Drain Cleaning in Drake, CO

Drake homes and their sewer lines

Drake homes are mostly cabins and small houses on narrow lots between US 34, the river and the canyon walls, with a mix of older summer places, houses rebuilt after 1976 or 2013 and newer homes up the side roads.

Every home relies on a private septic system and a well or small shared water system. After 1976 the county redrew the canyon floodplain, which limits where a tank and field can go on many lots.

Lines are often short and steep from the house, then run nearly flat to a tank squeezed onto whatever level ground the lot has.

Drake drain problems

Drake drain calls come from the river, the rock and the cold. Cottonwood and willow roots along the Big Thompson reach old joints, granite keeps lines shallow, shaded canyon lots freeze in winter, and systems damaged or rebuilt after the 2013 flood can run differently from what old records show.

What drain work usually costs in Drake

Where the North Fork meets the Big Thompson

Drake grew up at the confluence where the North Fork comes down from Glen Haven and joins the main Big Thompson River, in the middle of the canyon that US 34 follows from Loveland to Estes Park. The post office opened in 1905, when the canyon was a summer destination for people from the Front Range towns. Today about a thousand people share the 80515 ZIP code, living in cabins and houses along the river, up County Road 43 and on the side roads that climb out of the canyon.

Almost every lot here is a compromise between the highway, the river and the rock. Houses sit close to the water or are cut into the slope, and there is rarely much flat ground for a septic system.

Two floods that reshaped the canyon

On the night of July 31, 1976, a stalled thunderstorm dropped a foot of rain over the upper canyon. Near Drake, the river rose from almost nothing to more than 31,000 cubic feet per second in under an hour. The flood killed 144 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in the canyon. Afterward, Larimer County redrew the floodplain, and many lots were never rebuilt.

In September 2013, a week of rain sent the Big Thompson and the North Fork over their banks again. This time the water stayed high for days, washing out long stretches of US 34 and isolating canyon residents. Homes in Drake lost septic tanks, drain fields and service lines, and some were rebuilt in new spots on the same lot.

What the floods mean for your drains today

If your Drake home was repaired or rebuilt after 2013, the drain line may not follow the route on the original permit. Contractors working fast after the flood sometimes reused old pipe, connected new pipe to old in unexpected places or moved the tank to higher ground. Sediment left by the flood can also sit inside an old line, where it catches paper and slows drainage. A camera inspection from the cleanout shows the actual route and condition, and a locator marks the line on the surface so you know where not to dig or park.

River roots in narrow lots

Cottonwoods, willows and alders grow thick along the Big Thompson, and on a narrow Drake lot the drain line is never far from them. Roots find the joints in clay and cast iron and the seams in older plastic, then spread into a mat that traps waste. Cutting the roots restores flow for a while. For a lasting fix, the joints where roots get in need sealing or replacing, and a camera shows how many there are.

Cold mornings in the canyon

The Big Thompson Canyon is narrow enough that many Drake lots see little winter sun, and cold air slides down from the high country on calm nights. Drains under porches, in crawlspaces and in lines that run shallow over rock freeze first. Cabins that sit empty for a week or two are at greater risk, especially if the heat is turned down. If a drain stops suddenly after a bitter night, stop running water and call. A plumber can thaw the line from a cleanout without digging.

When a Drake drain backs up

1. 01

   Stop using water

   In a small cabin, a backed-up line fills a tub or floor drain quickly.

2. 02

   Find the cleanout

   Look along the foundation, under a deck or in the crawlspace on the river side.

3. 03

   Think about the timing

   A sudden stop after a cold night suggests ice; steady slowing points to roots or sediment.

4. 04

   Describe the access

   Tell the plumber which side road you're on and where a truck can safely pull off US 34.

Drake warning signs

• Fine root strands on the cable after clearing
• Silt or sand in the trap or cleanout
• Slow drains every spring as the river rises
• A drain stopping on a frigid morning
• Odor near the tank after a busy summer weekend

What changes the price in Drake

A simple fixture clog is quick. Roots, frozen lines, rebuilt systems that need locating and the drive up the canyon add time. Plumbers serving Drake usually come from Loveland or Estes Park, and either trip is a fair distance in winter. Combining clearing, a camera inspection and a locate in one visit gets the most from the trip. Ask what range to expect once you have described the lot and the road.