In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics on why main sewer line clogs are different from other kinds of drain clogs in your home, plus some of the factors that may cause them. The main sewer line is your home’s entryway into the primary municipal sewer system, allowing your waste to pass into this system in the proper ways.
At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, our detailed plumbing services include several sewer line maintenance areas, from trenchless sewer line repair to sewer line cleaning and assistance with any other issues you may have in this area. In today’s part two, we’ll go over a few additional potential causes of these clogs, plus some of the signs that may indicate you have such a blockage that needs to be addressed.
Improper Garbage Disposal Use
In part one, we went over some of the improper uses of toilet drains that can lead to main sewer line clogs – the garbage disposal is a similar concern in many homes, though often in different ways. Just like the toilet, however, the primary issue here is folks in the home believing the garbage disposal drain is meant for purposes that, in reality, it is not.
For starters, the presence of grease, oils and other cooking liquids in the drain is a big no-no. This will lead to hardening further down in the drain system, often in the main sewer line itself. The same goes for larger food particles – even if you think the disposal would do fine breaking them up, we highly recommend throwing away larger food debris separately and placing less strain on the garbage disposal.
Sewer Line Damage Issues
In other cases, clogs in the main sewer line take place because the line itself has become damaged over time. Cracking, sagging, corroding and general breakage are all possible in older pipes, especially those that have been present for multiple decades. This will not only allow in dirt and other debris, but will also prevent wastewater from flowing properly.
Signs of Main Sewer Line Clogs
Here are some of the primary signs that indicate you may have a main sewer line clog and should immediately contact our plumbers about remedying the issue:
- Your toilets are all gurgling or bubbling at the same time
- Smells of sewage and other foul plumbing odors are coming from multiple drains in the home
- More than one drain in the home is having drainage issues
- Wastewater begins to back up in one plumbing fixture while another is in use, and vice versa
- Strange wet patches begin to show up in your back yard above the main sewer line, even when the weather itself is dry
For more on identifying and remedying main sewer line clogs, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical today.