Hydro Jetting in Boyds, MD

Is my Boyds home on public sewer?

It depends on the address. Boyds is a former B&O railroad and dairy-farming village in upper Montgomery County that is still semi-rural around Black Hill Regional Park and Little Seneca Lake. WSSC Water is the public water and sewer utility for Montgomery County, but in a rural area like this one, some homes drain to its sewers and others rely on private onsite wastewater systems, and the line between them follows individual properties rather than the ZIP code. Your bill tells you: a WSSC sewer charge means public sewer. Montgomery County also assigns each property a water and sewer category you can look up.

Can jetting help if I'm not on municipal sewer?

Yes, with some care. The building drain from the house to the tank can be jetted the same way as any other line, but the plumber needs to know where it ends. Jetting puts a steady flow of water into the line, and a slow drain at a home on an onsite system may be caused by a problem at the tank end rather than in the pipe. Telling the plumber up front lets them check the right place first and keep water use reasonable. On public sewer, the line runs to a WSSC main at the street, and a backup that affects several neighbors is a reason to call WSSC Water's emergency line at 301-206-4002 before anything else.

What causes repeat clogs in a Boyds drain?

In newer homes the usual causes are grease from the kitchen, wipes and soap residue, which settle and harden along plastic pipe. In older homes, roots from established trees and rough cast iron or clay pipe add to the problem. Long runs on larger lots also give buildup more room to collect. A camera inspection before jetting shows which of these you are dealing with and whether any section is damaged. Clearing a line is maintenance, but if a repair follows, WSSC Water issues plumbing permits and inspects plumbing work in Montgomery County, and the work goes to a plumber registered with WSSC.

A local note

Boyds addresses cover a wide, partly rural area. Give the plumber your street and nearest crossroad, mention whether you have public sewer, and say which drains are backing up. Until they arrive, hold off on laundry and dishwashing.