When the Drains Back Up in Dawsonville

Stop using water

If sewage is coming up a floor drain, tub or toilet, stop all water use. No flushing, no showers, no laundry. Keep children and pets away, wear gloves, and open windows.

Is it your line or the City's?

Inside the city, the City maintains its sewer mains; the lateral from the house to the main is usually the owner's. If only one fixture is slow, the clog is probably local. If every drain is affected, or the lowest drain overflows when an upper toilet flushes, the blockage is in the main house drain or the lateral. If neighbors have the same trouble or a manhole is overflowing, the main may be blocked: the City's utilities page lists an after-hours emergency number for problems on the City's water and sewer system.

Sewer or septic?

Many Dawson County homes are on septic rather than City sewer. If yours is, a backup can mean a full tank, a blocked inlet or a failing drain field. Do not open the tank yourself. See the septic article.

Clearing and diagnosing

A plumber will usually clear a main line through a cleanout with a cable or jetter, and can run a camera to find out why it blocked: roots, grease, a sag or a broken joint. Ask for the camera footage; it shows whether the line needs repair or just cleaning. If a section must be dug up and replaced, that is permitted work, through Planning and Zoning inside the city or Dawson County outside, and digging needs a Georgia 811 locate first.

What not to flush

Wipes marketed as flushable, paper towels, feminine products, dental floss and cooking grease cause most house sewer blockages. Grease cools and hardens; wipes do not break down like toilet paper. Keep them out of the drains, and post a short list in a rental.

Cleanup and insurance

Sewage is a health hazard. Porous materials that soaked it up, such as carpet pad and the bottom of drywall, usually need removal. Photograph everything first and call your insurer; sewer backup coverage is often a separate endorsement.

The cost of the water you used

If the backup happened because of a leak or a running fixture, remember that on a City sewer account every gallon is billed for sewer too. The sewer tiers are below.

Cleanouts and backwater valves

A cleanout is an access point on the building drain that lets a plumber clear a blockage without pulling a toilet. If your house does not have an accessible one near the foundation, ask the plumber about adding one when the line is cleared; it makes every future cleaning faster and cheaper. A backwater valve can protect a basement or low floor drain from a sewer main backup. Both are plumbing work, and adding them is likely permitted work; ask the permitting office.

Roots are a common cause of repeated blockages in older clay or cast-iron laterals. A camera inspection shows where roots enter. Repairing the joint, or lining or replacing the pipe, stops the cycle of cleanings.

Odors without a backup

A sewer smell without a backup usually means a dry trap, a failed toilet wax ring, or a vent problem. Pour water into rarely used floor drains and shower drains to refill their traps. A persistent smell around a toilet base suggests the wax ring. A smell throughout the house with gurgling drains may mean a blocked roof vent, which a plumber can check. If you smell gas rather than sewage, leave the house and call the gas utility.

Records after a backup

Keep the plumber's invoice, the camera findings, photographs and any permit for repairs. If the cause was a City main, note the date and time you reported it. Those records matter for insurance and for any discussion with the City about responsibility.

Grease and kitchens

Kitchen drains are the most common source of grease in a house sewer line. Hot water and soap move grease down the drain, where it cools, hardens and catches everything that follows. Pour cooled grease into a can and throw it away, wipe greasy pans before washing, and use a strainer in the sink. Garbage disposals do not make grease or food scraps safe for the line; they just chop them smaller. Households that cook often with oil may need the kitchen line cleaned periodically, and the plumber can tell from a camera inspection.

Rental properties

In a rental, a backup is both a repair and a tenant relations problem. Landlords should give tenants a short list of what not to flush, tell them where the cleanout and main shut-off are, and ask them to report slow drains early. A slow drain reported in time costs a cleaning; one ignored until it overflows costs a cleaning, a cleanup and sometimes flooring. Keep records of every call and repair, which help when deciding whether a lateral needs replacement rather than repeated cleanings.

Backup checklist

Stop water use. Check neighbors and report a City main problem to the City. Call a plumber for the house side and ask for a camera inspection. Get permits and a Georgia 811 locate for any excavation. Clean up safely and document it. Then keep wipes and grease out of the drains.

Sources for this article: City of Dawsonville: Utilities; City of Dawsonville: Approved minutes, City Council meeting of June 15, 2026, with adopted Ordinance No. 02-2026 (Exhibit B) (PDF); District 2 Public Health: Dawson County Health Department and Environmental Health; Dawson County, GA: Building Permits; Dawson County, GA: Community Development Fee Schedule, effective August 1, 2026 (PDF); Georgia 811. Checked 2026-10-29.