House without a yard

Do you live in an owner-occupied apartment or a single-family home without a front yard (i.e., a house that borders directly on the sidewalk)? If so, call the municipality if you have a clogged sewer line.

If you live in a rental home, please read more onthe Rental Homes page.

Want to know what to do if your sewer is clogged? Francois, a sewer manager with the municipality of Moerdijk, explains it inthis short video. 

Finding the Cause

Sometimes a single drain stops working—for example, the toilet or the sink. In that case, find the cause. It could be a clump of toilet paper, for example, or a toilet deodorizer tablet that’s stuck in the toilet. For a sink or shower drain, grease and hair may be the cause.

Do It Yourself

Try to clear the clog with a plunger. This is an old-fashioned drain cleaner with a rubber suction cup, available at home goods stores. For a kitchen sink or bathroom sink, you can clean the swan neck (the siphon). If that doesn’t help, you can use a drain snake. There are videos on YouTube showing how to use a plunger and how to unclog a sink.

Call the city

If this doesn't help, or if multiple drains aren't working, the problem is likely more serious. The clog may be in your pipes or in the municipal sewer system.

As a resident, you are responsible for identifying the location of the blockage. Would you like to hire a sewer service company to do this? If so, please call the municipality first at 14 0168 to discuss the matter. A blocked sewer is considered an emergency; this number is available 24 hours a day.

If you hire a sewer service provider without consulting the municipality and incur costs—for example, for a camera inspection—those costs will not be reimbursed. This is true even if it turns out later that the blockage is the municipality’s responsibility. So always consult with the municipality before calling a service provider.