Sewer Cleanout Installation and Repair in Myrtle Beach

A working cleanout makes every future clog, cleaning and camera inspection faster and cheaper.

Camera inspection first
Written, itemized quotes
Licensed and insured

A sewer cleanout is a capped pipe rising from your buried sewer line to the surface, so a cable, jetter or camera can reach the line without pulling a toilet. Myrtle Beach Sewer Line Repair installs, repairs and raises cleanouts and replaces broken caps in Myrtle Beach, Conway and across Horry County, placing new ones where local rules require them.

Call (843) 429-6659 to add, repair or replace a sewer cleanout.

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Choose your area

Who owns the line, which utility to call and which permits apply differ by town. Pick yours:

Myrtle Beach Conway North Myrtle Beach Surfside Beach Carolina Forest Socastee Murrells Inlet Garden City More areas

Sewer cleanout problems: symptom, likely cause and what we do

Blue water pipe and valves exposed in an excavation

What you notice	Likely cause	What we do
Sewage rising out of the cleanout	A blockage downstream	Utility check first, then clear and camera the line
Cap cracked or missing	A mower, a car or age	New cap or plug, and a riser check
Sewer smell at the cleanout	A loose cap or cracked riser	New cap or riser
Riser snapped or plug seized	Mower damage, or a brass plug corroded into cast iron	Replace the riser or fitting
Sand or repeat clogs after rain	Rain and sand entering an open cleanout	Cap it, clean the line, camera it
Every clog means pulling a toilet	No cleanout, or a buried one	Locate the line; raise the old cleanout or add a two-way one

What is a sewer cleanout?

A cleanout is a fitting on the building sewer, the pipe from the house to the public sewer, with a removable cap. Outdoors it is usually a short white plastic or older cast iron pipe near the foundation. A two-way cleanout opens toward both the street and the house, so a cable or camera can work either way.

In most GSWSA areas, a property-line cleanout generally marks where GSWSA’s service lateral ends and your pipe begins; confirm with GSWSA for your address. In Murrells Inlet, the Georgetown County Water and Sewer District (GCWSD) makes owners responsible from the home to the property line.

Excavator digging a trench across a paved street

Sewer cleanout installation: what happens when you call

Questions. Is anything backing up, and whose name is on your water bill? Active sewage backups are scheduled first.
Camera and locate. A sewer inspection with our camera maps the line’s route and depth, since SC811 does not mark private lines.
Written, itemized quote. Nothing is dug until you approve it.
Permit and SC811 locates for public utilities, which have 3 full working days to respond.
Dig and cut in a wye or two-way fitting, with a riser to grade and a cap or cover box. Cracked or Orangeburg fiber pipe at the cut is replaced.
Test, inspect and restore. Water and the camera go through the new cleanout before backfill.

New GSWSA laterals sit 36 inches to 4 feet below grade, and NRCS soil data puts the water table within 2 feet of the surface on about four in five acres of Horry County for part of the year, so digs can hit groundwater. Where a trench meets “muck, quicksand” or similar soft ground, GSWSA’s standards call for gravel or crushed stone.

Drain pipes set into a new home's concrete foundation

Where are sewer cleanouts required?

Near the house, at sharp bends, at set intervals and, in GSWSA areas, at the property line. GSWSA’s Sewer System Standards (July 2026) require cleanouts on new house sewers at the property line, every 75 feet at most on straight runs, at bends greater than 45 degrees and 5 feet from the building.

South Carolina’s edition of the 2021 International Residential Code requires a cleanout at the junction of the building drain and building sewer or within 10 feet of it, at least every 100 feet on sewers under 8 inches, and at changes of direction over 45 degrees, with 18 inches of clearance at cleanouts on 6-inch and smaller pipe. GCWSD’s Murrells Inlet detail is similar, adding a 6-inch cleanout in the road right-of-way. Older lines often lack these cleanouts, so we add missing ones during line replacement.

Beach houses on pilings in Myrtle Beach. Photo: Elisa.rolle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you need a permit to install a sewer cleanout?

Usually, yes. South Carolina’s 2021 residential code exempts clearing stoppages and stopping leaks, but replacing defective concealed pipe with new material is new work that needs a permit and inspection. Cutting a fitting into a buried line generally falls on that side.

We confirm with the permit office for your address: generally Horry County outside city limits, the city or town inside them, and Georgetown County in Murrells Inlet.

Highway 31 at Highways 707 and 544 in Socastee from the air. Photo: formulanone, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Missing, buried or broken sewer cleanout cap

An open riser lets rainwater, sand and debris in and sewer gas out. GSWSA’s smoke testing Q&A says storm runoff may leak into the sewer in wet weather, and if a smoke test finds a defect on your service lateral, GSWSA will generally make the repair.

Safe steps for homeowners:

Cover an open riser, then fit a threaded or expansion plug from a hardware store.
Leave the cap on during a backup. A full line can push sewage out as it loosens.
Never pour chemical drain openers into a cleanout, and never mix them.
Do not torch or hammer a stuck plug. Sewer gas can be flammable, and cast iron can crack.
Wear gloves, and flag the cleanout so mowers miss it.

Can’t find it? See how to find your sewer cleanout and replace a sewer cleanout cap, and call 811 before digging.

What a complete written quote includes

Camera findings and video, with the route and depth marked
The fitting, riser and cap or cover box
Pipe replaced at the cut, with length, depth and material
Permit and inspection
SC811 locates
Restoration of lawn, pavers, driveway or sidewalk
Extra cleanouts the utility requires
Disposal and any utility fees

Angi’s November 2025 cleanout cost guide says a two-way cleanout averages $2,700 nationally. A cleanout added while the line is open for another repair usually costs less. Our sewer line replacement cost guide covers what drives prices.

What to do when a sewer cleanout overflows

Water at the cleanout means a blockage downstream. Stop using water and call your utility before a plumber. GSWSA’s rule is “Call GSWSA before you call your plumber,” and its backup investigation costs nothing: (843) 234-8460, or (843) 443-8200 after hours. In Murrells Inlet, call GCWSD at (843) 546-8408 after hours; in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway and Loris, call your city.

If their side is clear, call us. Sewer line cleaning or hydro jetting through the cleanout usually clears it. See what causes a main sewer line clog, and our sewer backup page for cleanup.

Sewer cleanout FAQ

What does a sewer cleanout look like?

A short white plastic or older cast iron pipe near the foundation with a threaded cap or square plug. Some homes also have an indoor one where the main drain leaves the house.

Where is the sewer cleanout on my property?

Usually along the foundation where the main drain leaves the house, often facing the street. Newer GSWSA connections should also have one at the property line.

Who is responsible for the sewer cleanout at the property line?

In most GSWSA areas, the property-line cleanout generally marks where GSWSA’s lateral ends and yours begins; confirm with GSWSA. GCWSD makes Murrells Inlet owners responsible from the home to the property line, and city customers should ask their city.

Why is my sewer cleanout overflowing?

Something is blocking the line downstream, in your pipe or the main, often noticed when the washer drains. Stop using water, call your utility first, then call us at (843) 429-6659.

Can I replace a sewer cleanout cap myself?

Yes, when nothing is backing up. Match a threaded or expansion plug to the riser and wear gloves; leave a seized plug or cracked riser to us.

Do I need a permit to install a sewer cleanout?

Usually. Replacing concealed drain pipe is new work that needs a permit and inspection under the state’s 2021 residential code, and cutting into a buried line generally counts. We confirm it and pull the permit.

How much does a sewer cleanout cost?

Angi’s November 2025 cleanout cost guide says a two-way cleanout averages $2,700 nationally, commonly $1,400 to $3,500. Yours depends on depth, groundwater, what covers the line, pipe material and the permit, and you get a written, itemized quote after we locate the line.