Sewer blockage

Always report problems with the sewer to the municipality first, to avoid unnecessary costs.

• As the owner, you are responsible for the sewer line on your property and its location.
• The municipality is responsible for maintaining the sewer system up to the boundary of your property and for maintaining the sewage pumping station.
• If the blockage is outside your property boundaries, the municipality will resolve the blockage.
• Is the blockage in the sewer system for which the municipality is not responsible? Then contact the owner or landlord of the property.
• Also, check with your neighbors to see if they are experiencing any sewer problems.

To find out where the blockage is, it is best to dig up the cleanout or property line manhole to determine whether the blockage is on your property or on the municipality's property.

You can contact the municipality for the location of the cleanout piece / property boundary pit. The municipality knows the location of the cleanout piece / property boundary pit for many addresses. Unfortunately, the municipality does not have information about the location of the cleanout piece / property boundary pit for every address.

You can check the drain trap / inspection pit by having it dug up.

The drain cleanout usually has a screw cap or something similar that you can open.

This means that the blockage is located in the section between the main sewer and the cleanout (usually on the municipality's property).

In this case, call the municipality again. The municipality will come by to resolve the blockage and repair the possible defect (in the case of a defect, think of root growth, subsidence, cracks or fractures).

If you have any problems, always contact the municipality first to avoid unnecessary costs.

• If your home is connected to a sewage pumping station and you are experiencing problems with the drainage of your wastewater (toilet, bathroom, kitchen), check whether the red light on the cabinet at the pumping station is on.
• If the red light is on, there is a problem with the pump or the water level in the pumping station, please call the municipality!
• However, even if the red light is not on, and you are still experiencing problems with the drainage of your wastewater (toilet, bathroom, kitchen), there may still be a problem with the pump (no power) or a blockage in the connection from your house to the pumping station. If this happens, please contact the municipality!

• If you have excavated the cleanout and it appears that there is a blockage in the municipal part of the sewer system and you call the municipality about this, the municipality will resolve it. The municipality will not charge you any costs, unless it turns out that you are to blame for this blockage.
• If there is a problem with the sewage pumping station, the municipality will resolve it. In this case too, the municipality will not charge any costs, unless it turns out that the problem with the sewage pumping station can be attributed to you.
• If you haven't contacted the municipality first, but directly hired a drain cleaning company, and it turns out that the blockage or defect is not on your property but in the municipal area, or that the sewage pumping station is not functioning properly, then these costs are your responsibility.

Please note: in this case, the municipality will not reimburse the costs incurred for clearing the blockage.

The costs for excavating the cleanout piece - property line manhole by a (drain cleaning) company are always at your expense.

Emptying a cesspool / septic tank costs € 231.45. You must excavate the cesspool / septic tank yourself.