Clemmons homes drain to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities sewer, and a sewer line replacement here swaps out the private lateral between the house and the public main. With most of the village built in the 1990s and 2000s, those lines more often fail from settling and damage than from old age. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Clemmons.
Clemmons in brief
Clemmons grew from about 6,000 residents in 1990 to roughly 21,000 by 2020, and its housing shows it: the median home was built in 1994 and about 29% predate 1980, per ACS 2019-2023 estimates. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities provides sewer service, while the Village keeps its own sewer fund, about $5.5 million in 2022, and partners with WSFC on extensions. Plumbing permits go through the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division, which lists Clemmons among the towns it serves and takes applications electronically.
What to do now
- Cut back water use. If drains are backing up, stop the washer, dishwasher and showers so sewage has nowhere to go but out.
- Check whether it's just you. If neighbors on the same street have backups too, the problem may be in the public main, and WSFC is the first call.
- Locate the cleanout. Many homes from this era have one outside near the foundation. Keep the area clear so it can be opened.
- Get the line filmed. A camera inspection shows whether the damage is one spot or the whole run, and that decides repair versus replacement.
- Ask about method. Where mature landscaping or a long driveway sits over the pipe, ask whether bursting or lining is possible.
- Let the plumber handle the paperwork. The permit is normally filed by whoever does the work, and the Inspections Division has to see the new pipe before it's buried, so don't backfill early.
A replacement is rarely an emergency once the line has been cleared. If the camera shows a single bad section, a repair may buy years; if it shows a sag running most of the way to the street, plan the full job for a dry stretch.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Main line clogs again within weeks of cleaning | A sag holding waste, or roots at a joint |
| Water standing in the pipe on camera | A belly from settled trench backfill |
| A low toilet gurgles when the washer drains | Partial blockage downstream |
| A sunken strip across the lawn | Broken pipe washing out soil |
| Pieces of pipe on the cleaning cable | A cracked or crushed section |
Cost factors
- Length of the run to WSFC's connection and how deep it sits
- Trench versus trenchless, which depends mostly on whether the pipe has sagged
- Restoring sod, irrigation, pavers or a driveway over the route
- Extras such as a new cleanout or a foundation reconnection
Sewer Line Replacement questions in Clemmons
Our house was built in the last 30 years. Why would its sewer line fail?
Is trenchless replacement possible on my property?
Where does my part of the sewer line end and the utility's begin?
Who issues the permit for a new sewer line here?
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