A Guide To Sewer Problems From Your Plumbing Company: How To Tell Your Sewer Line Is Broken
Sunday, March 6th, 2022
Photo By vitahima at Shutterstock
A sewer line essentially collects any form of waste from home and directs it to a place of disposal, say, a septic system or to a treatment plant. Certain things, such as tree intrusion, could reduce the efficiency of your sewer line before it even fails. Another cause of sewer failure is the age of the sewer pipes.
As a homeowner in Knoxville, TN, taking preventative measures in time can save you from incurring costly repairs in repairing a faulty sewer line. Below are some things that will tell you something is cooking with your sewer and why you need a plumbing company to fix it quickly.
Indentation In Lawn and Sagging Pavement
A sagging or moving depression in your lawn or concrete on your yard, pathway, or driveway could be an indication your sewer line has been interfered with.
When a sewer pipe develops cracks, water leaks may saturate the soil around it, causing the area which sits above your main sewer line to sag or dip. Once you identify such an occurrence, be sure to contact a plumbing company to solve the issue.
Lush Patches of Grass or Extra Green Grass
This may seem ordinary, but if your lawn develops extra green or lush patches of grass, there’s more to it. Sometimes it could be caused by a leaky sprinkler system or other overwatering. However, it could be due to a faulty sewer line in some cases. A plumbing company can run a camera inspection into the sewer to establish any possible leak.
Cracks In the Foundation of Your Home
Cracks on your home’s foundation can result from a malfunctioning sewer line. If a sewer line breaks and it’s left unattended for a significant amount of time, the water may find its way into the foundation slab of your house.
If the leaking goes on for a long time, the water may damage the structural components of your settlement or building. You can quickly tell this by the visible cracks on your walls or even sinkholes in your courtyard. This is a sign enough to have your sewer line assessed by a professional plumber.
Sewage Backups
If there’s a clog in your sewer line, you can experience sewage backups in your drains. If a backup only happens with a particular drain, then the problem may be directly linked to the plumbing of the fixture itself. However, if you flushed a toilet and sewage backed up in your shower drain or bathtub, this could be a problem with the sewer line since all drains in your home rely on the main sewer line.
Frequent sewage backups could point to something more than just a blockage in the sewer pipes. For this reason, it is paramount that a plumber inspects your sewer line to identify the root cause of such happenings.
Mold Growing In Your House
Have you ever noticed mold growing on the walls, floors, or ceilings of your house? If yes, this indicates a sewer line that may be broken under the wall. Mold only requires the right amount of humidity to grow.
A broken sewer line can lead to a damp environment on surfaces within your house, which can cause mold growth. If you see this, you call a plumbing company to come in and fix the situation. Remember mold is a severe health hazard, and ignoring it can put your health and that of your family at risk.
There’s Sewage Smell In the House
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn’t smell sewer gas in your house unless there’s an opening in your sewer line. This is because a sanitary sewer is made in such a way that it’s airtight except for the vent stacks found on your house’s roof.
Suppose you smell sewer odors in your kitchen or bathrooms, as these are mostly the open points for the odors to escape. In that case, all you’ve to do is to find a certified plumbing company in Knoxville, TN, that can offer expert sewer line inspection services to get things back to order.
Your Drains Are Slow
When a crack forms on a sewer line, soil can build up inside the sewer pipes, reducing their diameter. Tree roots could also find their way inside the pipes, slowing down the movement of wastewater or other substances within your sewer system.
Your sewer system could have problems if you notice your house drains take quite some time to clear out, even after cleaning them. If that’s the case, you should link up with a plumbing company to rectify the mess before the condition worsens.
Waste Water In Your Yard
Septic water pooling in your courtyard is another sign to watch for. When a sewer line breaks, the wastewater from your sink, bathrooms, or toilets may find its way out through the sinkholes formed in your yard.
Once you notice a smelly and soggy mess in your driveway or patio and your sewer line is placed right beneath them, you should contact a plumbing company immediately.
Your Toilet Gurgles When You Flush
If your toilet makes bubbling-like sounds when you flush it, that’s a symptom of a faulty sewer line. Ideally, your toilet shouldn’t be producing any strange sounds. If you realize the toilet sometimes gurgles even without any recent flush, contact a licensed plumbing company to inspect the sewer line.
Rats In Your Home
This is another reason you need to schedule a sewer inspection with a plumbing company. Rats are tiny creatures that tend to live inside the sanitary sewer lines. If there’s a crack on your sewer line, an average rat can sneak through the tiny openings and find its way into your home.
Rats are carriers of many life-threatening diseases such as hemorrhagic fever and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. You could even be hospitalized for breathing in dust that’s contaminated with rat urine or droppings. Therefore, if you’ve noticed a rise in the number of rats in your home, get a plumbing company to conduct a sewer line inspection and repairs right away.
The Solution?
No one loves the smell, let alone the sight of sewage. It’s disgusting! But the health consequences associated with broken sewerage is the last thing you want to endure.
At My Professional Plumber – Knoxville, TN, we save you the hassle. Apart from sewer line maintenance, we also provide general plumbing and repair services, garbage disposal, and emergency plumbing. You can count on us for all your sewer line needs.