If sewage is backing up in more than one drain in your house at the same time, the problem is almost always in the sewer line that runs beneath the structure. Maybe you hear gurgling in other drains when you flush a toilet, or maybe water is not draining out of tubs and sinks as fast as it should. Perhaps you’ve noticed some foul odors coming from your plumbing fixtures.
If you have a basement, drains there will be the first to back up. Toilets tend to back up before other fixtures because they’re closer to the ground. All these issues are symptoms of the same plumbing problem.
Tree Roots
Tree roots grow toward moisture, and, unfortunately, there is plenty of moisture in a sewer pipe. This can cause roots to wrap themselves around pipes and crack. Once inside the pipe, the roots form a mass, soaking up water and collecting the debris coming through.
Trash and Debris
When paper, sanitary products and wipes are flushed down a toilet, they can clog the sewer line. Sometimes this happens even with items labeled as flushable. The good news is that this is a relatively easy fix for a plumber with a rotating snake.
Cooking Grease
Even if you’re careful, it’s difficult to keep cooking grease out of your kitchen sink when you wash the dishes. Once in the sewer pipe, the grease hardens and obstructs the sewer line. This is one of the better scenarios to be dealing with because the grease does not damage the pipes themselves.
The Pipes
Aging pipes made of tile and clay simply collapse over time, and this causes obstructions. Another issue involves a dip that develops beneath a pipe over time, causing the pipe to collapse. In the past, the only solution was to dig beneath the ground to take out the old pipe and replace it with a new one. Today, plumbers with the right equipment can use trenchless and pipe-bursting techniques to fix these problems.
While having a problem with your sewer line is never a good thing, knowing exactly what the issue is will let you know how to proceed. A plumber can send a camera down the sewer line to let you know what you’re dealing with. If you’re lucky, it may be something that they can take care of fast with a snake. If not, you may have to pay for your plumbing team to do some pipe busting or trenchless repair. If you live in Mesa, AZ or a surrounding area and need sewer line services, make your first call to The Plumber AZ.