Drain Cleaning in Lincolnwood, IL

A Border Suburb of Ranch Homes

Lincolnwood sits directly against Chicago's north side, developed mostly through the 1950s and 60s with brick ranch and split-level homes on clay and early PVC branch lines. Lincolnwood's ZIP code (60712) covers the entire village.

Basement Backups in Ranch Homes

A ranch home's basement floor drain is often the first place a backup shows itself - see basement drain backup for how that gets resolved.

Everyday Bathroom Clogs

Hair and soap buildup in a bathroom line is one of the most routine calls in a well-established residential suburb like Lincolnwood - see bathroom and tub drain cleaning for the fix.

Tessville and a Postwar Suburb

Lincolnwood, bordering Chicago's far North Side, was incorporated in 1911 as Tessville, named for Johnny Tess, its first village president, and for years it was known for roadhouses and taverns that served Chicagoans during and after Prohibition. The village renamed itself Lincolnwood in 1936, after Lincoln Avenue and the nearby forest preserves. Most of its development came after the Second World War, when brick ranches, Georgians and split-levels filled its streets, and Lincolnwood became a quiet, prosperous suburb with a large Jewish community and later significant Korean, Indian and other immigrant populations. The Lincolnwood Town Center mall and commercial strips along Touhy and Lincoln Avenues serve the area.

Most Lincolnwood homes were built between the late 1940s and the 1960s, typically with full basements or lower levels, cast iron drains and clay laterals now sixty to seventy-five years old.

The North Shore Channel runs along the village's eastern edge, and its clay soils and flat terrain influence drainage.

Brick Ranches, Georgians and Split-Levels

Lincolnwood's brick ranches and Georgians have full basements with floor drains as the lowest openings. Split-levels have lower-level family rooms, bathrooms and laundry close to sewer elevation, often served by ejector pumps.

When lower-level fixtures back up while upstairs drains work normally, the ejector pump or its check valve may be the cause.

Many homes have finished basements, which increases the cost of any backup.

Maturing Trees and Clay Laterals

Trees planted when Lincolnwood's homes were built are now large, and their roots reach clay lateral joints. Root intrusion is a leading cause of recurring backups.

Rodding with a root-cutting head clears the line, and a camera inspection shows how many joints are affected. Lining seals the lateral permanently.

Regular rodding every one to two years prevents most root emergencies.

The North Shore Channel

The North Shore Channel, dug in the early twentieth century to carry water and wastewater away from the lake, forms Lincolnwood's eastern boundary, with a trail and sculpture park along its banks. Homes on the eastern side of the village sit on lower ground near the channel, where heavy storms can load the local sewer system quickly. During intense rain, sanitary sewers can be overwhelmed by groundwater infiltration and improperly connected sump pumps and downspouts, and sewage can back up into the lowest drains of homes. Homes near the channel benefit from backwater valves and sump pumps with battery backups.

If several homes on your block back up during the same storm, report it to village public works so the problem is recorded. If only your home backs up, especially in dry weather, the problem is almost certainly in your own lateral, and rodding followed by a camera inspection is the right first step.

Ejector Pumps and Sump Pumps

Because so many Lincolnwood split-levels have lower levels below sewer elevation, ejector pumps are common. Signs of trouble include a pump that runs constantly, an alarm, sewage odor near the basin or lower-level drains that work intermittently. Test ejector and sump pumps at least once a year, replace units older than about ten years before they fail and add a battery backup to the sump pump.

Interior Cast Iron

Cast iron drain lines in Lincolnwood's postwar homes may have developed internal scale. Kitchen lines are especially prone to grease buildup. Descaling or replacing corroded sections restores flow, and renovations are the ideal time to address interior drains.

Touhy Avenue and Lincoln Avenue

Restaurants and shops along Touhy Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and at the Lincolnwood Town Center should maintain grease interceptors and schedule regular hydro jetting. Busy restaurants serving diverse cuisines generate significant grease that can clog aging commercial laterals.

Winter and Spring Considerations

Frost heave and spring saturation stress buried pipe in clay soils. Test your sump pump before spring, clear gutters, extend downspouts and have the main line checked if drains slow after a hard winter.

Service in Lincolnwood

Crews serving the North Shore and far North Side cover Lincolnwood along with Skokie, Niles, Sauganash and West Ridge. When you call, share your address, the type of home and which fixtures are affected, and mention if you have an ejector pump, overhead sewer or backwater valve.

For main line clogs, the crew will rod from the most accessible cleanout. For recurring problems, a camera inspection is recommended. Pricing is confirmed on site before work begins.

Buying in Lincolnwood

For postwar homes, schedule a sewer camera inspection before closing and ask about the age of any ejector or sump pump. If you plan to finish a lower level, install a backwater valve during the renovation.

Coverage Area

Local crews in our network serve the Village of Lincolnwood, including the neighborhoods along the North Shore Channel, the areas around Proesel Park and the blocks along Touhy Avenue, Pratt Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Crawford Avenue. Share your address and nearest cross streets when you call.

From Roadhouses to Residential Streets

In its Tessville days, the village was known for roadhouses and taverns along Lincoln Avenue and Touhy Avenue that drew visitors from Chicago. A few older buildings from that era survive along the commercial corridors, and some early homes predate the postwar boom. Those older structures may have laterals and interior plumbing that are considerably older than the surrounding ranches and split-levels, sometimes with connections that were modified as the village grew around them. Commercial buildings converted from earlier uses may also have drain layouts that do not match modern expectations.

If you own one of these older properties, a camera inspection maps where the lateral runs and shows its condition. With that information, you can plan targeted repairs or lining rather than guessing, and you will have a record to share with future buyers or tenants. For restaurant tenants in older buildings, properly sized and maintained grease interceptors are essential.

When to Call

Call when several drains slow at once, when a floor drain gurgles, when water rises in the tub as the toilet flushes or when an ejector pump alarm sounds. Early calls prevent backups into finished lower levels.

Busy Households and Diverse Kitchens

Lincolnwood's diverse community means kitchens that cook everything from Korean and Indian dishes to traditional Jewish holiday meals, often for large families and frequent guests. Heavy cooking sends oil, ghee, rice and food scraps into kitchen drains, and in postwar cast iron lines, that material builds up quickly. Collect cooking oil in a can for disposal, wipe pans before washing and use sink strainers. If a kitchen line clogs repeatedly, hydro jetting removes built-up grease more thoroughly than a cable.

Holidays, when homes fill with relatives and kitchens run from morning to night, are a common time for clogs. A preventive main line cleaning before a big holiday gathering can prevent an emergency call at the worst possible moment. Clean the washing machine's lint screen regularly and keep the basement floor drain clear so you can see early warning signs of a restricted main.

Frequently Asked Questions