There are common signs that your sewer mainline is having trouble. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some are more common than others. In this article, we’ll go over a list of four of the most common signs of sewer mainline trouble. That way you should be able to spot these signs and avoid major damage to their homes.
BACKUP CLUES
1. Frequent Backups: If you have a backup every time water goes down the drain, that’s not normal. All your home’s drains rely on the main sewer line, so if it breaks it can leave you with constant backups. Also, if several drains in the home have issues on the lowest level, there’s a high chance of a bigger problem. Remember, all your drains end up in your sewer mainline.
2. Clearing Your Main Line Every Year: It shouldn’t be necessary to clear your main line every year to “maintain” it. In fact, you should never have to maintain your main line. The pipes used for sewer mainline are large enough that they should handle all the water or waste it needs to. And on top of that, your sewer mainline uses gravity to get rid of the waste. So it shouldn’t ever need you to do anything. Needing to clear it every year could mean you have a bigger issue.
How My Basement Flooded
Listen in as drain technicians share stories from the field, of people they helped who had their sewers back up into their home.
WATER SHOULD GO DOWN THE DRAIN
3. Water Going Where it Shouldn’t: Whenever you send water down a drain, it should never come up in another location. If you flush the toilet and water backs up in the bathtub, it may be because a clog won’t let it go down your sewer mainline. In that situation, the water will find any way out that it can. You could find backups like these in places like bathtubs or showers.
4. Puddling Water in a Floor Drain: It’s often frustrating to find a puddle of water on the floor. If it pops up in or around a floor drain, though, that could mean serious problems. Floor drains, at least the ones on the lowest level of the home, are the closest to the sewer mainline. That means they are often going to be the first drains that have issues when your sewer mainline backs up.
Why Do Mainlines Fail
On this episode of In The House, sewer and drain technicians discuss your mainline and how you can make sure it doesn’t fail.
If you are experiencing any of the signs above, it’s a good idea to have your sewer main line inspected with a camera. That way you can see what the problem is and find out what repair options are available. If you don’t have a technician you trust, Any Hour Services would be happy to help. You can give us a call or schedule an appointment online.