Is your sewer line leaking? Should you fix it right away, or is it alright to wait until a more convenient time? These questions are often asked by homeowners who are dealing with sewer line issues on their property. These questions are justified because of the stress and high cost of fixing a broken sewer line, says Heritage Services Experts.
However, unless the problem in your sewer line is a minor issue, like a hairline crack, you do not want to delay fixing it for very long. That’s because it doesn’t take long for hairline cracks in a sewer line to become a gaping hole, due to the pressure of the water inside the pipes and tiny tree roots exploiting the break.
Meanwhile, most homeowners take the attitude that a leaky sewer line is not a huge problem if it is not causing major issues in their home. As long as their drains are working, they don’t smell sewage odors in the yard and there is no damage to their landscaping, they are happy to ignore the problems in the sewer line.
But this can be a huge mistake.
Many homeowners who perform this do not grasp the full destructive capabilities of even the smallest sewer line leak. The effects of a leaking sewer line can ripple outwards and affect every aspect of your life and home. It can cause problems that affect indoor air quality, your health, landscaping and foundation.
Potential impact of sewer line issues on your home
Here are some ways that neglected sewer line leaks affect your home:
- Exposure to harmful pathogens
The wastewater in your sewer line is loaded with pathogens. Illnesses like gastroenteritis, hepatitis, typhoid, and cholera are often spread by overlooked sewer line problems. This is often the result of insects and other animals coming into contact with food, water, and humans after visiting a yard with a broken sewer line.
- Exposure to harmful gases
Sewer gases don’t just smell awful; they can be harmful to humans. The gas that gives sewage its characteristic odor is hydrogen sulphide. If inhaled in sufficiently large amounts, hydrogen sulphide can cause sickness, disorientation and death. Another potentially harmful component of sewer gas is methane.
- Runaway water damage
For every five insurance claims filed by homeowners in the USA, at least one is directly linked to water damage. A significant portion of these water damage claims is from sewer line leaks in the home. That’s because sewer line leaks can secretly discharge water into a house, causing massive property damage.
- Uncontrollable pest infestation
Moisture from a leaky sewer line will transform your home into the perfect haven for a variety of pests. Mosquitoes, roaches, termites, centipedes and snakes are just a few of the creatures a broken sewer line will attract. These pests will invariably find their way into your home through various openings in the building.
- Mold and respiratory problems
Sewer line leaks encourage the growth of mold and mildew in your home. By releasing spores and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) gases into the surrounding areas, mold causes mold sickness. It also worsens existing respiratory conditions in the vulnerable members of your family, such as small children and the elderly.
- Foundation failure
Sewer lines usually run underneath the structures of your home, and a leaky sewer line can undermine the soil beneath the building by saturating it with moisture. This causes cracks in the load-bearing structures of your building, eventually leading to foundation failure. This problem can go on for a long time before it is discovered.
- Damaged landscaping
Sewer line leaks may also cause costly damage to your landscaping. This mostly comes in the form of indentations on the lawn surface and underneath pavers. In severe cases, the sewer line problems may even cause a sinkhole to appear on your property.
How to fix your leaky sewer line
What should you do if you think you have a leak in your sewer line?
- Professional inspection and diagnosis
This is the only way to know if you truly have a broken sewer line, the severity, and the best way to fix it. Typically, to check for sewer line problems, a professional plumber will do a sewer camera inspection and maybe a smoke test.
- Repair or replacement
Whether you should repair or replace the sewer line depends on the type of damage and the extent. Your plumber will present you with different options for solving the problem. Typically, your best choice is to go with trenchless pipe repairs like pipe bursting or relining.
- Preventive maintenance
Do not go back to ignoring your sewer line after the problem is fixed. Create a plan to protect and proactively maintain the line. This plan should include proper waste disposal by the members of your household, removing nearby trees and shrubs that can harm the sewer line, and yearly sewer line inspections.
Finally, you want to ensure the plumber you hire to inspect and repair your sewer line knows what they are doing. Hiring the wrong plumber will worsen the issues in the line. Your chosen plumber should not only be skilled in sewer line repair but also offer ongoing maintenance.