Drain Cleaning in Florence, CO

Florence homes and their sewer lines

Much of Florence's housing dates from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, with brick and frame homes on tree-lined streets. Those homes often have clay or cast iron laterals. Newer homes are scattered on the edges of town.

The city operates its own sewer system. Properties outside town may use septic systems.

Big shade trees and the valley's hard water are the two main factors in older drain lines here.

What clogs drains in Florence

Roots in old clay laterals cause most main line backups, and cast iron scales up with hard water. Older homes with bathrooms added later sometimes have poorly sloped lines. Winters are relatively mild, but crawlspace lines can freeze in a cold snap.

What drain work usually costs in Florence

Coal, oil and old houses

Florence grew up in the late 1800s around the coal mines of the Fremont County coal field and some of the earliest oil wells in Colorado. Many of its homes date from those boom years and the decades that followed: brick and frame houses on modest lots along tree-lined streets. Those homes have had their plumbing updated in pieces over more than a century, and the sewer laterals under them are often original clay with cast iron inside the house.

Roots in old clay

The big shade trees along Florence's streets and in its yards have had decades to find their way into old clay sewer lines. Roots slip through open joints, grow into mats and catch paper and solids. A backup in an older Florence home, especially in spring or summer, is often roots. Cutting clears them, and a camera shows how many joints are affected and whether the line is a candidate for lining.

Hard water and cast iron

Like the rest of the Arkansas Valley, Florence has hard water. Over decades, minerals build scale inside cast iron drain lines, narrowing them. Kitchen lines with grease buildup are the most affected. If the pipe walls are still sound, descaling restores the full diameter. Where rust has eaten through the underside, that stretch has to come out and be replaced before it starts seeping into the soil or the basement.

Bathrooms added later

Many of Florence's oldest homes were built before indoor plumbing was standard, and their bathrooms were added later, sometimes in back porches, converted closets or basements. Drain lines for those bathrooms were routed wherever they could fit, sometimes with long, flat runs or tight bends. Those lines clog more easily than ones designed from the start. If one bathroom clogs much more than others, a camera shows whether the line is poorly sloped.

Antique shops and downtown buildings

Florence's downtown is known for its antique shops, many housed in buildings over a century old. Some have apartments upstairs, and their drain lines may serve several units. Owners of these buildings benefit from knowing where shared lines and cleanouts are, and from a periodic camera check on older laterals.

Winter in the valley

Florence's winters are relatively mild, but crawlspace plumbing and lines on exterior walls can still freeze in a cold snap. Closing crawlspace vents and insulating pipes prevent most freezes.

Before you call about a Florence drain

Say roughly when the house was built, which fixtures are affected, whether there are big trees near the line and whether the line has ever been scoped. If you're outside town on septic, mention it.

Costs in Florence

A basic sink or toilet clog in Florence costs little. For Florence's older houses, root work and descaling usually sit in the middle of those figures; lining or replacing a section is priced once the camera has shown what's there. In a town with housing this old, a camera on the first main line call is usually money well spent.

Rentals and older homes

Many of Florence's older homes are rentals, including homes rented by staff at the nearby federal correctional complex. When a house changes tenants often, drain habits change with them, and a line can go years without anyone looking at it. Landlords benefit from a camera inspection between tenants on older homes. It shows the line's condition, documents it for the next lease and catches roots or damage before they become an emergency call at an inconvenient time.

Planning a repair in an older Florence home

If a camera shows heavy roots throughout an old clay line, the long-term choice is between lining and replacement. A cured-in-place liner is pulled through the existing clay and hardened there, so the yard stays intact; it needs a pipe that hasn't flattened or broken apart. If sections have collapsed or shifted, those parts need to be dug and replaced. Get the camera video first, then ask for quotes on both options for the specific sections that need work, and compare them against the cost of continued yearly root cutting.

Downtown storefronts with apartments above

Some buildings on Main Street have shops below and living space above, and their drain lines may serve several units. If you own one, find out where the shared lines run and where the cleanouts are before an emergency. A periodic cleaning of the shared main and a camera check on the old lateral to the street prevent most surprise backups, which in a mixed-use building can affect a business and its tenants at the same time.

Florence's oil-field history

Florence sits near one of the oldest oil fields in the West, discovered in the 1880s. That history shaped the town's early growth and its oldest houses, many of which were built quickly for workers and families. Those homes have the drain challenges of any century-old house: clay laterals, cast iron inside and bathrooms added long after construction. A camera inspection is the best starting point for any older home here, and the video is worth keeping with the deed.