Drain Cleaning in Silverton, CO

Silverton homes and their sewer lines

Silverton's houses are mostly old: frame homes and cabins from the 1880s through the early 1900s, plus mid-century houses and some newer infill. Many are second homes or short-term rentals that sit empty part of the winter.

The Town of Silverton runs water and sewer and has lined up federal and USDA funding to overhaul its aging wastewater plant and rehabilitate the collection system. The service line from each house to the town main is the owner's.

Older Silverton homes often have a patchwork of cast iron, galvanized and clay drain pipe from a century of repairs.

Silverton drain problems

Silverton drain problems are mostly winter problems. The town averages over 170 inches of snow a year, January nights average below zero, and old houses with crawlspaces and additions freeze drains easily. Aging pipe and summer visitor traffic add the rest.

Silverton drain cleaning cost ranges

A mining town in Baker's Park

Prospectors led by Charles Baker reached this high, flat stretch of the Animas River in 1860, but the land was not opened to mining until an 1873 agreement with the Utes. Silverton was founded in 1874 and incorporated in November 1885. Silver discoveries such as the Sunnyside vein drove the early boom, gold found in 1882 helped the town survive the silver crash of 1893, and mining continued for another century until the Sunnyside Mine and the Shenandoah-Dives mill closed for good in the early 1990s.

The town and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad were designated National Historic Landmarks in 1961. Today Silverton lives on summer train visitors, backcountry skiing and the San Juan Skyway, with about 620 year-round residents.

Old houses and patchwork pipe

Most Silverton houses are old, many from the 1880s to the early 1900s, built quickly in a mining camp and remodeled many times since. Under those houses you can find almost anything: original cast iron, galvanized steel added in the mid-century, plastic from recent repairs and clay or cast iron out to the main. Each change of material is a joint that can leak, catch debris or shift. When a Silverton line backs up more than once, a camera inspection is worth the money because the problem might be a single bad joint or a whole section that needs to be replaced.

The town's sewer upgrades

The Town of Silverton runs water and sewer for the town. Its wastewater plant has needed repair or replacement for more than a decade, and the town has lined up about $2.4 million in congressionally directed funding toward an overhaul, along with a USDA loan for rehabilitating the sewer collection system. Those projects improve the public side. The line from the house to the town main is still the property owner's responsibility, cleanout included.

One of Colorado's harshest winters

Silverton averages more than 170 inches of snow a year, the January average low is about 6 below zero, and the record low is 39 below. Winter here is long, and frozen drains are the most common emergency. Lines in crawlspaces, additions and unheated rooms freeze first. So do laterals in spots where snow is shoveled or plowed away, since bare ground loses its insulation. Keep heat in every room with plumbing, close crawlspace vents, and don't clear snow off the yard over the sewer line.

When no one is home

Many Silverton houses are second homes or rentals that sit empty through parts of the winter. A furnace failure or a power outage in a storm can freeze an empty house in a day. Drain traps freeze and crack, and supply lines can burst. If a Silverton house will be empty, keep the thermostat at a safe level, ask a neighbor or a property manager to check it, and think about a temperature alarm that sends a message to your phone. For a long absence, have the plumbing winterized.

Spring thaw and shallow lines

In Silverton, spring can bring its own drain problems. As deep frost thaws, the ground heaves and settles, which can shift or crack an old lateral. Snowmelt saturates the soil, and water can get into a cracked line or around a loose cleanout. If drains slow down in April or May after a hard winter, have the line scoped before assuming it's a simple clog.

Summer visitors and rental plumbing

From June through September, Silverton fills with train passengers, jeep tourers and hikers, and rentals stay full. Kitchen grease, wipes and heavy shower use add up. A rental with repeated clogs might need regular jetting, and a camera inspection can show whether the line is damaged. A simple sign about what not to flush helps more than most owners expect.

When a Silverton drain stops

1. 01

   Warm the house

   On a cold Silverton morning, a stopped drain is often ice; bring the space up to temperature first.

2. 02

   Stop running water

   If the main is blocked, water backs up at the lowest fixture.

3. 03

   Know your cleanout

   Find it before winter; snow can bury it.

4. 04

   Ask about the drive

   Plumbers often come from Durango or Montrose over the passes, so ask about trip charges and timing.

Silverton warning signs

• A drain that freezes in an old Silverton house with a crawlspace
• Gurgling toilets after a cold night
• Slow drains in spring after deep frost thaws
• Repeated clogs in a summer rental
• Sewage smell near the cleanout