Inside the City of Falls Church, the City operates the sewer system, while defects in the private lateral are the owner's. Many homes there date to around 1971 or earlier, so older drain lines are common. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Falls Church.
Falls Church drains in brief
Falls Church is a small independent city just inside the Beltway, and its median home was built in 1971, with about half of homes older than that. Cast iron drains, older laterals and mature trees are a common combination here. The City's Department of Public Works operates and maintains the sewer, and part of the wastewater goes to Arlington County's treatment plant while the rest flows through Fairfax County to the Alexandria plant. The Falls Church mailing area is much bigger than the city, and addresses outside city limits are on Fairfax or Arlington county systems.
What to do right now
- Stop using water if more than one drain is slow or a floor drain is filling.
- Check whether your address is inside the City or in Fairfax or Arlington County; your bill tells you.
- If the problem looks like the public main, contact the sewer operator for your address. In Fairfax County that is the 24-hour line at 703-323-1211.
- Find the cleanout, often a capped fitting on the main drain in the basement.
- Move belongings away from the lowest drain and keep people clear of sewage.
- Avoid chemical openers, which can damage older cast iron.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Basement drain fills when the washer empties | Main building drain partly blocked |
| Grit or rust flakes in a slow drain | Scale breaking loose from old cast iron |
| Backups that repeat every season | Roots in the lateral |
| Gurgling after a heavy rain | Extra water entering the line |
| One slow sink | Local clog in the trap or branch |
Cost factors
- One fixture versus the main line
- Access to the cleanout in older basements
- Root cutting, jetting or camera work
- Repairs found once the line is open
- Evening and weekend timing
The City runs a sewer Backflow Prevention Program that reimburses homeowners for a sewer backflow prevention device installed under a plumbing permit, which is worth asking about if your basement has flooded with sewage before. Clearing a clog needs no permit; repairs and device installs inside the City go through the Department of Code Administration. When you call, you are connected with an independent plumber who serves Falls Church.
Drain Cleaning questions in Falls Church
Is there a device that keeps sewage from backing into the basement?
Are older cast iron and clay drain lines harder to clean?
Who handles sewage overflowing from a manhole in the street?
Why is the basement floor drain the first place water comes up?
More plumbing services in Falls Church
Drain Cleaning nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
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