Hydro Jetting in Sun City West, AZ

Signs the main line needs more than a plunger

• The guest bath tub or shower fills when the main toilet is flushed
• Toilets gurgle after the washer or dishwasher runs
• More than one drain is slow at once
• The line was cleared before and the problem is back
• An odor near the outside cleanout or at a floor drain

A single slow lavatory sink is usually hair and soap in its trap. When multiple drains act up together, the clog is in the shared main or the lateral heading to the street.

Sun City West's sewer and housing

Sun City West is an unincorporated Del Webb retirement community, built out on about 11,000 acres and completed in 1997. EPCOR provides both water and sewer service and maintains the sewer mains and manholes in the Sun Cities. If neighbors are reporting backups too, call EPCOR at 1-800-383-0834, which it staffs for emergencies at any hour. If the trouble is only in your house, the private lateral or building drain is the likely spot and a plumber is the first call.

The community's last homes were finished in 1997, so even the newest drain lines here have decades of use behind them. Depending on when a house was built and how it was plumbed, lines can be older materials or plastic. Common causes of buildup include grease, paper and residue in lines that see light daily use, roots from landscape trees near the lateral, and dried deposits in homes that sit empty for part of the year. Jetting clears all of these from the pipe wall.

What changes the cost

• Whether there's an accessible cleanout or a toilet must be pulled
• Length of the lateral to the EPCOR main
• Type and amount of buildup
• Camera inspection before or after the jetting
• Weekend or evening scheduling

Sun City West has no city government, so any repair the camera calls for is permitted through Maricopa County Planning and Development, which lists like-for-like plumbing repair as a web-issued permit.

What happens when you call

The number on this page connects you with an independent plumber who works in Sun City West. Mention which fixtures are affected and whether the home has been vacant recently. Until the line is clear, avoid running water and keep everyone away from any overflow. If you're away for the season, a neighbor or home watch service can let the plumber in.