# SewerCleaners.ca

> Hiring a sewer cleaner, keeping the line clear, and stopping backups before they start. SewerCleaners.ca is part of the HAUSE Sewer network — an independent Canadian information and service-request network (not a contractor). Contact: sewers@hause.ca, 403-679-3100.

A sewer cleaner is a trades service that clears and maintains the main drain and sewer lateral connecting a building to the municipal sewer. A good sewer cleaner accesses the line through a cleanout, removes roots, grease, scale or debris with a cable machine or hydro jetter, verifies the result with a camera, and recommends a maintenance interval based on what the footage shows.

## Guides

### Backups
- [Backwater valve installation: whether you need one, where it goes and how it is done](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/backwater-valve-installation/): Should you install a backwater valve? When one is required, how it differs from a sump pump, how installation works, where it goes, costs and subsidies.
- [Backwater valves: how they work and how to maintain one](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/backwater-valve-maintenance/): How a backwater valve works, normally open vs normally closed types, a step-by-step maintenance routine, and what to do when it closes in a storm.
- [How to clean up after a sewer backup in the basement](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/sewer-backup-cleanup/): How to clean a sewer backup in a basement: when to do it yourself, gear you need, removing soaked materials, cleaning, disinfecting, drying and rebuilding.
- [Sewer backup: what to do in the first hour](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/sewer-backup-first-hour/): What to do in the first hour of a sewer backup: electrical safety, stopping water use, calling a sewer cleaner, insurance photos, health and cleanup.
- [Is sewer backup dangerous? Health risks, what it smells like and what it looks like](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/sewer-backup-health-risks/): Is sewer backup dangerous? How sewage can make you sick, what sewer backup smells and looks like, when the smell is harmful, and who should stay away.
- [Sewer backup insurance in Canada: coverage, deductibles, condos and claims](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/sewer-backup-insurance/): Sewer backup insurance in Canada explained: what the endorsement covers, deductibles and limits, flood vs backup, condos, septic, and whether it is worth it.
- [What causes sewer backup, and how to tell which cause is yours](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/what-causes-sewer-backup/): What causes sewer backup: roots, grease, wipes, sags, broken pipe, frozen lines and rain-overloaded city sewers, plus how to tell which one caused yours.
- [Where is my backwater valve? How to find it, recognize it and open the cover](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/where-is-my-backwater-valve/): Where is the backwater valve in a house? How to find it, what it looks like, what access box, sleeve and cover mean, how to open it safely, and valve alarms.

### Buildings
- [Condo and multi-family sewer cleaning programs](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/condo-sewer-cleaning-programs/): How condo boards build a sewer cleaning program: stack cleaning, building drains, camera baselines, reserve fund planning, bylaws and resident notices.
- [Landlord and rental property sewer maintenance](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/landlord-sewer-maintenance/): Landlord sewer maintenance for Canadian rentals: pre-tenancy camera checks, cleaning schedules, tenant move-in notes, backup response, access rules and records.
- [Restaurant grease interceptors and kitchen line cleaning](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/restaurant-grease-interceptors/): How restaurant grease interceptors work, pump-out frequency and the 25 percent rule, kitchen line jetting, service logs, and municipal bylaw checks.

### Hiring
- [How to hire a sewer cleaner: the checklist, the questions and the paperwork](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/hire-a-sewer-cleaner/): How to hire a sewer cleaner in Canada: questions to ask, insurance and WCB coverage in Alberta, a written scope template, red flags, and how to compare quotes.
- [Main sewer line cleaning: what is actually involved](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/main-sewer-line-cleaning/): Main sewer line cleaning explained: how pros access the line, cable vs jetting, camera proof, how long it lasts, and what a complete job should include.
- [Sewer cleaning equipment explained: machines, jetters, cameras and trucks](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/sewer-cleaning-equipment/): Sewer cleaning equipment explained: drum and sectional machines, cable heads, jetters and hose, cameras, combination trucks, and what you can rent.
- [What happens during a professional sewer cleaning visit](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/sewer-cleaning-visit/): A step-by-step look at a professional sewer cleaning visit: arrival, questions, access, cleaning, flow testing, camera verification and the paperwork you keep.

### Maintenance
- [Can you clear a main sewer line clog yourself?](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/clear-main-sewer-line-clog-yourself/): Can you clear a main sewer line clog yourself? When DIY is reasonable, why chemical cleaners fail, how to run a rented drain machine safely, and when to stop.
- [Fats, oils and grease: how FOG builds up in sewer lines and how to stop it](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/fats-oils-grease/): How fats, oils and grease (FOG) build up in sewer lines, why hot water and soap fail, how sewer cleaners remove grease, and kitchen habits that prevent it.
- [“Flushable” wipes and what really belongs in a sewer](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/flushable-wipes/): Are flushable wipes safe for sewer lines? Why wipes snag on roots, joints and grease, what belongs in a toilet, and a do-not-flush list for Canadian homes.
- [Is my main sewer line clogged? Symptoms, causes and a simple test](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/main-sewer-line-clog-symptoms/): Main sewer line clog symptoms: floor drain water, gurgling toilets and several slow drains, plus a 10-minute test to tell a main line clog from a branch clog.
- [How to prevent sewer backup in your basement: a layered plan](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/prevent-sewer-backup/): How to prevent sewer backup in a basement: keep your lateral clear, maintain a backwater valve, disconnect downspouts, manage weeping tile, plan for storms.
- [A preventive sewer maintenance schedule you can actually follow](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/preventive-sewer-maintenance-schedule/): A preventive sewer maintenance schedule for Canadian homes: monthly, seasonal, yearly and multi-year tasks, intervals by pipe type, and a log template.

### Seasonal
- [Seasonal sewer risks: spring thaw, heavy rain and winter freeze](https://sewercleaners.ca/guides/seasonal-sewer-risks/): Seasonal sewer risks in Canada: spring thaw and snowmelt, summer storms and surcharges, fall roots and leaves, and winter freeze, with a checklist for each season.

## Tools, costs and reference
- [Sewer cleaning cost in Canada: 2026 planning ranges](https://sewercleaners.ca/costs/sewer-cleaning-cost/): Sewer cleaning cost in Canada for 2026: typical quoted ranges for cable cleaning, hydro jetting, camera inspection, backwater valves and maintenance plans.
- [Sewer Maintenance Planner](https://sewercleaners.ca/tools/maintenance-planner/): Sewer Maintenance Planner: a suggested cleaning and camera inspection interval plus a 12-month checklist based on your house, pipes, trees and history.
- [Sewer Backup Checklist](https://sewercleaners.ca/tools/sewer-backup-checklist/): Sewer Backup Checklist: 24 steps in six stages, from making it safe to after cleanup, with a progress meter and a copy-ready summary for your insurer.
- [Sewer cleaning in Calgary and Alberta](https://sewercleaners.ca/calgary/): Sewer cleaning in Calgary: chinooks and frost, older clay and cast iron lines, boulevard trees, backwater valves, 311, and hiring with WCB-Alberta coverage.
- [Sewer cleaning glossary](https://sewercleaners.ca/glossary/): A plain-language sewer cleaning glossary: backwater valve, cleanout, lateral, hydro jetting, FOG, grease interceptor, surcharge, sonde and 40+ more terms.
- [Sewer cleaning: frequently asked questions](https://sewercleaners.ca/faq/): Answers to the sewer cleaning questions Canadians ask most: how often to clean, cost, cable vs jetting, backups, backwater valves, wipes and hiring.

## Network
- [PipeCleaning.ca](https://pipecleaning.ca/): The Canadian field manual for cleaning drain and sewer pipes — by method, by material, by house.
- [SewerQuotes.com](https://sewerquotes.com/): What sewer work should cost, what a fair quote contains, and how to compare three of them.
- [SewerInspector.ca](https://sewerinspector.ca/): Sewer camera inspections, explained frame by frame — before you buy, renovate or dig.
- [DrainAugering.ca](https://drainaugering.ca/): Find the clog, pick the right cable, and know when augering is the wrong tool.
- [SewerRoots.ca](https://sewerroots.ca/): Tree roots in sewer lines — why they get in, which trees are worst, and how to stop them for good.
- [SewerJetting.ca](https://sewerjetting.ca/): Hydro jetting, pressure by pressure — what it clears, what it can break, and when it is worth it.

## Optional
- [Full text for language models](https://sewercleaners.ca/llms-full.txt)
- [Editorial standards](https://sewercleaners.ca/about/)