Different Types Of Main Sewer Line Blockages

WhenTypes Of Main Sewer Line Blockages up into your house, it can be disgusting and frustrating. You want to get the blockage cleared right away, and you don’t want to experience that again. Some people experience mainline backups over and over again for a variety of reasons. It is best to understand why your sewer is backing up so you can either make corrections in your daily lifestyle or the necessary repairs to your sewer lines.

Grease Blockage

Grease is one of the worst things that you can pour down your drains. Grease when it cools down hardens and will block your sewer from flowing correctly. Even small amounts of grease mixed with water can grasp ahold of the inner parts of your pipes and form buildup. It is best that you and the other household members never pour grease down your sink and drains. Many people that use grease for cooking pour the excess grease into a container with a lid like an empty water bottle or old jar. Then the entire container can be thrown out into the garbage instead of clogging up your sewer drains.

How to Fix

If your sewer system is blocked up by the only grease, it is possible you can have your sewer line hydro jetted. This process uses a large machine that has extremely high water pressure to descale the inside of the sewer pipe. This plumbing procedure is much more cost-effective than having to have your pipes replaced.

Foreign Objects

It may surprise you that a good number of calls that plumbers go-to for blockages are foreign objects lodged in the sewer line. This isn’t the usual baby wipes or toilet paper that plumbers find but instead household items that seem to find their way down the toilet and into the sewer line. Children are often the culprits of these causes as some seem to find it interesting to flush their toys or other household items down the toilet. If a homeowner is lucky, the foreign object will lodge in the bathroom itself. If they aren’t as fortunate, the thing will make its way into the sewer drain line where it can get stuck. Often in these cases, a plumbers snake may not work to clear the blockage.

How to Fix

The first step is to have a plumber come out and see where the foreign object is located at. If it’s in the toilet, the plumber may be able to pull the toilet and remove the item. If the object made its way to the sewer, than the plumber can try his snake. If the snake doesn’t clear the line, then a video camera inspection should be performed to see where and what the blockage is. Once the location and obstruction are confirmed, a spot repair may be required.

Broken Sewer Pipe

When a sewer pipe breaks, your house will soon back up. Fairly quickly roots will find a way into your sewer pipes, which will clog up the line. Before the roots grow in, you may have other debris that gets in the way. This could include rocks, dirt, burrowing animals, and shifts in the earth.

How to Fix

When a homeowner has a broken pipe, the pipe will need a spot repair. This will involve a plumber digging down to expose the fractured area of the pipe. Once the area is exposed, the section that is broken can be cut out and replaced with new piping.

Recap | Conclusion

Please don’t take it lightly when your sewer backs up. That is generally not normal, and you will want to understand what is going on. In some cases, if you wait too long to make the repairs, it can get more expensive to fix over time as the damage gets worse.