If there’s a particular aspect of your home plumbing system that you don’t ever want to think about as a homeowner, it would most definitely be your sewer line. Not only is the ick factor a 10 on a 1-10 scale, repairs to a sewer line are often more expensive than other kinds of plumbing issues. As such, it’s good to know what can cause your sewer line to potentially back up so that you can successfully avoid some of these scenarios in your own home.
Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Sewer Line Break’
What Causes a Sewer Line to Back Up?
Monday, August 17th, 2015Stinky Puddles in the Yard? It May Be Time for Sewer Line Replacement
Monday, May 11th, 2015Your home’s plumbing system is pretty large and pretty complicated, but there are two main lines that make the whole system work: the main water line, which brings in the potable water, and the sewer (or septic) line that removes all the waste water. When there’s an issue with either of these lines, your plumbing system will develop problems. However, it can be challenging to know when something has gone wrong with either of these lines because they are buried under your yard. So if you have a sewer line problem, how are you going to know about it? Here are some tips from our Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling experts.
Signs of a Sewer Line Break
Monday, March 3rd, 2014The wastewater in your home moves through various pipes to a central sewer line, which runs underneath your home and out to the center of the street to connect to the municipal sewer system. And for the most part, that’s all you really need to know about your sewer line—until a break occurs in it and threatens your home with sewer odors, numerous drain clogs, basement flooding, and foundation damage.
Sewer line breaks can occur because of corrosion (a problem for older homes with galvanized steel plumbing), shifting of the ground due to construction or natural disasters, and the pressure from growing tree roots. Whatever the cause, sewer line breaks require professionals to excavate the sewer trenches and replace the damages lines as soon as possible. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling can deliver fast and dependable sewer repair in Lansdale, PA when you have problems with a broken sewer line.
Here are warning signs of sewer line break:
- Sewage odors from drains: One of the earliest signs you’ll encounter if the sewer line breaks are foul smells coming from your drains. If the smells are accompanied by gurgling in your drains, it means that sewage gases are being forced up through the water plugs in the p-trap (the curved pipe below a sink) of your drainpipes.
- Persistent clogs: Along with the sewer odor, you will start finding clogs in drains around the house, none of which react to a plunger or other kinds of clog removal.
- Foul-smelling lawn: When the sewer line breaks, the sewage will seep into the ground and rise up into your lawn. If you lawn has a similar sewage smell to the drains, it almost definitely points toward a damaged sewer line.
- Water stains in the basement: If you have a basement, water damage from sewage backflow will start to appear here first. If you notice water stains around drains in the basement, call for professional plumbers.
- Rats and other pests: The sewer odors will begin to attract pests such as rats. If you begin to notice vermin in your basement or in your yard, look for other signs that you may have a broken sewer line.
You’ll need the best professional help you can find
Sewer line replacement requires extensive digging; it is something you should never delegate to amateurs. The potential for even greater damage to the sewer line is high unless you have professionals handle the task.
Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling has years of experience with sewer repair in Lansdale, PA. Our plumbers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help you with sewer line emergencies.