Sewer Backup in Laurens: Stop, Find the Blockage, Prevent the Next One

Stop using water

If sewage or dirty water is coming up a floor drain, tub or toilet, stop all water use: no flushing, no showers, no laundry, no dishwasher. Every drop you send down comes back up at the lowest opening. Keep people and pets away, wear gloves, and ventilate the room.

Yours or the main?

In Laurens, the pipe from the house to the public sewer main is usually the owner's, and the main in the street is CPW's. Two quick clues help. If only one fixture is slow, the clog is probably in that fixture's drain. If every drain is slow, or the lowest drain backs up when an upstairs toilet flushes, the blockage is in the main house drain or the lateral to the street.

If neighbors are having the same trouble, or a manhole in the street is overflowing, the public main may be blocked; report it to CPW right away.

What CPW says should never go down a drain

CPW's wastewater page is blunt about flushable products: many items sold as disposable or flushable do not break down like toilet paper, and they end up clogging pipes, tangling pumps and causing sewer backups into streets, businesses and homes. CPW notes that house drains are only large enough to carry water, toilet paper and human waste, and that sewer pipes are often no wider than four inches.

CPW's do-not-flush list includes diapers of every kind, facial tissues, baby wipes, disinfectant and moist wipes, toilet bowl scrub pads and dust or cleaning cloths. Cooking grease is another common culprit: it cools and hardens inside the pipe.

Clearing the clog

A plunger on a single toilet or sink is fine. For a main line blockage, a plumber will usually clear it through a cleanout with a cable machine or water jetter, and may run a camera to see why it blocked: roots, a sag, a broken joint, or grease. The camera footage is worth asking for; it shows whether the line needs a repair or just cleaning.

The City of Laurens lists clearing stoppages as work that does not require a permit, so a straightforward cleaning is not a permit job.

When the lateral needs repair

If the camera shows a broken or collapsed pipe that has to be dug up and replaced, that is new work under the City's rules, and it needs a permit and inspection. Work in or under a City road needs an encroachment permit too. Digging also needs an SC811 locate first. The fee tables are in the city permit checklist, and a failed or unready inspection carries a re-inspection fee.

Cleanup and insurance

Sewage is a health hazard. Porous materials that soaked up sewage, such as carpet pad and drywall near the floor, usually have to be removed. Photograph everything before cleanup, keep the plumber's invoice and camera findings, and call your insurer. Standard homeowner policies often treat sewer backup separately, so read your policy or ask your agent.

On septic instead of sewer

If the house is on a septic system, a backup can mean a full tank, a blocked inlet or a failing drain field. Do not open the tank yourself. The septic checklist explains how the state permits repairs and replacements.

Preventing the next backup

Most house sewer backups come from what goes down the drain and from roots. Keep wipes, paper towels, feminine products and grease out of the system; CPW's list is a good one to post near the toilet in a rental. Scrape plates into the trash before washing. If a large tree grows near the sewer lateral, ask the plumber whether a periodic cleaning makes sense, and whether the camera showed root entry at a joint that could be repaired.

A cleanout near the house makes every future cleaning faster and cheaper. If your home does not have an accessible one, ask the plumber about adding one, and whether that would be permitted work. A backwater valve is another option for a basement or a low floor drain; it is new plumbing and needs a permit inside the city.

A word on odors

Sewer smell without a backup usually means a dry trap or a vent problem. A floor drain or a guest-bath shower that is rarely used can lose the water in its trap, letting sewer gas in; pour a jug of water down it. A persistent odor near a toilet can mean a failed wax ring. An odor throughout the house, especially with gurgling drains, can mean a blocked vent on the roof. The first two are simple fixes; the third is a job for a plumber, and any vent piping replacement is permitted work inside the city.

Sewer backup checklist

Stop water use. Check whether neighbors are affected and report a blocked main to CPW. Call a plumber to clear the line and ask for a camera inspection. If the lateral must be replaced, get the permit and an SC811 locate. Clean up safely and document it. Then stop flushing wipes and pouring grease, which is what CPW sees most.

Figures on this page come from: Laurens Commission of Public Works: Wastewater; City of Laurens Planning and Development: Do You Need a Permit? and FAQ; City of Laurens: FY 2026-2027 Fee Schedule, Planning Department (PDF linked from Planning and Development); SC811: South Carolina 811. Checked 2026-10-29.