Hydro Jetting in Lucama, NC

Lucama's sewer and older homes

The Town of Lucama owns the sewer collection system, and its wastewater is pumped to the City of Wilson for treatment at the Hominy Creek Water Reclamation Facility, according to Wilson's wastewater system report. If the problem is in the town's main, Lucama is the call. The lateral running from your house to the main is the owner's responsibility.

Lucama is a small farm town with a National Register historic district, and its housing is older. About two-thirds of homes were built before 1980, and the median home dates to 1975. Many older homes have clay tile or cast iron laterals. Roots work into clay joints, especially near large shade trees, and iron develops scale that narrows the pipe. Jetting is effective on both, but cracked or separated pipe can get worse under pressure, so a camera look first is common.

The town has also been replacing old cast iron water main with state funding. That's on the water side, not sewer, but it reflects how much of the town's infrastructure dates from the same era as its homes.

What each method handles

When roots keep returning to the same spot, the realistic choices are periodic cleaning or repairing that section of pipe. A camera run right after jetting gives the clearest view of the joint, because the pipe wall is clean. That footage helps you weigh the cost of regular cleaning against a repair.

Warning signs

• A toilet gurgles when the washer drains
• Water backs up into a tub or shower
• Several fixtures drain slowly together
• Roots came out on a cable

Seasonal timing

Roots grow hardest in late spring through summer, so clogs in older Lucama laterals often turn up by late summer or fall. If your line has had roots before, cleaning it on a regular schedule ahead of that season usually works better than waiting for the next backup. Kitchen grease clogs, by contrast, tend to cluster around holiday cooking in late November and December.