Sewer Cleaning

The Greenfield Sewer Dept. will be cleaning the sanitary sewers in Greenfield as an ongoing project. We will be removing debris and tree roots with a combination of high water pressure and tools designed to accomplish the job. Every effort will be taken to prevent issues with your home’s internal plumbing. One of the initial measures to keep water pressure from affecting your system will be the removal of your sanitary sewer clean-out cap located outside, next to your home. This will allow excess water pressure to escape the sewer.

We will be postings signs in your area when we begin work, and providing notices like the one below as well. Work will be begin Monday July 3 rd. The area affected first will be from State Street (SR9) West to Roosevelt Drive and from Main (US40) North to McKenzie.

Some homes do not have proper sewer vents or an outside clean-out. Some clean-outs can be very hard to find. In this case, it is important for the homeowner or resident to take the following steps to prevent water from being forced out of toilets, sinks and drains.

• Place a towel over the toilet, lower the seat and place a heavy book or object on top of the seat.

• Place a towel or cloth over sink drains or floor drains. Basement drains should already have a plug, tightly in place. If they are not plugged, cover these too.

Most homes are not affected by this heavy cleaning, but we want to protect the homes without clean-outs or proper venting. By taking these simple steps, excess water pressure will be contained by your toilet and drain covers.

One other side affect of sewer cleaning can be that the water is pulled out of these same toilets and drains. If this occurs, you may smell sewer gas. Flush the toilets and run water in every sink and drain to refill the water traps. This will stop the smell and you can then allow fresh air to dissipate the odors. We understand the inconvenience, but we are trying to maintain the sanitary sewer system and prevent other issues that can occur.

If you have any questions, feel free to call our office Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.

Thanks for Your Cooperation, there are several pictures below to more clearly show the features mentioned above.

Sewer Cleanout Cap - Can be removed but not necessary in normal conditions. We'll make every effort to remove home clean-out caps during heavy cleaning and root removal.

Sewer Vent Pipe - hopefully your home has a sewer vent pipe on the roof which will help reduce your risk of sewer water blowback during sewer cleaning. (Some older homes do not have sewer vent pipes.)

Place a towel over the toilet, lower the seat and place a heavy book or object on top of the seat. Place a towel or cloth over sink drains or floor drains. Basement drains should already have a plug, tightly in place. If they are not plugged, cover these too.

If you have any questions, feel free to call our office Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.