Drain Cleaning in La Junta, CO

La Junta homes and their sewer lines

The neighborhoods near downtown and the rail yards have homes from the early 1900s through the 1940s, many with clay laterals running to alley mains.

Ranch homes from the 1950s through the 1970s make up much of the rest of town, with cast iron under the floor. The handful of newer La Junta subdivisions were plumbed with PVC.

The City of La Junta operates the public sewer. Farm homes along the river valley are on septic.

La Junta drain problems

Roots from cottonwoods, elms and other shade trees fill old clay laterals. Mineral-heavy water leaves scale in old pipes. Cast iron under older homes scales and cracks, and winter cold snaps freeze drains in crawlspaces.

What drain work usually costs in La Junta

A railroad town on the Arkansas

La Junta grew up as a division point on the Santa Fe Railway, and its older neighborhoods spread out from downtown and the rail yards. Homes from the early 1900s through the 1940s have clay laterals running to alley mains, under shade trees that have grown huge over the decades. Those trees, along with cottonwoods near the Arkansas River, are the main source of roots in La Junta laterals.

Mineral-heavy water

Water across the lower Arkansas Valley carries a lot of dissolved minerals. Over decades, that leaves scale inside old cast iron and galvanized drains, narrowing them and roughening the walls so hair and soap catch more easily. If an older La Junta home has several slow drains at once, scale in the pipes behind the walls may be part of the cause, not just the traps.

Ranch homes and cast iron

Much of La Junta's housing is ranch homes from the 1950s through the 1970s. Those homes usually have cast iron drains under the floor, which scale up and can rust through along the bottom over time. A camera inspection from a cleanout shows how much scale has built up and whether the pipe is still sound.

Hot summers, cold snaps

La Junta's summers are hot, often near 100 degrees, and dry soil drives roots toward any moisture they can find, including leaking sewer joints. Winters are generally mild but bring sharp cold snaps. Drains in crawlspaces, unheated garages and exterior walls can freeze during those snaps.

Farm homes along the river

Along the Arkansas Valley, farm homes near La Junta, Swink and Rocky Ford use septic systems. When one backs up, check the tank's pumping date first. If it's current, a plumber can clear the line and run a camera.

If your La Junta home backs up

1. 01

   Stop water use

   Hold off on laundry, showers and dishes.

2. 02

   Check the lowest drain

   Water at a floor drain or basement toilet points to the main line.

3. 03

   Find the cleanout

   Often near the foundation or in the basement.

4. 04

   Ask about roots

   Older La Junta laterals often have them.

La Junta drain warning signs

• Gurgling toilets after laundry
• Slow drains in several rooms
• Water at the basement floor drain
• Sewer smell in the yard
• A wet spot over the lateral

College and rental homes

Otero College brings students to La Junta, and some older homes near campus are rentals. More people in an older home means more load on an old lateral. Root cutting before the school year and a simple list of what not to flush help landlords avoid emergency calls.

What affects a La Junta bill

Simple clogs are quick. Root-packed laterals, scaled cast iron and farm septic lines take longer. A camera inspection on the first main line call shows whether the problem will come back.

Downtown and the rail yards

La Junta's downtown grew up beside the Santa Fe yards, and the Amtrak Southwest Chief still stops at the station. Older homes in the blocks near downtown are among the oldest in town, and their laterals run to alley mains under trees planted when the houses were new. Those trees are now very large, and their roots reach far. Root cutting every year or two keeps many of these laterals open.

Bent's Fort, the Koshare and local history

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, just east of town, and the Koshare museum in town draw visitors who learn about the area's long history. That history shows up in La Junta's housing too: homes from nearly every decade of the twentieth century stand side by side, with pipe materials to match. A home's age is the best clue to what's under it, so tell the plumber when the house was built.

Clay soil and summer heat

Soils in the lower Arkansas Valley include clay that shrinks in hot, dry summers and swells when wet. That movement works on old pipe joints over the years, especially where a clay lateral meets the cast iron leaving the house. When a camera shows a joint that has separated or shifted, the soil is often the reason, and roots usually follow.

Basements and floor drains

Many older La Junta homes have basements or partial basements with floor drains. Those drains need water poured into them now and then to keep the trap full, or sewer gas can seep in. If a basement floor drain backs up when the washer runs, the main line is the likely cause, not the floor drain.

Melon season and farm country

La Junta sits in melon and farm country, near Rocky Ford and the farms along the Arkansas. Farm families often host big gatherings and process produce at home in summer. Peels, rinds and seeds belong in compost or the trash, not the disposal, and big holiday meals call for scraping grease into a can rather than rinsing it down the sink.

Otero County's wide streets and big yards

La Junta's residential streets are wide, and many homes have deep yards with large trees planted generations ago. Long laterals run under those yards and under alleys to the mains. A camera with a locator can trace the line and mark where it passes under trees, fences or sheds, which helps when planning landscaping or a repair.