Call Us First
Why do we want you to call us first before calling a plumber?
1) The District doesn’t charge for a sewer call and odds are that the District will respond faster than a plumber in most cases.
2) If a plumber is called first and the problem is on the District’s side of the property line cleanout, the plumber will bill for their time, and the property owner will have to call the District anyway.
3) If the problem is on the customer side of the property line cleanout, the District will notify the property owner to call a plumber. You may have wasted an hour but you won’t be receiving a bill from the District.
How to determine what your issue might be?
If the kitchen sink is not draining or draining slowly, check another source, like a bathroom sink or bathtub. If the second source is draining just fine, then it is most likely related to the kitchen sink. To resolve this problem, add water to the sink and use a plunger to push the blockage down and away. Make sure there is water in the sink so water pressure is used when plunging to clear the blockage and not air pressure. Water is more forgiving to your pipes and will provide a better seal.
If the second source backs up and doesn’t drain this is a good indication that the lateral going from the home to the sewer main might be clogged. This is when you would call the North Tahoe PUD for assistance at (530) 546-4212. This number is answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If it is during regular working hours (8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday) one of our Customer Service Representatives will answer and a District employee will be dispatched. If it is after hours, you will be prompted to push buttons for a sewer emergency and then our after-hours answering service will contact an on-call person who will respond within 60 minutes.