A backed-up sewer can allow water and sewage into your home, causing extensive damage and health concerns that pose dangers to homeowners and their families. Read on to learn the most common causes of sewer backups, how to prevent this expensive issue from happening in the first place, and when to contact the professional plumbers at Ricky Heath for help.
What Is a Sewer Backup and Why Does It Happen?
To understand sewer line backups, it’s a good idea to learn about your sewage system and how it works. Whenever you flush your toilet or drain water from your sink, that wastewater is transported out of your home to the nearest main sewer line via pipes in your home.
The main sewer line is usually found outside of your home or at the lowest point, such as a basement, garage, or crawlspace. From here, wastewater is transported to either a septic tank or your city or municipality’s sewage system, where it goes on to be treated and returned to the water supply.
How do sewer backups happen? Typically, sewage backs up when pipes become clogged, blocked, collapsed, or damaged. This interrupts the flow of wastewater, leaving it with nowhere to go except back up the sewer line and into your home. There are a few ways to tell if your sewer is completely blocked, including:
- Toilets and drains are overflowing with water.
- Sewage odors coming from drains.
- Outdoor flooding around the home.
- Persistent gurgling sounds coming from drains.
- Bright green grass outside (caused by fertilization from human waste).
- Multiple simultaneous fixture clogs.
- Raw sewage backing up into drains, fixtures, and basements.
If you’re dealing with a sewage backup, it’s recommended to leave the house. Exposure to sewage is dangerous — the bacteria and viruses it contains can harm you and your family. Steer clear of the house until the issue is resolved by a professional.
Common Causes of a Backed-Up Sewer
What are the main causes of a sewer backing up into a house? Here are the most common causes of sewer backups in your home.
Clogged or blocked pipes
One of the most common reasons for sewer backups is a clog or a blockage in your pipes. Hair, grease, soap scum, food debris, paper towels, baby whites, and sanitary products can all cause clogs. None of these things break down in water, meaning they can block your pipes if they enter the system.
When you call a plumbing pro for help with a sewer backup, they’ll usually start by doing a camera inspection of your pipes. This allows your pro to find blockages and other damage, helping them determine how to fix the issue.
Damaged pipes
Pipes become cracked, broken, or collapsed due to a variety of factors. Shifting soil, earthquakes, and natural wear and tear all contribute to pipe damage. Eventually, damage can lead to a pipe failure, preventing wastewater from exiting the sewage system and causing a back-up. This can also cause further clogs and blockages, exacerbating the problem over time.
A plumbing professional will inspect your sewage pipes for damage and help you decide whether it’s best to repair or replace them. In many cases, replacement is the better option because you can install more durable materials to avoid future sewer backups in the house.
Tree root damage
A common reason for sewer line blockages and backups is tree root growth. This is difficult to predict because we have little control over the way tree roots grow, even if the tree is far from your pipes. Tree roots naturally seek out moisture, so they often grow towards sewer lines. Tree roots can grow into even the smallest gaps in your line, breaking them open or even collapsing them.
Tree roots are a bigger concern for sewage systems that still use clay piping, but any type of pipe can be damaged by tree roots with enough time. Your professional plumber will do a sewer line inspection of the pipe and remove tree roots with hydro-jetting or root cutting. From here, they’ll replace the pipe as needed.
Heavy rain
Heavy rainfall or flooding could cause a sewer backup. Excess rainfall can overwhelm public sewer systems, causing the additional water to flow back into your home. This type of sewer backup is usually temporary and normally subsides once the rain stops. However, it may still cause severe water damage and potentially expose you to hazardous sewage.
If your area gets a lot of rain that causes sewer backups, contact an expert to install a sump pump or backflow valve. These devices prevent water from flowing back into your home via the sewer lines, protecting you from future sewage backups.
Municipal sewer problems
Sewage backups might not be in your control. If your municipal sewage system has a failure of some kind, it could lead to wastewater and sewage flowing back into your home. If you think you’re dealing with a sewage backup caused by public sewer issues, you’ll need to report it to your local water department. A plumbing professional can also help you prevent future issues with municipal backups by installing a backflow valve.
Aging sewer systems
Aged pipes and other components in our sewer systems may crack, break, or collapse. This is a particularly big concern for sewage systems built before the 1970s because these systems often have clay or cast iron pipes. However, even modern PVC piping has a finite lifespan, after which point the material begins to degrade. This leads to pipes failing or collapsing, causing a sewage backup in your home.
Scheduling regular inspections for your sewage system allows your plumbing professional to check for signs of issues before they become big, expensive problems. Consider investing in new, durable sewer lines to prevent sewer backups and other problems in the future.
How To Prevent a Sewer Backup in Your House
Sewer backups are expensive and unpleasant. Here are a few ways to help prevent this problem from occurring in your home:
- Schedule regular sewer line inspections (every one to three years) to detect problems and make proactive repairs.
- Never pour grease or oil down drains.
- Only flush human waste and toilet paper down the toilet.
- Maintain your yard and keep trees and shrubs well away from your sewer line.
Contact Ricky Heath for Sewer Backup Solutions
A sewer backup is a serious concern for homeowners. Working with a trusted plumbing company like Ricky Heath gives you the peace of mind that comes with being protected. Our skilled plumbing professionals are proud to go the extra mile for our customers.
Whether you’re looking to proactively protect your home or address an ongoing sewer emergency, we’re here to help. Contact us today to book a repair service or a sewer line inspection with our team.
