A sewer backup in your home might be a plumbing issue. Wastewater and sewage that does not drain properly, whether due to a pipe problem or a blockage, can cause extensive damage to your home and valuables. If you notice raw sewage gathering around drains, tubs, toilets, or in your basement, your home has a sewage problem.
You’ll want to diagnose and repair the problem as quickly as possible before your walls, carpet, and furniture are badly ruined. That’s why we’ve collected a list of the main causes of sewage backups and prevent future sewage backups.
When your drains or sewers fail, you want fast help, but you need to figure out who to call. You can use these questions and answers to find the source of the problem and get help rapidly. You can also check the Reztor Restoration website for sewer backups or storm-related floods.
How Do Sewers and Main Sewer Lines Differ?
When you wash something down the drain or flush the toilet, sewage is produced. Because these compounds are considered trash, they require a sanitary sewage system to protect public health and water purity.
Sewage systems include utility holes, pumping stations, and buried pipelines transporting wastewater from homes to treatment plants.
The main sewer line in your home transports all sewage and wastewater from your home to your septic tank or a public sewer line. It is often outside or in your home’s basement, garage, or crawl space. Because sewer lines are linked to the pipes in your home, a sewage backup can rapidly become a plumbing emergency.
The Most Common Reasons for Sewer Backups
What causes a backup in the main sewer line? Sadly, various sewage backup sources might result in plumbing issues in your home. Finding the source of the sewer backup can assist you in getting the problem resolved as soon as possible.
Pipes that are clogged or blocked
Your home’s main sewer line can become clogged or blocked just as readily as its drain lines. Because the main sewage line is just large enough to carry human waste and toilet paper, other materials that should not be flushed or poured down the drain can cause a blockage.
If a single drain clog causes the backup, you will only have plumbing issues with that drain. However, if the clog is from the main sewage line, it will cause plumbing problems in various areas of your home, such as multiple toilets or drains.
Roots of trees
Trees and other plants seek moisture and nutrients near your sewer line. Tree roots will develop above or around sewer piping, causing cracks to emerge. They prefer to grow and wrap around sewer lines, eventually crushing them. Roots can cause a sewage backlog.
Because clay piping is easily fractured, sewer problems caused by tree roots are quite common in older homes with clay piping. Even though a tree is not near your sewage line, its roots can cross property lines even if it is far away. Tree roots that have invaded your sewage pipes must be removed, and the pipe must be fixed or replaced.
Sewer Pipe Damage
Sewer pipes can be damaged by earth movement and poor ground support, ending in broken and collapsed pipes. It is another major issue with older homes with iron or clay plumbing systems.
A cracked, broken, or collapsed line can cause a sewage backup. Iron pipes erode with time, generating corrosion that eats away at the pipes. Many damaged sewer lines, fortunately, may be repaired with trenchless pipe repair, a maintenance procedure that causes minimal disruption to your home or yard.
Excessive rainfall.
Even though municipal sewer systems are designed to manage massive amounts of water, they have a limited capacity. Heavy rain, especially when it falls over a long period of time, can wreak havoc on sewage systems. If rain causes the system to overflow, the extra water may flow back into residential dwellings.
Age of the Sewer System
Cast iron and clay piping are common in ancient sewer systems. While these materials are relatively durable, they are not designed to last indefinitely. PVC piping deteriorates and collapses. Many homes are prone to sewage backups and overflow.
Municipal Sewer Issues
An issue outside your home, such as a city sewer clog, can sometimes cause sewer backups. Municipal sewer problems are often to blame for sewage backup in basements. While these problems are usually recognised and resolved quickly, they still impact surrounding residential sewer connections.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about this kind of sewer issue. Homeowners should contact their local city or municipality and engage directly with them to resolve the issue. While sewage backups from city sewer problems usually occur without warning, contact your local public works office immediately if you observe water flooding your basement.
Sewage Backup Dangers
A sewage backlog can be dangerous to you, your family, and your pets, in addition to being a major inconvenience and perhaps causing water damage in your home. Mould can grow in your home due to dirty water and sewage, and people with allergies or asthma may have breathing difficulties.
Furthermore, a sewage backup poses a significant health risk to you and your family. Both sewage and wastewater are renowned for transporting dangerous microorganisms and airborne pollutants. Avoid inhaling raw sewage or coming into direct physical contact with it when dealing with a sewage blockage. Raw sewage bacteria can cause various diseases, including gastroenteritis (stomach flu), hepatitis A, salmonella, E. Coli, and others.
Any worrying health symptoms associated with a sewage blockage should be handled by a medical expert as soon as possible.
When should I use a professional service?
If your drainage is slow or you suspect a blockage, contact a private business such as Reztor Restoration. The issue is most likely in your side sewer line. If the service provider cannot unblock the line and you continue to have problems with your sewer system, call 1800 739 867 before incurring additional costs.
