Most homes with an Upper Marlboro address are outside the small incorporated town, in a postal area of about 77 square miles where WSSC Water serves the developed areas and rural parcels may not be on municipal sewer. A plumber can clear the drains inside the house and the line leaving it either way. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Upper Marlboro.
The Town of Upper Marlboro is the Prince George's County seat, but it has only a few hundred residents. The much larger Upper Marlboro postal area mixes horse-farm countryside with growing housing developments. Whether a home is on public sewer depends on where it sits, so check your bill: a WSSC Water sewer charge means public sewer; without one, the house likely drains to a private onsite wastewater system.
What to do now
- Stop using water if more than one fixture is backing up.
- Check the lowest drain in the home and keep people and pets away from any sewage.
- If you are on public sewer and a manhole or the street is overflowing, call WSSC Water at 301-206-4002.
- If your home has a private onsite system, note when it was last serviced; the plumber will ask.
- Skip chemical drain openers, which do little for main line clogs and can harm an onsite system.
- Find the cleanout and clear a path to it.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| One drain slow, others fine | Hair, soap or food in that fixture's line |
| Toilet and tub back up together | Clog in the main building drain |
| Drains slow after heavy rain | Restricted lateral, or a saturated private system |
| Gurgling and odor across the house | Main line blockage or venting problem |
| Wet patch in the yard along the line | Cracked or root-damaged pipe |
What affects the cost
- The length of line to clear, which can be long on rural lots
- Access through a cleanout versus a fixture
- Root cutting, jetting or a camera inspection
- Repairs to damaged sections
- Night or weekend calls
When you call, say whether the home is in the town itself, in one of the newer developments or on a rural lot, and whether you have public sewer. That tells the independent plumber how long the line is likely to be and what equipment to bring.
In Prince George's County, WSSC Water issues all plumbing permits, and the Town of Upper Marlboro points residents to the County's DPIE for building permits. Clearing a clog generally needs no permit; replacing a sewer line needs a WSSC permit and a plumber registered with WSSC Water.
Drain Cleaning questions in Upper Marlboro
What if my home is not on municipal sewer?
Which utility handles sewer service at my address?
Does drain cleaning need a permit here?
Why does the basement floor drain back up during heavy summer storms?
More plumbing services in Upper Marlboro
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