Drain Cleaning in Alamosa, CO

Alamosa homes and their sewer lines

Alamosa housing spans early 1900s brick and frame homes near Main Street and the old rail yards, postwar bungalows and ranches, student rentals near Adams State, manufactured homes and newer subdivisions on the edges of town.

The City of Alamosa provides water and sewer. Its water comes from wells; the city built a new treatment plant around 2008 to meet the tighter federal arsenic limit, and after a 2008 salmonella outbreak traced to the water system it began chlorinating. Homes in the county outside the city mostly use wells and septic.

Older Alamosa houses often have clay sewer laterals and cast iron inside; newer homes have PVC.

Alamosa drain problems

Alamosa drain calls are driven by cold, old pipe and river trees. The valley floor sees some of the coldest nights in the country, cottonwood roots follow the Rio Grande into town, and clay laterals from the railroad era crack and shift.

What drain work usually costs in Alamosa

A railroad town that arrived on flatcars

Alamosa was built almost overnight. In June 1878, Denver and Rio Grande crews loaded buildings from Garland City onto flatcars and moved them to the new railhead on the Rio Grande; the post office opened that March and the town incorporated in August. The railroad pushed on to Monte Vista in 1881, and Alamosa became the shipping and trading center of the San Luis Valley. Adams State, founded in 1921 as a teachers college, gave the town a university, and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to the northeast brings visitors through every summer.

The town's name, Spanish for cottonwood, still describes the river: tall cottonwoods line the Rio Grande as it passes through town.

City water and sewer, and a lesson from 2008

The City of Alamosa provides water and sewer service. Its water comes from wells, and when federal arsenic limits tightened to 10 parts per billion, the city built a new treatment plant that opened around 2008. That same year, a salmonella outbreak traced to the city's water system sickened hundreds of residents, and the city moved to chlorinate its supply. For drains, the takeaway is that the city maintains the mains and plants, while the service line from each house to the main is the owner's responsibility, along with every drain inside.

One of the coldest towns in the country

The San Luis Valley floor is a high, flat basin where cold air pools on clear winter nights. Alamosa's record low is 50 below zero, and subzero mornings are routine in January. On July 10, 2020, the city recorded both a record low and a record high less than 12 hours apart. That cold reaches drains in crawlspaces, garages, mobile home skirting and exterior walls. If a drain stops on a frigid morning, stop running water, keep the house warm and call. Insulating skirting, sealing crawlspace vents in winter and heat tape on exposed lines prevent most repeat freezes.

Cottonwood roots and old clay

Older Alamosa neighborhoods near downtown, the rail yards and the river have clay sewer laterals laid decades ago, often beside cottonwoods and elms that are now enormous. Their roots find every cracked joint. The result is a line that slows, then backs up into the lowest drain. Root cutting opens the line; a camera inspection shows how many joints are damaged and whether a spot repair is enough.

Student rentals and shared houses

Near Adams State, many houses are rented to students, often with more people than the plumbing was designed for. Grease from cooking, hair in shower drains and wipes in toilets are the usual causes of backups. Landlords can prevent many calls with drain strainers, trash cans in bathrooms and a quick line cleaning between tenants.

When an Alamosa drain backs up

1. 01

   Stop running water

   Don't keep running the washer or flushing.

2. 02

   Check for ice

   On a subzero morning, a frozen line is likely; warm the space.

3. 03

   Find the cleanout

   In older Alamosa yards it may be buried in the lawn between the house and the alley or street.

4. 04

   Describe the house

   Tell the plumber its age and whether big trees are near the line.

Alamosa warning signs

• A drain that stops on the coldest morning
• Roots on the cable after clearing
• An Alamosa toilet that gurgles when the tub empties
• Water in the lowest floor drain
• Sewer odor in a crawlspace

Homes outside the city

Many homes around Alamosa in the county are on wells and septic systems. The valley's shallow groundwater in places means septic fields need proper separation from the water table. Pump tanks on schedule and call when drains slow down.

What changes the price in Alamosa

Local plumbers mean little travel cost. Thawing, root cutting and camera work add time. Ask what an Alamosa visit should run before work starts.

A shallow water table on the valley floor

The San Luis Valley floor is flat, and in parts of Alamosa near the Rio Grande the groundwater sits close to the surface, especially when the river runs high in late spring. Basements are less common here than on the Front Range for that reason. A cracked lateral can take in groundwater and sand in those months, and older floor drains in low basements may seep. If your Alamosa drains slow mostly in May and June, mention it.