If you have a sewer line backup, wastewater can appear from any toilet, sink, or plumbing fixture in your home. Your entire plumbing system can malfunction. But damage to plumbing isn’t the only concern. Wastewater can damage flooring, carpeting, furniture, electronics, and wood framing, leading to a costly restoration.
The sooner you recognize the signs of a sewer line backup, the more quickly you can get a professional to resolve it and prevent further damage. Plumbing inspections can pinpoint the root cause of an issue and help take preventative measures.
Signs of a Sewer Line Backup
Your home plumbing system and sewer line are interconnected. Therefore, a problem downstream can have many noticeable effects, including:
- Offensive Odors: The smell of sulfur, mold, or human waste from toilets, sinks, and other drains can be overpowering. It can permeate the air, furniture, and clothing.
- Slow Drains: As wastewater backs up the sewer line, drains throughout your home can become completely clogged. The toilet may not flush or it can overflow.
- Bubbling/Gurgling Sounds: Odd noises from your faucets, toilets, or tub can be due to a blocked or broken sewer line; they’re caused by a disruption in water flow and air getting into pipes.
- Plumbing Fixtures Act Strangely: The toilet may fill up when you run a sink faucet, or the sink may fill up when you run the washing machine.
- Pooling Water: A severe sewage backup or broken sewer line can cause water to pool in your yard or near the foundation. This can eventually lead to wastewater seeping into your basement or causing a sinkhole.
- Mold: The longer wastewater sits, the greater the risk of mold growing on walls, baseboards, and other surfaces. Mold also thrives on the slimy residue sewage leaves behind.
Possible Causes of a Sewer Line Backup
Sewer lines can back up for several reasons. Since they’re hidden deep inside the drain line or underground, determining the cause requires expertise and special equipment. Some of the most common causes of sewer line backups include:
- Tree Root Intrusion: Tree roots are an ever-present threat to sewer pipes. The smallest cracks and holes can release water and nutrients that attract them. This is especially a problem in older clay pipes. Once roots reach a pipe, they grow until they penetrate or crush the line; they can also continue growing inside it.
- Grease Buildup: A sewer line can become clogged with grease from home products. Soap and hair can also build up. If there’s a blockage in the main sewer line, water and sewage will back up from multiple drains.
- Foreign Objects: Food waste, children’s toys, and other solid objects can find their way through your drains and into the sewer line. These will block the pipe unless a professional can physically remove them.
- Aging Pipes: Sewer line age is a common cause of backups. Aging clay and cast iron pipes become less durable over time and can crack, break, and collapse. Even PVC pipes aren’t immune to the effects of age.
- Ground Movement: A shift in soil, rock, or other ground materials can put pressure on sewage pipes. This can cause them to bend, crack, or collapse. A contractor must address ground stability as well as replace the damaged pipe.
- Heavy Rainfall: Heavy rain can overwhelm the system and cause water to back up. Local flooding and saturated ground can also lead to more water in the sewer line and, ultimately, a sewage backup in your home.
Don’t Ignore the Problem
A sewage backup won’t go away on its own. If not fixed promptly, it can cause extensive damage. There are also health risks, as sewage contains viruses and bacteria that can cause serious diseases. A sewage backup can damage floors, walls, and furniture; if it erodes the soil under your foundation, your home could collapse. At the very least, the nutrients in sewage support the growth of mold that can spread quickly through your home.
Schedule a Professional Sewer Line Inspection in Mount Airy, NC
There’s no DIY solution to a sewer line backup. You must call a professional to evaluate and resolve the problem. A licensed plumber has the knowledge and equipment to perform an initial assessment, which lets them determine where the backup is coming from. They may use cameras, thermal imaging, and electronic leak detection equipment. Then they will make recommendations on how to repair the sewer line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need a Plumber for a Sewer Line Inspection?
The reasons you need a skilled plumbing contractor like Jay’s Heating, Air & Plumbing include:
- Transparent Pricing: Once we find the cause of the backup, we’ll provide an accurate quote for the project with no hidden costs. The size of the problem, the location and type of sewer line, and how long it takes to fix all influence the project’s cost.
- Complete Assessment: The initial assessment includes mapping your drainage and sewage lines and using state-of-the-art equipment to evaluate their condition.
- Accurate Diagnostics: We can precisely identify the nature of the problem and its location, so our team can quickly get to work in resolving the backup.
- Recommendations: Trained in the latest techniques, our team will recommend the best solutions based on their findings. These can include trenchless sewer repair, which avoids digging and demolition, saving time and money.
How Do I Prevent a Sewer Line Backup?
Sewer backups can’t always be prevented. Nonetheless, scheduling sewer line inspections every few years can reduce the risk of one. A plumber can also clean your sewer line via the cleanout; if any blockages or buildup are forming, they can be removed before a backup occurs.
Meanwhile, you can protect your sewer lines by being careful what you flush. Only toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet. Avoid flushing paper towels, sanitary products, baby wipes, and other items that can cause a blockage.
How Is a Home Sewer Line Inspection Conducted?
A technician will use a sewer scope (a camera that’s attached to a snake line). This is also called a lateral sewer inspection. The camera records what is in the pipe and transmits the footage to the plumber’s display. Whether the line is clogged by debris, filled with roots, or collapsed, the plumber can quickly diagnose the issue and recommend solutions.
How Urgent Is It to Address a Sewer Line Backup?
There’s no time to waste. It can quickly damage floors and structural materials, electrical components and devices, and your plumbing system. Proceed right away as follows:
- Call a plumber
- Turn off your water supply
- Open windows and doors for ventilation
- Contact your insurance company to start the claims process
How Long Does Fixing a Sewer Line Backup Take?
That depends on the source and scope of the problem. A sewer line replacement can take one to three days. However, some repairs can take as little as half a day.
Call Jay’s Heating, Air & Plumbing Today
Our team is trained and equipped to resolve any sewer line or plumbing issue in Mount Airy, NC. When our contractors arrive, they perform a thorough evaluation and inspection and help you make an informed decision as to how to resolve the problem. Our technicians are licensed and experienced, so they can repair a sewer line backup no matter its source. Schedule your sewer line inspection today! For prompt service, you can contact us online or call (336) 606-3622.
Buy