Look Out For These 3 Common Signs of a Broken Sewer Line
As a homeowner, you’re always on alert for plumbing problems inside your home, whether it’s a clogged toilet, a dripping faulty, leaky pipe, or more. But you may be unaware of the risks of a plumbing issue that happens outside the home – a broken sewer line.
What is the sewer line?
The sewer line is the underground pipe that carries all the wastewater from your home to the municipal sewer line. In other words, anything and everything that goes down a drain in your home will eventually run through this pipe.
Sewer lines typically last a long time but can become clogged by greasy substances, paper products, and solid objects. They can also break due to deteriorating materials, ingrown tree roots, or a shift in the ground. When the sewer line breaks or clogs, raw sewage can back up into your home, which can be dangerous to your health and extremely unpleasant.
Three signs of a sewer line problem
- Wet areas on the lawn. It’s a good idea to know where the sewer line runs underground so you can identify soggy patches along this path. If there’s a leak in the sewer line pipe, wastewater will seep into the ground, and eventually, this will be visible from the surface. Another sign is grass being extra green above the sewer line since sewage will fertilize the area (but not in a good way).
- Frequently clogged drains in different areas of your home. Most tub or sink drain clogs are due to a blockage in the trap immediately below the fixture, so they only affect that one particular area. But if you have multiple drains that are slow or clogged at the same time, it’s a sign that the blockage is further down the system – likely the horizontal sewer line. If this is the case, there’s no amount of plunging or drain cleaner that will fix the problem inside the home.
- Bad smells. As we mentioned earlier, the worst-case scenario is having raw sewage back up into your home. But if there’s a blockage and the wastewater has nowhere to go, that’s a very likely result.
Sewer line repair and replacement in Chicago
A faulty sewer line is not a plumbing problem that you want to ignore. If you notice any of the warning signs mentioned early, contact the expert team at Rocket Plumbing right away. We will assess your sewer line and recommend the best way to repair or replace the pipe. Schedule an appointment by calling (773) 219-1200.
