Three subdivisions, one name
Real estate listings in Park Forest group homes under Lincolnwood, East Lincolnwood and West Lincolnwood. All three are single-family areas. Listing-site data puts construction between 1953 and 1969 for East Lincolnwood, 1956 and 1967 for Lincolnwood, and 1961 and 1999 for West Lincolnwood.
Those ranges come from listing sites, not Village records, so treat them as a rough guide. The practical point is simple. A home built in 1958 and one built in the 1990s on the same side of the village can have very different pipes. Tell us the year if you know it.
Drains and sewer backups
The Village flooding page explains that sewers can fill faster than they drain during heavy rain, which can cause sewage backups in basements. It also asks residents not to flush wipes or pour fats and oils down drains. Those habits protect your own line as well as the Village system.
If a basement or floor drain backs up, stop using water and call. A sewer line inspection with a camera shows whether the blockage is a clog, a root or a damaged section. Sewer line cleaning clears the main line from the cleanout when that is the cause.
Safety steps if sewage is coming up
Keep everyone out of the wet area and stop running water. Do not mix drain chemicals into standing sewage. If water is near outlets or the electrical panel, do not step into it, and have the breaker switched off by a licensed electrician or the utility.
If you smell gas, leave the building and call the gas utility or 911 first. Then call us and tell the dispatcher where the water is coming from.
Plumbing problem in Lincolnwood?
Tell the dispatcher your address, what is leaking or backing up, and what you have already shut off.
Services Lincolnwood customers ask about most
- Drain cleaning for kitchen, tub and laundry drains that keep slowing down.
- Sewer line cleaning and sewer inspection for repeat backups.
- Sump pump repair and installation for homes with a pit that handles groundwater.
- Water heater replacement when a tank leaks or no longer keeps up.
What we know and what we do not
| Type | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Verified local fact | Lincolnwood, East Lincolnwood and West Lincolnwood are listed Park Forest subdivisions of single-family homes. The Village flooding page links heavy rain to sewage backups and lists rain gardens, downspout extensions and rain barrels as ways to reduce runoff. |
| General plumbing information | Older drain lines can collect scale and roots. A camera inspection is the way to see the pipe instead of guessing. |
| Unknown to us | Street boundaries of each subdivision, the number of homes, whether a given house has a basement, crawl space or slab, and what its original pipes are made of. We check each house in person. |
Small steps that help
Direct downspouts away from the foundation. Keep wipes and grease out of drains. Test a sump pump by pouring water into the pit before the wet season. If you plan to dig or replace a sewer cleanout, ask the Village Building Department first, since sewer repair permits cover cleanouts.
Questions we hear
We do not have a published street boundary for any of the three subdivisions, so we do not guess. Give the dispatcher your address and we work from that.
Listing data shows homes in the three subdivisions were built across several decades, from the 1950s into the 1990s in West Lincolnwood. Different eras used different pipe materials and fixtures.
The Village Building Department states that a permit is required for plumbing work and that sewer repair permits cover installing cleanouts. Contractors must be Park Forest licensed. Call Village Hall at 708-748-1112 to confirm.
Standards and sources
Written by the Park Forest Express Plumbing team. Plumbing work in Illinois follows the Illinois Plumbing Code, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 890. Permit and contractor rules differ by village or city, so ask the Park Forest building office what it requires before work starts. In Park Forest, the Building Department says contractors must be Park Forest licensed and that a permit is required. You can confirm any plumber's license on the Illinois Department of Public Health license verification tool.