The sewer line is one of the most underappreciated features of your modern home. It is responsible for ferrying away every bit of waste that you don’t want sticking around. However, when it is clogged or damaged, you suddenly realize just how much you took it for granted. As problems tend to get worse the longer you leave them, it is important to know the signs of a clog in your sewer line so you can make sure it is repaired quickly.
Signs of a Sewer Line Clog
Unlike a damaged sewer line where waste may pool in your yard or patches of grass may become more lush and green due to the “nutrients” seeping out from within, clog sewer lines do not often produce such immediately noticeable symptoms. Instead, they produce more inconvenient symptoms that, while easily ignored, should be immediately addressed.
Slow Draining Plumbing
You might not notice a slow draining toilet, but if your sinks or bathtub have suddenly started to drain at a much slower rate, it may be a sewer line problem. When this happens, homeowners may immediately look to inside the connected drains for clogs. However, if they turn out to be completely clear, then this is a sure sign of a clog deeper in the system. If it is a clog within the actual sewer line, then no amount of drain snaking, plunging, or harsh not recommended liquid declogging agent is going to fix it.
Gurgling Toilet
While you may not notice a toilet draining slower than normal, there isn’t much of a chance that you will miss a toilet making a gurgling sound when flushed. This noise happens specifically when there is not a clear pathway for the waste and water to travel through. If it drains, then the line is not yet fully clogged up, but the gurgling happens when it cannot flow as intended.
A Need to Plunge
If you flush, and more often than not, need to plunge afterwards to break up a clog, it probably isn’t you – it’s your plumbing. This goes for other plumbing areas, like your kitchen sink as well. If you need to break up clogs frequently, rather than just every now and then, it is an indicator of a problem deeper in the system.
What Causes Sewer Line Clogs?
Clogs in your main sewer line can be caused by all the common reasons for clogs in your feeder drains. Fat and food flushed down your sinks can cause them. Toilet paper and other solids can cause them. Even just everything combined can cause them over time. However, the most common cause of clogs in the main line is tree roots. They breach the pipes drawn to the moisture, and once they get in, they flourish.
Adding on to that problem, if a pipe is broken, due to roots or otherwise, it affects the integrity. The pipe can break down and this can create clogs as well. Unfortunately, the techniques used to clear main sewer line clog will not work if it is a broken pipe causing the problem. Instead, you will need to have that pipe repaired to rectify the problem.
Need Help?
Are you manifesting any of the symptoms above? Then in all likelihood, you are suffering from a clogged main sewer line. While you can hope that it becomes unclogged, chances are, your problem is only going to get worse. When it comes to any plumbing problem, it is best not to leave it for too long. If you have a clogged main sewer line and want to discuss all your options, contact us today to see what SOS Drain & Sewer can do for you.
