Every city throughout the United States has an extremely intricate sewer system, and each home will have sewer lines that connect to the municipal lines that then take wastewater to treatment facilities. This ultimately leads to hundreds if not thousands of miles of sewer pipes in each and every American city, and most homeowners have no idea just how elaborate this portion of their plumbing system truly is!
That’s why we’re very fortunate to have partnered up with the experts at Beehive Plumbing, a group of Salt Lake City based sewer line cleanout and residential plumbing specialists, to help us create this list of 5 things that all homeowners should know about when it comes to their sewer lines.
This list is elaborate, so let’s get right to the 5 MAJOR things you should know!
- Maintaining Your Sewer Line
One of the most important things to avoid when it comes to your sewer lines is a clog, because sewer line clogs can ultimately wreck havoc throughout your entire residential plumbing system. Not to mention that wastewater can end up backing up through your drains in this scenario!
The following are some tips to keep in mind when it comes to maintaining your sewer line:
- Never pour any grease down your drains, or put anything but toilet paper down your toilets.
- Use an enzymatic cleaner on a monthly basis to properly clear out your sewer lines.
- Always make sure that any newly planted shrubs or trees are a safe distance away from your sewer line in order to prevent the potential for root intrusion.
Another crucial maintenance tip for homeowners to keep in mind is simply having a professional plumbing team come check out your entire plumbing system at least once per year to make sure everything is running smoothly. When you’re regularly working with the experts, you’ll always be putting you and the sanctity of your home’s hygiene in a better place.
- Understanding The Causes Of Sewer Line Backups
Sewer lines can of course still back up even when a homeowner conducts routine maintenance, and clogged pipes tend to be the most common cause of a sewer line backup. Clogged pipes are so common throughout the plumbing industry to the point that homeowners truly have to be extra careful about what you put down the toilet and your other drains.
Of course no one can really control the fact that soap will go down their shower drain, and the truth is that soap scum can pretty easily build up and lead to clogged pipes. Hair is another thing that is pretty hard to control in terms of going down your bathtub’s drain that you’re going to need to remain cognizant of as much as possible.
Some other common sewer line backup causes include:
- Simple wear and tear
- Tree root intrusion
- Aged pipes
- Collapsed/cracked pipes
- And many other potential issues!
- Recognizing Blocked Sewer Line Signs
Backed up sewer lines are always a pretty serious plumbing problem, and many times a homeowner will first recognize that all of their drains simultaneously seem clogged when they in fact have sewer line problems. Your main floor drains and toilets will typically be the first to clog within these scenarios, and some other signs you’re going to need to recognize include:
- Slowly emptying drains
- Dysfunctional toilet flushing
- Gurgling sounds coming from toilets while water is running
- Your plumbing fixtures are developing other types of unusual reactions
- Sewage odor is permeating throughout your home
Noticing these types of signs is always a major red flag for the overall integrity of your property’s plumbing system, so the first thing you should do when you notice any of these signs is turn off your main water valve. The next logical step is always to reach out to the plumbing experts within your local area, because timing will be of the essence in these situations.
Most plumbing experts will be capable of utilizing state-of-the-art camera inspections in order to get a clear indication as to what is causing the blockage within your sewer line. Getting to the root of your sewer line blockage will then allow the specialists to properly unclog it, and typically they’ll help you in terms of prevention methods to assist you into the future.
- Realizing When It’s Time For A Sewer Line Replacement
Usually when you repair your sewer line and then quickly experience issues afterwards, this is an indication that you’re actually experiencing something much more serious. Replacing your sewer line is something that all homeowners want to avoid at all costs, but there are instances in which replacement is truly your only option.
Some other signs that you may need to replace your sewer line include persistent clogs and simply knowing that your home has rather old sewage pipes. One of the easiest ways to know how old your sewage lines are is simply knowing how old your home is, because if your older home still has its original sewage pipes then it’s likely that they’ll simply need to be replaced.
And what’s great about sewer line replacement these days is that it doesn’t necessarily require digging trenches, because there are trenchless options that are now readily available to homeowners all across the country via state-of-the-art plumbing technology.
Some of these cutting edge trenchless methods are called cured-in-place pipe restoration (CIPP) and pipe bursting.
- Knowing The Right Plumbing Team To Call For Sewer Line Repairs/Services
The last thing you should always know is who you should call when you experience these types of plumbing problems, so having a reliable plumbing team within your phone’s contacts will always go a long way. This is especially the case when you’re experiencing a plumbing emergency, and many times sewer line issues end up being an emergency!
So if you have any further questions/concerns oriented around your home’s sewer pipes, always feel free to reach out to the experts at Beehive Plumbing via the link at the top of the article!
