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The first time your sewer line backs up and you need a plumbing service to come out and clear the clog is a major headache. Not only do you wake up to the surprise of pooling sewage in your basement or ground floor, but then you have to pay a plumber to unclog it and deal with the mess that it leaves behind. Depending on the extent of the blockage and the time it took you to discover it you may even have water damage to contend with. The second or third time this happens you will probably feel even more frustrated and liken it to a crisis in your home.
Let’s face it, there are only so many times that you want to clean sewage off your basement floor, and that magical number is 0. If sewer line backups have turned into a regular event in your home then it is time to call a plumbing service that can actually get to the root of the problem and stop it from happening again. There are some common reasons why sewer lines back up repeatedly, and if you actually fix the cause instead of just temporarily relieving the pressure you can live sewage free again.
Clogs Caused by Bad Habits
A lot of people don’t realize that normal everyday habits may be causing plumbing issues in their homes. It is very possible that you are doing something simple that is gradually causing a clog to form. As a professional plumbing service in McKinney, TX, we have seen firsthand the damage bad plumbing habits can have. You most likely don’t realize that it is a no-no, but it still causes damage. Grease, hair, and oil are some of the many offenders that can quickly cause a clog in your home.
For instance, emptying a girdle after bacon may seem like a minimal amount of grease, but if you do this over and over again then the grease builds up in your drain eventually causing a blog. Hair easily escapes down the bathtub drain, especially if you have multiple people using one shower. Placing a trap on your shower drain and pouring leftover grease into a separate container that can then be tossed in the garbage are two easy ways to prevent future clogs and calls to a service.
Flushable Wipes
Any plumbing service will tell you that flushable wipes are one of the worst products on the market for your plumbing system. They are marketed as safe for use in plumbing, but the opposite is actually true. They do not instantly breakdown the way toilet paper is designed to and as a result, become trapped in your plumbing until they form a clog. Repeated use of flushable wipes will cause repeated clogs. There is simply no way around it. As any service will tell you, nothing but toilet paper and human waste should ever go down your toilet. If it is not one of these two things, it belongs in a trash can.
Damage to Your Sewer Line
After a plumbing service snakes your sewer line you may be good for a month or two, but if a clog reappears then there is a good chance there has been damage to your sewer line. If your sewer line is damaged, cracked, has holes, or anything similar dirt and rocks will fall into the plumbing line. They will eventually build up creating a clog that is going to force all of the wastewater you flush back into the house. In this case, you need to fix your sewer line otherwise, you will continue to experience backups in the basement and late-night calls to a service.
Sagging or Collapsed Sewer Line
Similar to damage, sometimes your entire sewer line becomes dislodged. There are a variety of reasons this can happen, but it tends to occur more often in older sewer lines. Simple aging can cause pipes to break. Aging can also lead to erosion and soil shifting which will make a pipe sag eventually breaking it at the joint. Once this occurs you need to have your entire sewer line repaired by a plumbing service. The upfront cost is high, but it is cheaper than paying for water damage and plumbing service every time you have a clog in your basement which will become a monthly thing or even daily thing if you don’t deal with the collapsed sewer line.
Tree Roots
Finally, tree roots are a very common way that your sewer line gets clogged because the roots actually stop wastes from flowing out into the sewer. If you have a large tree or even bushes in your front yard they can be interfering with your sewer line. The root structure underground can be quite extensive and eventually small feather-like roots break into your pipes. The small roots wouldn’t be so bad, but they eventually grow damaging your pipes and causing them to become misaligned.
Once the line starts to leak, the roots actually get nutrients from the wastewater which leads them to grow even larger. They can infiltrate multiple cracks in your pipes until blockages are present up and down your sewer system. You need to ensure that all of the roots are properly removed so that they don’t simply grow back and cause you to call a McKinney, TX plumbing service again.
Get Professional Help
If you are dealing with constant sewer line issues then it is time to call a plumbing service who can offer camera inspection so that you can get to the root of the problem. bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of NE Dallas is a professional plumbing company that would be glad to come out and assess your sewer line so that you don’t have to get used to cleaning out your basement. Give us a call today to see what we can do for you.
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