Most people don’t give much thought to their main sewer lines because they are underground and out of sight. They don’t spend much time worrying about their main sewer lines because they don’t have to look at them every day.
A home’s main sewer line, however, is not designed to last forever. You should expect your main sewer line to endure between 50 and 100 years before it needs to be replaced.
You could have a broken sewer line right now and be completely unaware of it. This is why it’s important to always be on the lookout for signs of a broken sewer line, such as those listed below.
Below are the warning signs that indicate it’s time to call in the pros to replace your home’s main sewer line.
Frequently Occurring Clogs in Your Plumbing System
Sometimes something will become stuck in a pipe and cause a backup in your home’s plumbing system. In many cases, you won’t be able to use a sink or toilet because of obstructions caused by things like paper towels and grease.
This issue is generally resolved by having a plumber come in and clear up the pipes.
If, however, you notice that several pipes in your plumbing system are clogged at once, this is cause for alarm. Instead of a series of simple blockages, you could have a broken sewer line.
Drains That Move Slowly Throughout Your Home
Having one or two slow-moving drains in a house is not unheard of. The accumulation of debris like food scraps, hair, soap scum, and other similar substances can significantly reduce the rate at which water flows through a drain.
Fortunately, clearing drains is usually a fairly easy task. You can either DIY a drain cleaning attempt or hire a professional plumber to come out and handle it for them.
However, a more significant issue exists if you notice that majority of your home’s drains are draining more slowly than usual. If you have multiple drains that take a long time to empty, it may be because of a broken sewer pipe.
Septic Waste Flowing Back Towards Your House
If this is happening, it’s clear that you need to have your main sewer line replaced. It’s also by far the most disgusting symptom of a sewer line problem.
If you disregard the warnings above and keep trying to flush all sorts of objects down your toilet, bathtub, and other drains, your sewage line will eventually collapse. It will cause a huge mess when raw sewage begins to be pushed back up into your home.
At this point, you’ll need to call a plumber to come to your house and fix the problem. If you and your family live in a home where raw sewage is backing up through the pipes, you are jeopardizing your health.
Infestations of Pests inside or outside Your Home
You can expect more than just a messy yard if raw sewage from your house begins to leak and rise to the surface. It will also serve as a welcome mat for a wide variety of pests that will quickly begin to gather in and around your house.
Having so much water sitting around your property could lead to an increase in mosquitoes. A broken sewer line can make an already serious mosquito problem exponentially worse.
And in most instances, that won’t even be the start of it. Various rats make their homes in the sewer system, and any openings there could provide entrance to your home. The insects will find a way to enter your home through the broken sewer line, establish a colony, and then do extensive damage as they multiply.
Conclusion
If you are experiencing any of the issues described above, it is likely that you need to replace your main sewer line. This is a job that should be handled by a professional, as it is a complex and potentially dangerous process. A replacement service can ensure that the job is done safely and efficiently and can also help you to understand your options for replacing your sewer line.
If you are looking for the best plumbers in Tulsa, OK, who will deal with your broken pipes, look no further than our experts here at Wooten Knockout Plumbing. We handle various plumbing services, including slab leak repair, sewer cleaning, and drain cleaning, among others. Call us today, and let us tend to your main sewer line replacement in no time.
