Problems with your sewer main line can have serious consequences, such as property damage to your yard from water leakage and saturation, damage to your plumbing pipes and the sewer lateral itself, and in serious cases, even sewer backflow and water damage inside of your home.
It’s important to be able to recognize the warning signs of sewer pipe problems, so that you can call for sewer repairs early on, before the problems can escalate over time.
If you recognize potential sewer-related problems, the best thing to do is to call a plumbing company or sewer service contractor for fast emergency sewer repairs often available on a same-day, 24-hour basis to make sure the problem gets taken care of immediately.
Causes for Sewer Repairs in NJ
It’s easy to ignore sewer problem warning signs until the problem really gets out of hand. Most homeowners are busy working, raising children, doing chores, and otherwise doing things that feel more important than dealing with the sewer.
But the longer you leave it alone, the worse it will become. Most sewer problems stem from several potential issues, none of which are anything that you can really fix yourself:
- Clogs in the sewer line. Obstructions inside the sewer main line are one of the most common reasons for residential sewer cleaning and sewer repairs. Clogs can easily form from various materials that get washed down drains or flushed down toilets, including paper towels, diaper, feminine products, and cooking grease from your kitchen.
- Cracks in the sewer line. This can occur due to corrosion, stress, bellying (pipes sinking downward), or even tree root incursion into the sewer line. Trenchless sewer repairs are a reliable solution for broken pipes.
- Collapsed sewer pipes. If your sewer line is completely collapsed, you need emergency sewer repairs now, not later.
Signs of Sewer Problems
Sewer problems start small..
You can usually tell if there’s something wrong with you sewer main line and you might need sewer repair if you notice any of these chronic or recurring problems around your home:
- Multiple clogged fixtures. Drains clog fairly regularly, and usually, a plunger, drain augur, or organic enzymes can be used to quickly and safely clear them out. However, if more than one drain is clearly showing signs of a clog, it can mean the clog is actually down in your sewer lines.
- Drains that gurgle or ooze water when you run a different fixture. Does your shower drain gurgle or bubble with water when you flush your toilets? This can be a sign of a localized drain clog, but if it’s happening throughout your home, you may actually need sewer repairs.
- Drains are emitting sewer-like odors. When your sewer line is damaged or backed up, you can usually smell it, as obstructions cause the gases emitted by bacteria, which contain methane and sulfur compounds that create that distinctive “sewage” smell, to travel back through the pipes and into your home.
- Sewage backup into your drains, basement floor drains, or plumbing fixtures. This is a worst case scenario, but it can definitely happen.
If you notice any of these problems in your home, call us today at Degrace Plumbing for emergency sewer pipe repairs, at
Tyler Johnson
That’s good to know that if the sewer line collapses that you should get immediate help. I feel like it could be hard to tweel that’s what happened. I should consider getting a pipe camera or something so that I could check for that if I feel like there is something wrong.