Drain Cleaning in Ignacio, CO

Ignacio homes and their sewer lines

Ignacio's oldest houses line the streets off Goddard Avenue, frame homes from the early and middle 1900s, some with additions built over the years. Ranch houses, manufactured homes and newer subdivisions sit around the edges of town and out along the county roads toward Bayfield and Durango.

Water and sewage treatment for Ignacio come from a utility run by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, which also serves the tribal campus around town. The tribal plant discharges to Rock Creek, a tributary of the Los Pinos; an older town plant near the river is out of service.

An Ignacio house from before about 1970 may have cast iron inside and clay tile to the main, while newer homes and most manufactured homes use plastic drain pipe. Outside town, most homes rely on a septic system.

Ignacio drain problems

Ignacio's drains face river-bottom ground, big cottonwoods along the Los Pinos and its ditches, and real winter cold in a low valley. Add a mix of old clay laterals in town and septic systems on the acreages around it, and the calls run from root-choked mains to frozen lines under manufactured homes.

Ignacio drain cleaning price ranges

A town at the center of the Southern Ute Reservation

Ignacio grew up around the Southern Ute Agency after the reservation was set up in 1878. The post office opened on January 31, 1882, and the town incorporated in 1913. Today it is the seat of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, whose government offices, the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum and the Sky Ute Casino Resort are all close to town. The tribe is also a major employer, and its growth has brought new housing to Ignacio and the land around it.

Who treats Ignacio's sewage

Ignacio's sewage goes to a treatment plant run by a Southern Ute tribal utility, which also provides drinking water to the town and the tribal campus. The plant discharges treated water to Rock Creek, which flows into the Los Pinos. The town's older plant, near the river, is no longer in use.

For a homeowner, the important line is the one between the house and the main. That service line is normally the owner's responsibility. If a backup seems to involve the main itself, call the Town of Ignacio or the tribal utility before hiring a plumber, so the right crew comes out.

The Los Pinos and river-bottom ground

The Los Pinos River, also called the Pine River, flows south past Ignacio from Vallecito Reservoir toward Navajo Lake. Much of the town sits on old river terraces of sand, gravel and cobble, with irrigation ditches carrying water to fields around it. That ground drains fast but can also settle, and lines laid in loose fill sometimes sag. A sag in an Ignacio lateral holds water and lets silt and grease build up, so the line slows down again and again. A camera inspection finds the low spot.

Cottonwoods along the river and ditches

Big cottonwoods follow the Los Pinos and the ditches that branch from it, and they are among the thirstiest trees in Colorado. Their roots travel a long way toward water, and a cracked or loose clay joint in an Ignacio sewer line is an easy target. Root cutting clears the pipe; hydro jetting can scour out the fine root mass that a cutter leaves behind. If roots keep coming back, ask about lining the pipe.

Manufactured homes and winter cold

Manufactured homes are common in and around Ignacio, and their drains run under the floor inside skirting, close to the outside air. On clear January nights cold settles in the river valley, and a drain line behind torn or missing skirting can freeze solid. Keep skirting intact, close any vents in winter, and consider heat tape on exposed drain and water lines. If a drain freezes, a plumber can thaw it and look for a crack before you run water again.

Septic on the acreages

Outside town limits, out toward Bayfield, Oxford and Arboles, most homes use septic systems. A septic tank needs pumping every three to five years for a full-time household. When every drain in the house slows at once, the tank is often full; when only one fixture is slow, it is usually a clog in that branch. A plumber can clear the line from the house to the tank, and a septic company handles the tank and leach field.

Feast days, gatherings and grease

Big family meals and community gatherings are part of life in Ignacio, from the Southern Ute Bear Dance in spring to the Southern Ute Tribal Fair in September and the holidays. Large-batch cooking means lots of grease, and grease poured down a kitchen drain cools and hardens in the pipe. Pour cooled grease into a can, scrape plates into the trash and run hot water after doing dishes.

When an Ignacio drain backs up

1. 01

   Stop running water

   In a blocked Ignacio house, more water only rises at the lowest drain or tub.

2. 02

   Check if you are on septic

   If you are outside town, a full tank may be the cause.

3. 03

   Find the cleanout

   Look along the foundation or under the home where the main line leaves.

4. 04

   Call the right party

   Neighbors backing up too? Call the Town of Ignacio or the tribal utility.

Ignacio warning signs

• Water backing into an Ignacio tub when the toilet flushes
• Roots on the cable after clearing an Ignacio clay line
• A frozen drain under a manufactured home after a cold snap
• Every drain slowing at once in a house on septic near Ignacio
• A sewer smell in the yard near the cleanout