Drain cleaning services in Dennis Township, NJ

One fixture or many

A quick test comes first. Run the kitchen tap and watch the closest tub. Flush a toilet and watch the shower drain. Describe the order to the dispatcher and the drain technician arrives knowing whether to start at a fixture or at the main.

See main sewer line clogs.

Drains in Dennis Township: more detail

Postal name inside the township. Tank work goes to a septic contractor.

A rising floor drain

Water follows gravity, and in a Ocean View home the floor drain sits at the bottom. Remember what was running when it started. That detail tells the drain technician where to look.

See basement floor drain backup.

The hand-off on septic

The drain technician clears interior drains and the line from the house to the tank. They do not pump the tank or work on the drainfield; a septic contractor does that. If the technician finds the tank is full or the outlet is the issue, they will say so and you will need to call the right trade. Knowing the split saves a wasted visit.

When a toilet keeps clogging

If a toilet blockages on a usual flush, check what has gone down it. A branch that has narrowed leaves a toilet with too little room for paper, and the blockage is just the visible end of it.

See clogged toilet.

Frozen lines in garages and crawlspaces

After a heavy freeze, watch for slow drains, damp spots or a smell. A line that froze may have split, and a camera can look. Do not use heat sources or open flame on pipes.

See sewer camera inspection.

Before you phone

Start with the address and what you noticed first. Tell us who can let the technician in and whether the house is on sewer or septic.

Cleanouts: where to look

Not every Ocean View house has an accessible cleanout. Installing a cleanout is a separate plumbing job, and frequently a good one if the line has needed several visits.

See cleanout location and access.

What a sewer camera tells you

Ask what you will get after the camera: a recording, still images or a verbal report. A good camera report tells you what to expect from the line next.

See sewer camera inspection.

Why roots find the pipe

A line that slows in late spring and recovers in dry weather frequently has roots. Growth is fastest when the ground is warm and wet, and a lateral with a root mass in it is first to show. A camera shows how heavy the growth is and where it enters.

See tree root removal.

Picking the method

They do different work, so neither is simply better. With old pipe, a camera first shows whether the wall can handle the pressure. Jetting an old pipe before looking at it deserves a question.

See drain snaking and augering.

Where hair and soap collect

In Ocean View homes, the lowest tub is often first to show trouble in the main. A strainer helps prevent hair clogs, and it does not help a main.

See shower and tub drain cleaning.

Overflowing laundry lines

Lint passes through a washer filter and into the line, where it mats with soap and builds up. If the floor drain rises as the washer drains, the main is involved.

See laundry drain clogs.

Gurgling and venting

Pay attention to where the gurgling is. If the toilet gurgles as the tub empties, the two are on one branch. A gurgle in the kitchen when the washer runs means the washer pipe is part-blocked. The pattern tells the drain technician where to look.

See gurgling and slow drains.

How a visit goes

The technician checks the fixtures involved and asks what you have noticed.

Grease in the first stretch of pipe

Grease is a liquid in the pan and a solid in the line. Ocean View kitchens are no exception: the fat cools past the trap and builds on the pipe wall, catching food. Over months the opening shrinks until a little food stops it.

See kitchen grease clogs.

Sewer odours inside the house

Smells are hard to place, so note when you notice it. After a shower, after rain, in one room? In Ocean View, the pattern leads to the cause.

See sewer smell in the house.

Dennis Township at a glance for drain calls

Dennis Township is a township in Cape May County covering 63.94 square miles. About 5.5 percent of that is water. Its elevation is listed at about 16 feet above sea level.

Mention the weather when you describe a backup. At this elevation, a drain that rises only in heavy rain tells the technician to check the line to the street early. With 63.94 square miles to cover, homes can sit a long way from the street, so say where the cleanout is, or that you do not know.

Local names such as Belleplain, Dennisville, Ocean View and South Dennis help a dispatcher place an address quickly. Main roads include Garden State Parkway, U.S. Route 9 and Route 47. The town borders Avalon, Middle Township, Sea Isle City, Upper Township, Woodbine and Maurice River Township, so give your municipality when you call, since that decides which sewer authority serves the street.

Dennis Township is a township in Cape May County, incorporated in 1827. The 2020 census counted 6,285 residents, down 2.8% from 6,467 in 2010.

Communities within Dennis Township

Dennis Township includes Ocean View. These communities use their own postal names, so callers often give a postal name rather than the township’s. All are served from this page, so tell the dispatcher the street and which community you are in.

• Ocean View is a section of Dennis Township in Cape May County, along Route 9 and the Parkway.

What stands out in Dennis Township

Dennisville sits on both sides of Dennis Creek and has a history tied to shipbuilding and the lumber trade.