main sewer backup in a 1940 home with a young family of four, just hours away from trick-or-treating.
• The Solution: Master Plumber Ryan Hanson cleared a dense magnolia root clog 75 feet down the line the same day. Our team then installed a cleanout, jetted the line, and replaced the broken terra cotta sewer with 6" Schedule 40 PVC.
• Key Result: Drains flowing by 5:00 p.m. in time for trick-or-treating, a new sewer line installed with no interruption to the family's water use, and a workmanship warranty for as long as they own and live in the home.*

The Challenge: A Sewer Backup Hours Before Trick-or-Treating

A long-time customer called us with every homeowner's least favorite problem: a main sewer backup. Water had nowhere to go, and their 1940 home on Ardmore Road in Collier Hills was suddenly off-limits for normal life.

The timing could not have been worse. This young family of four had costumes ready and candy waiting. They needed their plumbing working, and they needed the plumber out of the house before the doorbell started ringing.

Ryan Hanson, Licensed Master Plumber (MP210510) arrived around 2:00 p.m. That left about three hours to find the clog, clear it, and clean up.

The Diagnosis: A Magnolia Tree Moving Into the Sewer Line

Homes built in the 1940s, like many in Collier Hills, often have no sewer cleanout. A cleanout is a capped access pipe that lets a plumber reach the main line from outside. Without one, Ryan had to get creative.

He pulled the toilet in the powder room to reach the home's 4" cast iron drain pipe and feed his sewer machine into the line. Before starting, he laid down plastic sheeting to protect the bathroom from the mess.

About 75 feet down the pipe, the sewer machine hit the problem: a large, thick mass of roots. They came from a beautiful magnolia tree in the front yard. Tree roots seek out the moisture and nutrients inside sewer pipes, and older clay lines with joints every few feet give them an easy way in.

The Strategy: Save Halloween First, Then Fix the Root Cause

Step 1: Clear the clog the same day. After a long battle with the thick magnolia roots, Ryan broke through and got water flowing down the drain again. He reset the toilet, cleaned up, and was out of the house by 5:00 p.m., just in time for trick-or-treating.

Step 2: Add a cleanout and jet the line. Clearing a root clog restores flow, but roots grow back. Later that week, our team returned to locate and dig up the terra cotta (clay) sewer line in the front yard. We installed a cleanout so the sewer can be reached from outside without pulling a toilet again. Ryan then used a hydro jetter, which delivers high-pressure water to remove the remaining roots.

Step 3: Give the homeowners the full picture. With the line exposed and cleaned out, the bad news was clear. The terra cotta sewer line was broken in several places and needed to be replaced. We walked the family through what we found and how the excavation and replacement would work, so they could make a well-informed decision.

Step 4: Replace the sewer line. Two days later, we returned and replaced the old clay line with 6" Schedule 40 PVC pipe. PVC has smooth, tightly sealed joints that roots cannot easily get into, unlike clay sections. The family kept full use of their water throughout the project.