Drain Cleaning in Kittredge, CO

Kittredge homes and their sewer lines

Many Kittredge homes started as summer cabins in the early and mid 1900s and have since been enlarged and winterized. Newer homes sit higher on the slopes.

The Kittredge Sanitation and Water District serves much of the community near the highway. Homes farther up the gulches may be on septic.

Lots are narrow along the creek and steep on the hillsides, which shapes how drain lines run.

Kittredge drain problems

Cottonwood and willow roots along Bear Creek get into older laterals. Hillside homes have steep lines and walk-out levels that back up first. Shaded north-facing lots stay cold, so drains freeze in crawlspaces and under decks. Old cabin plumbing joined to newer additions catches debris.

What drain work usually costs in Kittredge

Life along Bear Creek

Kittredge stretches along Bear Creek in a narrow canyon, with Highway 74 running beside the water. Homes sit on both banks and climb the gulches on either side. The creek is beautiful, but it shapes the community's drain problems: lines near the water sit in damp ground lined with cottonwoods and willows, and their roots are always looking for a leak.

The local sanitation district

The Kittredge Sanitation and Water District serves much of the community near the highway, from around Troublesome Gulch on the west toward Meyers Gulch on the east. The district maintains its mains. Owners maintain the line from the house to the district's main. Homes farther up the side gulches, outside the district, are more likely to be on septic.

Cabins that grew

Like much of the Bear Creek corridor, Kittredge started as a summer retreat, with cabins built in the early and mid 1900s. Many have been enlarged and winterized. That means an old cabin's original drain might now carry water from a modern kitchen, two bathrooms and a laundry. Where old and new pipe meet, there can be a lip, an offset or a sag that catches debris. A camera inspection shows these clearly.

High water on Bear Creek

Bear Creek runs high during spring snowmelt and can rise quickly in summer storms, and the September 2013 floods sent heavy flows through the canyon. Homes near the creek sit on ground where groundwater rises with the water. Older lines with cracked joints can take in water and silt during high flows. If your drains slow every spring, groundwater getting into the line is a likely reason.

Shaded slopes and cold

The canyon walls shade many Kittredge homes for much of the winter day, and north-facing lots can stay cold and icy for weeks. In the Kittredge canyon, crawlspace lines, drains under decks and pipes in outer walls freeze before anything else. Insulating those lines and keeping crawlspace vents closed in winter prevent most freeze calls.

If your Kittredge home backs up

1. 01

   Stop water use

   Hold off on laundry, showers and dishes.

2. 02

   District or septic?

   That decides who to call if the problem is in the main.

3. 03

   Find the cleanout

   Often outside near the foundation on the downhill side.

4. 04

   Ask about roots

   Lines near the creek often have them.

Kittredge drain warning signs

• Walk-out bathroom gurgling
• Drains slowing every spring
• Silt in a cleared line
• A drain that freezes on a shaded lot
• Sewer smell near the creek side of the house

Walk-out levels on the hillsides

Homes on the slopes often have walk-out lower levels with a bathroom or laundry. That level is closest to the line leaving the house, so it shows a main line clog first. If water appears there when someone showers upstairs, call for drain cleaning before it reaches a finished floor.

What affects the cost in Kittredge

Simple clogs are routine. Root cutting near the creek, old cabin plumbing, steep access and frozen pipe take more time. Tell the plumber whether you're on the district's sewer or septic, and where the cleanout is.

Highway 74 and the canyon

Highway 74 is the main road through Kittredge, connecting Evergreen with Morrison and the Denver area. Homes along the highway are close to the road, and some lines cross under driveways that see heavy use. A driveway or road that has settled over a sewer line can push it out of alignment. If you see a dip in pavement over your line and also have slow drains, mention both.

Wildfire thinning on Kittredge lots

Wildfire risk in the Evergreen area has led many Kittredge owners to thin trees and clear brush. Keep machines off septic tanks and fields during that work, and avoid stacking heavy loads of logs over sewer lines. Mark lines and tanks before any crew arrives.

Cabin conversions and permits

When an old Kittredge cabin is converted to a year-round home, the drain system is often extended rather than replaced. Adding bathrooms or a laundry to an old cabin's drain can overload it. If you're planning a remodel, have the existing line scoped first so you know whether it can carry the extra load or should be replaced while walls are open.

Community and gatherings

The Kittredge community has a civic association and gathers for events through the year. Homes along Bear Creek often host summer visitors who come for the creek and nearby parks. More people mean more water through older lines. Spreading out laundry and keeping wipes out of toilets help.

Bear Creek Lake and the lower canyon

Downstream from Kittredge, Bear Creek flows through Idledale and Morrison to Bear Creek Lake. Homes along the whole canyon share similar drain challenges: creekside roots, cold shaded lots and cabins that grew into houses. Kittredge owners whose homes sit close to the water should consider a camera inspection every few years to watch for roots before they cause a backup.

Septic up the side gulches

Homes up Kerr Gulch, Troublesome Gulch and the other side drainages above Kittredge sit farther from the district's mains, and some rely on septic. Those lots are steep and wooded, with tanks set wherever the ground allowed.