Don’t Let Clogged Sewers Wreak Havoc on Your Home

Backed up sewers can lead to damaged floors, walls, electrical systems, and furniture. And certainly, this amount of damage may burn a hole in your pocket.

If you want to learn how to protect your home from sewer havoc, read the blog. It will help you to know how you can stay away from clogged sewer drains.

Causes of Clogged Sewer

Do you know, according to a recent Civil Engineering Research Foundation reports, the number of backed-up sewers is growing at an alarming rate of about 3 percent annually?

This means you are not the only one facing this problem. Many people are suffering from a clogged sewer.

Main Causes of Clogged Sewer or Sewer Backup:

1. Combined Pipelines – Problems arise in systems that combine stormwater and raw sewage into the same pipeline. During rainstorms, the systems are exposed to more volume than they can handle. And the result is clogged sewage or sewage backup situation, that allows sewage to spew out into basements and other low lying drains.
2. Aging Sewer Systems – The American Society of Civil Engineers indicates that the nation’s 500,000-plus miles of sewer lines are on average over thirty years old. Furthermore, the increasing number of homes connecting to already aging sewage systems has also contributed to rapid increases in sanitary sewer backups, flooded basements, and overflows.
3. Sanitary Main Blockages – A blockage can occur in a city sanitary main. If the blockage is not detected in time, sewage from the main can back up into homes through floor drains. Usually, this happens slowly & there are early indications of a problem. If you are unaware of how to unclog the main sewer line, call a licensed restoration company. If water is entering into your basement at a rapid rate, call the city public works office and report the problem immediately.
4. Tree roots – Seeking moisture, small roots of trees and shrubs make their way in to sewer line cracks and service pipe joints, and can cause extensive damage or blockages as they grow larger. In short, the cost of the clean-up will fall to the tree’s owner. When the issue is a result of a combination of city and private trees, the cost will split between the city and the property owner.

Expert Tips:

1. Use Your Garbage Disposal Intelligently: Avoid dumping large quantities of anything down your garbage disposal. It may become lodged within your sewer line.
2. Don’t Use Your Toilet as a Wastebasket: Flushing facial tissues, napkins, diapers and other waste down your toilet create clogs.
3. Don’t Pour Grease Down your Drain: Grease and fat, although liquid when poured down your drain, can harden within your plumbing, collecting debris and creating a stubborn clog.

Immediate Rescue for Sewer Backup

If you experience a sewer backup situation, immediately arrange a cleanup of your property. This should include:

1. Wet-vacuuming or removal of spillage.
2. Flushing out and disinfecting plumbing fixtures.
3. Ductwork cleaning.
4. Mopping floors, wiping walls with soap and disinfectant.
5. Steam cleaning or removing wet carpets or drapes.
6. Repairing or removing damaged wallboard or wall covering.

Conclusion:

Determining the problem isn’t always easy. Typically a municipal clog will affect multiple houses on your street. Hence, it is always advisable to call professional cleanup for sewer backup and other sewage problems.

If you are still confused between how to clear & unblock a mainline blockage, get in touch with drainage and excavation experts of Dry Effect!