Sewer lines are the workhorse of your plumbing system, says TJC Company. All the used-up water from the plumbing ultimately ends up inside the sewer line. With so much wastewater flowing into it, it is no surprise that sewer lines occasionally suffer from problems.
However, because sewer lines are sturdily built and most are underground, they don’t get the attention they deserve. Typically, problems in a sewer line are not detected until they have reached an advanced stage.
This is a major reason sewer line problems are so damaging and costly. However, these problems are ignored because many homeowners don’t know how to identify the signs of sewer line problems in their homes and often misinterpret the signs.
This post explains the most crucial signs that a sewer line is under threat. By understanding the meaning of these telltale warnings, you can detect sewer line problems in your home early and take steps to stop them from getting worse.
10 signs of a suffering sewer line
- Unpleasant odors in the house and yard
Bad odors from your drains could mean that your sewer line is clogged. These bad odors are often caused by blockages that trap sewer gases inside the line and force them to escape through the drains inside your home. A broken sewer line leaking sewage will also emit bad smells in your yard.
- Multiple slow drains in your homeowners
If a single drain in your home is slow, that is not a sign that your sewer line is in trouble. It could be a problem with that specific drain. But if multiple drains (bathtub, sinks, or toilet) in the home start to have the same issues, the possibility that you have a clogged or broken sewer line is pretty high.
- Chronically blocked or slow drains
This refers to drain problems that won’t go away. For instance, if your shower drain is slow and you have taken steps to solve it without success, the problem may not be in your shower drain. It is more likely that the problems you see in the shower are a symptom of bigger issues inside your sewer line.
- Strange noises from your drains
Burgling and bubbling sounds from your drains means that pockets of trapped air are inside the sewer line. That signifies that your sewer line is not venting properly or is blocked. The bubbling or gurgling sounds are created when this trapped air forces its way out through the water in your toilet bowl or other drains.
- Backups and overflows
Overflows happen when the water inside your sink, toilet, or shower refuses to flow into the drain opening. Instead of emptying, the fixture fills up with dirty and often foul-smelling water. A sewage backup is an even worse problem. In this case, the contents of a blocked sewer line flow backward and spill raw sewage into your home.
- Puddles and damp patches in the yard
Unexplained puddles in your yard may be caused by an underground leak discharging water into the soil. This problem is most evident in the fall and wet months of the year. During summer, the ground is dry enough to absorb the water, and your yard stays dry. However, in months when the soil is saturated with water, the problem may reappear.
- Lush green patches of grass
Wastewater from a broken sewer line may not create puddles or wet patches in the yard. Instead, a section of the lawn will be greener than others despite the entire lawn receiving the same amount of water and fertilizer. That lush area is getting additional water and nutrients from your damaged sewer line.
- Spongy or bouncy ground
A leaky sewer line can alter the structure of the ground, making it spongy or bouncy. Typically, the change in the ground’s consistency is not noticeable until you actually walk on it. Only then does the difference between that patch of ground and the surrounding areas become evident.
- Pest invasion of your property
A broken sewer line will attract pests – rats, mice, flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and even snakes – to your yard. Some of these pests are attracted by the ready supply of water and food flowing from the broken sewer line. Others come to prey on the pests gathering on your property. You may also find more fruit flies inside your home.
- Depression and sinkholes
If the sewer line break is severe enough or the broken section has been ignored for a long time, it can discharge copious amounts of water into the ground until the soil becomes unstable. That can result in depressions forming on the lawn surface. If the issue is allowed to go on, it can eventually cause a sinkhole on your property.
To conclude, if at least two of these problems are present in your home, this is your signal that it is time to get a professional plumber to camera inspect your sewer line.