Top Signs That You Have A Clogged Sewer Line
Sewer line clogs can quickly become very expensive and dangerous. Main sewer line blockage can result in damage to your home’s plumbing system and expose you to contaminated water. In order to protect your family and your wallet, it’s important to know the signs of sewer line clogs.
Strange Noises And Bad Odors Coming From Your Plumbing Fixtures
A gurgling toilet is commonly the result of a sewer line clog. Instead of air flowing through the lines as they should, blockage forces air back up through your pipes. This air flows over sewage and brings along with it foul odors that can move up through your plumbing system and out the drains in your showers, toilets, and sinks.
Drains Are Clogging At The Same Time
The drainage system that carries waste water out of your home to the sewer is like branches on a tree. Plumbing fixtures have small drain lines that connect to one large drain line. This is called “the main sewer line”. When water is blocked in this line it will have a negative impact on all the plumbing fixtures in your home.
When multiple fixtures are affected at the same time or running one fixture seems to affect another, that is a big sign your sewer line is clogged. If you notice slow-moving drainage or water backing up in several places throughout your home when you run your washing machine or flush a toilet, you almost certainly have a sewer line clog.
Sewage Is Seeping Out Of Your Floor Drain
Another sign of a main sewer line clog is bad odors or sewage coming from your floor drains.
The Administrative Code in the state of Texas requires floor drains in areas where toilets, showers, and similar plumbing fixtures are installed. Floor drains collect any excess water caused by overflow and direct it to a collection pit. A pump called a “sump pump” moves collected water outside to the surface.
When a sewer line backs up, sewage looks for any escape and unfortunately, floor drains are one of the first paths sewage will take. If your floor drains start to emit a bad smell or you notice them backing up you have a main sewer line clog.
There is Standing Sewage In Your Yard
Standing sewage in your yard is a pretty obvious sign of a sewer line clog. In most cases standing sewage will be found around your home’s sewer cleanout. Sewer cleanout pipes can be found around your home. They are often covered by round or rectangular caps, and may be labeled with “Sewer” or “Cleanout”.
Modern residential plumbing systems almost always have an access port to the sewer line so that a plumber has access in an emergency. The Texas Administrative Code requires that “A two-way cleanout plug must be provided between the sewer stub out and the treatment tank.”
If you see sewage pooling around or coming out of your sewer cleanout, call a professional plumber immediately.
What Should I Do If My Sewer Line Is Clogged?
There are several chemical drain cleaners, home remedies, and tools to help clear sewer line clogs, however, these can actually damage your pipes if you aren’t careful. The best solution will always be to contact a professional. Plumbers specializing in clogged sewer lines use powerful tools to determine the cause, inspect for damage, and provide a more permanent solution.
The licensed and certified plumbers at billyGO have been serving the residents of Dallas-Fort Worth for several years and specialize in clogged drain lines.
