Skip to main content

8 Signs It's Time to Replace Your Home's Sewer Line

The sewer line is one of those features in your home that you take for granted. As long as it is doing its job of silently carrying wastewater from your home into the city’s sewer system, you don’t have any reason to think about it. But that changes very quickly once the main sewer line or mainline stops working.

Sewer line malfunctions are one of those things you don’t want to deal with as a homeowner or a landlord, says RealevateSpecialists.com. Problems with the sewer line often result in foul-smelling wastewater backing up into your home. In addition to the cost of fixing the system, you may not be able to use the toilet, sink, or shower as usual during the repairs.

Also, apart from the immediate negative impact of sewer line damage, problems with the mainline can predispose your home to invasion mold and pest infestation. Sewer line problems are best detected early. If you can manage to find problems with your sewer line before it creates a mess inside your home, you would be the better for it.

With your home’s sewer line complex network of pipes, chambers, valves, and pumps, how can you tell when things are going wrong? This article explains the common signs that your home’s sewer line is damaged and needs to be replaced. There is also a highly compressed summary of what sewer line replacement entails.

8 SIGNS IT IS TIME TO REPLACE YOUR HOME’S SEWER LINE

AGE

Sewer lines, like other components of your home’s plumbing, suffer natural wear and tear. A sewer line that has reached or passed its expected life will be more prone to damage. But because sewer lines are buried out of view, they are rarely replaced at the right time. This is one of the biggest reasons for sewer line emergencies.

SMELLS

Sewer lines are meant to ensure you do not have to endure bad orders from sewage and wastewater. If you notice bad odors coming from your pipes or drain, you should have your sewer line inspected. Bad odors from a sewer line may also hang around the yard without appearing to come from a particular source.

SOUNDS

Gurgling and bubbling sounds from your pipes are an indication of problems inside the sewer lines, especially if this is happening frequently. Drain clogs can generate gurgling or bubbling sounds but these are usually infrequent. If the sounds are also accompanied by bad odors around the property, your sewer line may be in trouble.

WASTEWATER AND SEWAGE BACKUP

Any kind of waste backup is a clear indication of problems with the sewer system. Wastewater or sewage backups are among the worst signs of sewer line damage. That’s because backups from a sewer line will prevent the normal use of the home’s sanitary facilities. In addition to the inconvenience, waste backup can endanger people’s health.

PRESENCE OF TREES

tree-root-infiltration

The mere presence of trees in your yard does not mean your sewer line will get damaged. But trees increase the possibility of damage to the sewer line. This is particularly true if the trees are growing close to the lines and the trees have an invasive root system. Tree roots will encase and puncture a sewer line in order to gain access to the water running through it.

POOLS OF SEWAGE ON THE LAWN

In extreme cases, you can actually start to see sewage collecting on your lawn. Along with the foul smell this creates, you may also find that some areas of the yard are inexplicably water-logged. Sewage may also seep into your lawn in more subtle ways, such as isolated spots of very green grass in the yard.

PEST INFESTATION

Where there is a leak in your sewer line you will find pests gathering around the area. The types of pests you can expect to find in such locations are roaches, mosquitoes, rats, and mice. These pests may also attract bigger creatures, like snakes, which want to feed on the pests making their home in the area. Additionally, the pests will start to find their way into your home.

THE FOUNDATION IS CRACKING

A damaged sewer line can cause structural damage to your building, and this will often manifest as cracks in the foundation. A damaged sewer line can create a sinkhole beneath your home. It can also feed moisture into your home’s foundation, causing it to weaken over time. Untreated sewer line damage is a major cause of foundation failure.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT

sewer-line-replacement-chicago

Expect some or all of the following steps during sewer line replacement:

  • Trenching to find the damaged sewer line – Your plumber will dig holes in the yard to locate the section of the damaged pipes.
  • Tunneling – Tunnels are dug under your building to enable access to the damaged pipes and to enable the installation of new ones
  • Pipe section replacement – Sections of damaged pipes will be replaced.
  • Pipelining – This is the least disruptive way to replace a sewer line because it does not involve pipe removal.

Labels

Labels:
Location: Brookfield, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of Maintaining your Restaurant or Bar's Plumbing

These days, restaurants and bars rely heavily on their plumbing systems, because it represents an environment where the waste water supply and debris drainage are of utmost importance. There are quite a few plumbing services for bars and restaurants that are required for these certain businesses. There are different types of bars and restaurants each unique with their own specific plumbing specifications. The biggest part of maintaining top notch performance and cleanliness standards for your restaurant or pubs pipes include a regular drain cleaning and maintenance. Before conducting pipe cleaning and maintenance for your bar or restaurant, is it critical to understand why it is necessary. I am sure you do not want to have to close down an area of the restaurant or bar during a peak time in which you are crowded and having guests leave your establishment. How about a toilet or urinal in your restroom that over flows? Not only is it unsanitary, but it will cost you money. Money that is ...
3 comments
Read more

Sump Pump and Ejector Pump Repair

When it comes to preventing  in-home flooding , the S ump Pump or Ejector Pump  is just about the best way to remove water from the home and keep the lower levels dry and free of damage. Those who live in flood prone areas are likely aware that their basements can quickly go from a storage or living space to a flooded mess and will need either Sump Pump Repair or Ejector Pump Repair . This is usually because of two potential problems: a blocked external drainage system which forces water into the home’s foundation, or a cracked and leaking foundation itself which allows water to seep in from the ground which surrounds the basement. Sump Pump or Ejector Pump Installation The process of sump pump installation or a ejector pump installation can be quite labor intensive and, while many homeowners might originally endeavor to take the project on themselves, it simply is not feasible for the vast majority of them. That’s because installing sump pumps requires breaking into th...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Importance of Sewer Backflow Prevention

Sewer back flow prevention is vital to the health and safety of homeowners and businesses throughout the greater Chicagoland area. A sewer back flow prevention device prevents polluted and contaminated water from flowing back into your clean water plumbing system. Your plumbing system is typically held at a certain pressure to allow water to flow freely from your shower and tap. In some instances this water pressure can be reduced or will fail altogether. This problem can result from a number of issues including burst pipes and frozen pipes.  When this happens, there becomes a great demand for water to flow through your plumbing system. This increases the risk for your water system to pull contaminated water from the ground or other sources to be pulled up and used within your plumbing system. This undesirable reversal of water flow can contained used water, gases, fluids, and many other non-potable substances that should not flow through your piping system or be consumed and used...
Post a Comment
Read more