Your sewer line is the critical pipe that connects your home’s drains to the city’s water treatment facilities. It collects wastewater from the drain pipes in your home and transports the used water to the municipal sewer lines in the streets, says Crossroads Property Management.
Without the sewer line, the greywater and blackwater from your home would have no place to go. If the sewer line stopped working even a few hours, your house would become practically unlivable.
Yet, in spite of its obvious importance, most homeowners know very little about their sewer line, which is why sewer line problems in homes often cost a lot to fix. However, maintaining your sewer line doesn’t have to be hard.
All you need is a basic understanding of how sewer lines work, the things you should not do to the sewer line, and the essential elements of an effective sewer line maintenance plan.
What is the sewer line?
There are many drains in your home but only one sewer line. Drain lines are found inside the building. They collect used water from individual plumbing fixtures within the home. The sewer line is outside your building and underground.
Sewer lines are usually made of PVC, but in older homes, you can still find lines that are made of iron. The typical diameter for a sewer line is about four inches, but this depends on the age of your home and the number of fixtures connected to the line.
All the drains in your home empty into the sewer line. The sewer line carries this wastewater to the large sewer lines in the streets that lead to your city’s water treatment facilities. The sewer line in your yard belongs to you, and it is your responsibility to repair and maintain it.
Where is the sewer line located?
To maintain the sewer line and avoid damaging it when you dig in your yard, it is necessary to know its location. Here is how to locate your sewer line:
- Locate your cleanout
Look for a pipe sticking out of the ground with a cap/plug on top of it. It should be 1-3 feet from your house. After finding the cleanout, trace a direct line to the street; that should be the location of the sewer line.
- Check your neighbor’s house
If you are on the same service, observe the location of your neighbor’s cleanout to determine whether your sewer line is in the front or back of your house.
- Ask the city
The city planning office should have a map of your building with the location of the sewer line as well as any changes made to the original plan.
- Get a plumber to find it
A professional plumber can run a snake into your drains with a beacon on it and use a locator to locate the beacon in your yard.
Common sewer line problems and how to avoid them
- Slow drains
This is the first sign of an impending sewer line problem in your home
- Sewer line clogs/blockages
This happens when the semi-solid and solid materials in wastewater are deposited inside the sewer line.
- Tree root intrusion
Nearby tree roots may penetrate the sewer line, blocking/damaging it.
- Scale buildup
Mineral deposits from hard water can narrow the diameter of the sewer line
- Bellied pipes
Sewer line can collapse if the surrounding soil shifts or becomes unstable
- Pipe corrosion
A huge problem with metal and non-plastic pipes because corroded pipes become possessively weaker until they burst.
To prevent these problems:
- Do not flush dump fats, oils, grease, and other food waste into the drains
- Install strainers on drains to catch hair, soap scum, and food particles.
- Do not dispose of (so-called) flushable and non-biodegradable items in the toilet.
- Do not plant trees and shrubs with invasive roots near the sewer line, or you can install a tree root barrier to protect the sewer line from tree roots.
- Install a water softener to prevent mineral deposits inside the sewer line
- Address water leaks and soil erosion in your yard to keep water from infiltrating into the ground and weakening the soil around the sewer line
- To stop corrosion, replace old and weak pipes with PVC pipes or other durable materials
- Flush your drains with water, baking soda, and vinegar at least once a month
The ultimate sewer line management plan
The time-tested way to manage your sewer line is via a preventive maintenance plan.
Instead of correcting problems, this plan aims to prevent them. Detecting issues early and solving them preemptively minimizes the incidence of sewer problems and the cost of managing them. The two critical foundations of this strategy are sewer line camera inspections and drain cleaning:
- Sewer camera inspection
This video inspection provides real-time and accurate insights into the true state of your underground pipes
- Professional drain cleaning
These are professional strategies for clearing debris inside a sewer line. The best drain cleaning methods are hydro jetting and sewer rodding.
Lastly, to tie these methods together, you need the expertise and guidance of a reputable local plumber.