Your sewer line is among the most heavily used systems in your home. You depend on its efficiency for the sanitation and comfort of your home.
Yet, like many things in life, we often don’t pay attention to the sewer line until it starts to malfunction, notes the Astoria Charm Management team. This failure is the root of most sewer line issues people experience in their homes.
How does that happen?
Every time you use a shower, toilet, or sink in your home, wastewater flows into the drain of that fixture, eventually finding its way into the main sewer line before entering the city sewer line in the street.
But not all the stuff that flows into your shower, toilet, or sink drains makes it to the city sewer lines. Some of that waste is deposited inside the sewer line. These deposits consist of small semi-solid/solid materials inside the wastewater, and at the beginning, they don’t pose a problem to the function of your drainpipes.
But with time, these tiny deposits become a significant buildup that begins to interfere with the flow of wastewater inside the pipes, causing drain problems in your home.
Here are a few examples of issues that can happen in and around your home.
Signs of buildup inside your drain lines
Slow drains in your home
For instance, when water collects at the bottom of the shower or inside a kitchen sink instead of flowing out through the drain opening.
Drains backing up
This happens when wastewater inside a drain line flows backwards into the home instead of flowing outwards into the city sewer system.
Bad odors in the home
This is caused by sewer gases flowing into the house from the plumbing fixtures. Blockages in the sewer line cause it.
Leaking sewer line
These leaks are not easy to detect because they often happen underground, where they can do more damage to your building’s structures.
Damaged landscaping
A leaking sewer line will discharge water into your landscaping and damage your lawn, resulting in sinkholes and other issues
Pest invasion
One sign that your sewer line is leaking is when you suddenly have a lot of pests in your yard because vermin are drawn to the damaged sewer line.
Why you should clean your sewer line
The only way to keep these problems at bay and prevent them from destroying your sewer line is to clean it. What are the direct benefits of cleaning out a sewer line, and what is the best way to keep a sewer line relatively free of buildup?
Benefits of cleaning your sewer line include:
Cost saving
The number one benefit of cleaning your sewer line is it saves you a ton of money you would have wasted on avoidable drain issues. Most major sewer line problems begin as small clogs that are ignored and allowed to blossom into plumbing emergencies that cost tens of thousands to fix.
Health and comfort
Sewer line problems are a major contributor to poor indoor air quality in homes. These problems range from sewage gases being released into the house to dangerous mold gases that cause numerous allergies and respiratory illnesses.
Longevity of sewer systems
Sewer pipes have a projected number of years they are supposed to last, but this period is drastically reduced by clogs inside the sewer line. That is because debris inside a sewer line initiates chemical processes that wear out the pipes.
Efficient sewer system
Regularly cleaning your sewer line is the best way to keep water flowing through the system without interruption. An efficient sewer system makes it very easy to detect problems in your plumbing.
Protect your home’s value
The impact of sewer line problems on the structural integrity of a building is often overlooked. Foundation problems due to soil shifting are just one of the issues that can result from undetected sewer line leaks around a building.
The best way to keep your sewer line clean
The three essential steps when cleaning a sewer line are:
Sewer camera inspection
This uses a specialized camera that is sent into the sewer line to get close-up visuals of the inside of the pipes.
Hydro-jetting
Although other methods for removing debris from clogged pipes exist, hydro-jetting removes buildup and washes the dislodged materials out of the pipes.
Preventive maintenance
This is the most essential step because it helps prevent sewer line problems by detecting them in their early stages and solving them quickly.
To summarize these three steps, working with a qualified and experienced plumber is essential. An expert plumber can help you anticipate the needs of your sewer system and provide up-to-date information on how to boost its performance and resilience.