Drain Cleaning in Grover, CO

Grover homes and their sewer lines

Grover homes are mostly older frame houses from the first half of the 1900s, with some later ranch houses and manufactured homes in town and ranches on the surrounding grassland.

Ask the Town of Grover how your property is served. Ranches outside town use private septic systems and wells.

Older Grover houses often have cast iron and clay drains, sometimes with sections replaced in plastic over the years.

Grover drain problems

Grover drain calls come from old pipe and hard winters. Houses that are a century old have cast iron and clay that roots and rust work on, the town's cottonwoods sit close to many lines, and the high plains near the Wyoming border see some of Colorado's longest cold spells.

What drain work usually costs in Grover

Point of Rocks to Grover

Before there was a town, this part of northern Weld County was known as Point of Rocks. In the late 1800s a post office opened about half a mile north of today's town, in the house of Dolly Grover, and it took her name. When the Burlington built its line from Cheyenne to Sterling in 1887, a survey set the townsite, which was platted on November 10, 1888. Grover incorporated on October 6, 1916.

The old Grover depot now serves as a museum, and the town of about 157 people is a jumping-off point for the Pawnee National Grassland and the Pawnee Buttes to the east. Cheyenne, Wyoming, is closer than Greeley, and the Wyoming line is only a few miles north.

Century-old houses and their pipe

Most Grover homes are older frame houses from the first half of the 1900s. Their drains were built with the materials of the time: cast iron under the floor and clay pipe out to the yard. Cast iron slowly rusts and scales from the inside, which narrows the pipe and gives paper and grease a rough surface to catch on. Clay comes in short sections with a joint every few feet, and each joint can shift or let roots in. In a Grover house that is a hundred years old, it's common to find both problems in the same line.

Cottonwoods in town

Grover's streets are shaded by big cottonwoods and other old trees, many as old as the houses. Their roots are strong enough to open clay joints and grow into a line, where they spread into a mat. A line that slows every summer and needs clearing every year or two almost always has roots. Cutting them clears the line, and a camera shows how many joints are involved and whether a repair makes more sense than repeated cutting.

How your property is served

Small towns on the plains handle wastewater in different ways, and arrangements can vary from one property to the next. Ask the Town of Grover how your address is served before planning any digging or major repair, so you know where your responsibility ends. Ranches outside town use private septic systems and wells.

Long winters near the Wyoming line

Grover is on high, open plains close to Wyoming, and its winters are long and windy. Cold spells can last for days, and drains in crawlspaces, exterior walls and older additions with little insulation freeze. Seal gaps in foundations and crawlspace vents in the fall, keep heat in the house even when you're away, and open cabinet doors on cold walls during the worst nights.

When a Grover drain backs up

1. 01

   Stop running water

   Especially in a house with a basement or floor drain.

2. 02

   Check the lowest drain

   In older homes, the floor drain or basement tub usually overflows first.

3. 03

   Find the cleanout

   Look in the basement, along the foundation or in the yard.

4. 04

   Mention the house's age

   It helps the plumber bring the right tools for cast iron or clay.

Grover warning signs

• Roots on the cable after clearing
• Rust flakes from cast iron
• A drain frozen after a long cold spell
• Water rising at a basement floor drain
• Clogs returning every year

Basements and floor drains

Some older Grover homes have basements or cellars with a floor drain at the lowest point. When the line to the street or tank is blocked, sewage comes up there first. A backwater valve can keep it from happening again, and adding a cleanout near the floor drain makes the next clearing easier. Pour water into the floor drain now and then to keep the trap from drying out.

If your Grover cellar has no floor drain at all, a sump or the lowest tub will show a blockage instead, so check there first when a backup starts.

The Pawnee country and visitors

The Pawnee Buttes and the grassland trails east of Grover draw birders, hikers and photographers, especially in spring when raptors nest on the cliffs. Some Grover homeowners rent rooms or a spare house to those visitors. Guests unfamiliar with an old house's plumbing tend to flush wipes and paper towels, which catch on rough cast iron and roots. Keep a trash can in every bathroom, post a note about what can go down the drains and run plenty of water after heavy use. A line that handles a quiet household fine can clog quickly when a full house of guests arrives on a spring weekend.

What changes the price in Grover

A fixture clog is quick. Old cast iron, roots and thawing take longer. Plumbers usually come from Greeley, Ault or Cheyenne, so expect travel to add a little. Describe the house and what you've noticed, and ask what a Grover visit should run.