A damaged sewer line can often be caused by something like plant/tree roots or a collapse. These things might happen due to improper installation or simply due to the age of the pipe. The damaged line will often exhibit itself by causing a backup in the home. The lowest point in the home is usually what’s going to back up the quickest. So if you have a floor drain in the basement, that’s where you’ll probably see the backup.
Another symptom of a damaged sewer line might happen when you run your washing machine, which is a very high-output fixture. You’ll generally start hearing a gurgling sound coming from your drains when the machine is in the spin cycle and it’s discharging a high volume of water into the drainage system. The gurgling sound means that there’s probably standing water in the main drain that’s causing the venting of the actual plumbing system to not work properly. If toilets are very slow to flush and the water stays spinning in the bowl, a lot of times that’s another possible sign of a damaged sewer line.
The team at Wisler Plumbing and Air doesn’t perform any water remediation—we do our best work when we’re trying to prevent something like this from happening in the first place. If you see one of these signals and suspect that it’s a broken or backed up sewer line, it’s something that you definitely want to get taken care of quickly. In one instance, a single mom left her five children at home while she was at work. They each decided to take a shower, and it ended up putting 3 inches of water in the basement. Sewer line issues are definitely not something you want to be complacent with—sewage is full of bacteria and a harbor for disease. You don’t want that kind of water going into your home.
In terms of preventative maintenance, we can inspect the sewer lines by running a camera line through them. We also have a drain maintenance product that keeps pipes clear of substances from baths, oils, and greases from the kitchen sink. Whether you choose to use a camera or a drain maintenance product, either one would be a great idea.
For more information about how we can keep your pipes clear and prevent sewer line damage, reach out to us today. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.
