Hydro Jetting in Decatur, GA

Why do Decatur drain lines clog so much?

Age is the biggest factor. Census survey figures put Decatur's median home at 1975, with about 54% built before 1980 and about 23% built in 1939 or earlier. Bungalows in Oakhurst and the older streets around Decatur Square and Agnes Scott College often still have cast iron drains and clay sewer pipe. Cast iron rusts inside and builds a rough crust that grabs grease and paper. Clay joints loosen with age, and mature street trees send roots through them. Cabling opens a hole, but the crust and root hair stay, so the line clogs again. Jetting cleans the full pipe wall, which buys far more time.

Who handles the sewer in Decatur?

Water is a DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management service, and city commission minutes show DeKalb replacing sanitary sewer lines in Decatur, though who owns every local collection line isn't spelled out. For a problem at the street, contact the City of Decatur or DeKalb Watershed; DeKalb's 24-hour emergency repair line is 770-270-6243. A backup limited to one house is almost always in the private building drain or lateral, which is where a plumber works.

Will I need a permit?

Jetting an existing line is cleaning and normally isn't permitted work. Repairs are another matter: the City of Decatur requires a separate trade permit for drainage, sewer or plumbing work regardless of the job's value, and every application goes through the Community Core online portal. If you live at a Decatur-mailing address outside city limits, which covers a lot of ground in ZIPs 30032 through 30035, your permits come from DeKalb County instead.

A local note

On a house this old, a camera inspection before jetting is worth the extra step. It confirms the pipe can take the pressure and shows whether roots are entering at a joint that should be repaired. Many plumbers will also run the camera again afterward so you can see the clean pipe and any defects that were hidden under the buildup.

When you call the number on this page, an independent plumber who serves Decatur will ask about the age of the house, which fixtures are affected and where the cleanout is. Many older Decatur homes have the cleanout in a crawl space or basement rather than the yard, so it helps to know where yours is.