How Can I Prevent Sewer Line Backups?

April 8th, 2019 Posted in Sewer Lines
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No one wants a sewer line backup in their home, but when these occur, they are often not an accident. Most sewer line backups can be prevented if you know the common causes. When more than one drain in your home is slow or sewage is coming up the drains, you have a big problem with your sewer line. It is either clogged or blocked, leaving no where for the waste to go but up your drains. Here are some ways you can prevent a sewer line backup to keep this from happening in your home.

Protect Your Sewer Line

If your sewer breaks under pressure or becomes clogged with tree roots, you are likely to have a sewer line backup. Protect your sewer line from becoming damaged. Keep vehicles off your lawn where your sewer line runs and do not plant trees near your sewer line. This can help prevent pressure damage to the pipe from heavy vehicles and keep tree roots out of your sewer line.

Watch What Goes Down the Drain

Educate the people in your home on what can and cannot go down the drain. Not only can grease, hair, soap, food debris and non-biodegradable items create indoor plumbing clogs, they can become part of the sludge that can create blockages in your main sewer line. Do not flush plastics, cotton or cardboard – use a garbage disposal for food waste and strainers in all drains to collect hair and other items so they do not go down the drains.

If you do have a sewer line backup, call a local sewer professional to perform an inspection. Often all that is needed is a hydro jetting service to clear your sewer line, unless it is damaged. Either way, they can fix the problem and put an end to the sewer backup in your home.

Posted on behalf of:
Seagraves Plumbing Sewer & Septic
4980 Plant Atkinson Rd SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(494) 792-2221

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Why You Should Proactively Hydro-Jet Your Sewer Lines

September 24th, 2018 Posted in Sewer Lines
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It is common to put most sewer or septic issues out of mind until there’s a problem. It is not something you see or want to see, so unless it creates an issue in your home, it is usually forgotten. However, a little proactive maintenance can go a long way in preventing sewer line clogs and backups that can be inconvenient, nasty and expensive. Here are some reasons why you should proactively hydro-jet your sewer lines to keep them clear of clogs.

  • Trees love sewer lines. If you have trees in your yard, their roots would love to find their way into your sewer line. The moisture inside attracts roots to infiltrate sewer lines. Hydro-jetting can remove any small roots that have made their way inside and clear them before they cause a clog or broken pipe.
  • Remove sludge. Almost every sewer line has a certain amount of sludge that accumulates over time. While it may not be clogging the pipe now, it can eventually become thick enough to cause a backup. Clearing it out regularly can avoid sludge buildup and clogs.
  • Proactive repairs. When you have your sewer lines hydro-jetted, your sewer service can also do an inspection of the pipes. This is done with a digital camera that can be fed down through the line. This can reveal any potential problems so you can get them fixed before they cause a sewer line emergency.

Add sewer line hydro-jetting to your list of household maintenance that you do once a year. It is worth the time and investment to avoid costly and inconvenient sewer line clogs and other repairs when you least expect it.

Posted on behalf of:
Septic Service Pro, LLC
Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30334
(678) 292-8728

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Tree Roots and Sewer Lines Are a Bad Combination

October 27th, 2015 Posted in Sewer Lines
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One of the main causes of sewer line clogs and breaks are tree root invasions. Those water filled pipes are like candy to a baby for trees. Their long, strong roots seek moisture and most traditional sewer pipes are no match for the strength of a tree root. Before long, those roots create tiny cracks in the pipes or find ways to grow in at joints, quickly soaking up that moisture and growing into the pipes. So what can you do to prevent sewer line tree root invasions? Here are a few tips for preventing tree root issues in your sewer lines:

  • Don’t plant trees near sewer lines. The most obvious solution is to keep trees away from your sewer lines by not planting new ones near that area. However, you may have trees that are already on your property that are large enough to have roots dozens of feet long.
  • Schedule regular hydrojetting for your sewer lines. Hydrojetting is one of the best ways to clean out your sewer lines of tree roots and other debris to prevent clogs. It won’t stop future tree root invasions but may keep them from getting large enough in the pipes to break or clog the lines.
  • Consider pipe lining or new trenchless sewer pipes. Newer sewer line options use seamless polyurethane pipes or linings that can prevent tree roots from gaining interior access. If tree roots are a problem on your property, this may be your best long term solution beyond removing your trees.

Don’t let your trees destroy your sewer lines. Even if you haven’t had any issues, if you have large trees near your sewer pipes, it may be just a matter of time. Schedule a digital video inspection of your sewer lines with your local sewer service company to find out if tree roots are infiltrating your sewer pipes.

Posted on behalf of:
Bynum & Sons Plumbing, Inc.
2120 McDaniels Bridge Rd SW
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 736-8283

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Common Causes of Sewer Line Backups

September 21st, 2012 Posted in Sewer Lines
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The sewer line is a large diameter pipe that carries all of the waste water and sewage away from your home.  This includes not only the water and waste from flushing your toilets, but also any water that goes down the drain from showers, washing dishes, clothes washing, and so on.  If your home is connected to a municipal sewer system then your sewer line runs between your home and the municipal sewer line.  If you have a septic system, the sewer line is routed from your home to the septic tank.

No matter which type of system you have, clogs can form inside of sewer lines and when they do, you’ll have a serious problem on your hands.  A clogged sewer line means that none of your toilets and drains will work properly and can even cause waste water containing raw sewage to back up into your drains.

Knowing what causes sewer line backups can help you avoid these problems.  Tree roots are one of the main causes of sewer line clogs.  Tiny tree roots can infiltrate the sewer line at the joints and get larger over time.  Soon, there is a mat of tree roots inside the sewer line that collect grease, oil, hair, and other debris and cause a clog.

Even without tree root infiltration, as your sewer line ages it begins to collect grease, oils, and other residue along the walls of the pipe.  Hair, coffee grounds, eggshells, and other debris accumulate in the greasy build up and the inside of the pipe will get narrower. Eventually, a foreign object such as a paper towel, diaper, or other material will lodge in the greasy buildup and a clog will quickly form behind it.

Clearing a clogged sewer line is a job for the professionals.  Your plumber or sewer-septic contractor can clear a clogged sewer line using a professional powered plumbing auger or high pressure hydro-jetting.  They can also identify the cause and help prevent future clogs.

 

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Dealing With Tree Roots

March 15th, 2012 Posted in Sewer Lines
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Tree roots are a common cause of sewer line clogs and backed up sewer lines.  Tree roots will find any holes, cracks or fissures in a sewer line.  Once they infiltrate the sewer line, the roots will grow and expand until a web of roots is inside the sewer line.  Everything that gets flushed down the drain or toilet will get caught in the mat of tree roots including paper, oil, hair grease, and other material.  Before long, a nasty clog will form and a sewer septic professional will be needed to clear the clog.

Your sewer septic professional will be able to provide details on what options you have to take care of the clog.  One option will be to use a mechanical cutting head to cut through the roots and clear the clog.  This option will only be effective until the tree roots grow back.  The problem will recur every year or two and you will have to call the sewer septic contractor back out to clear the line again.

Another option is to use high pressure hydro jetting to clear the clog.  Hydro jetting uses high pressure water sprayed through special heads to cut through tree roots and thoroughly clean the inside of the pipe.  Hydro jetting does a more thorough job than a mechanical cutter, but you will still have the problem of the tree roots growing back.

A camera inspection may be needed to check the condition of the pipe.  If the sewer line is in good condition, your sewer septic professional may recommend a chemical treatment to kill the tree roots and stop new roots from forming.  Relining the pipe is another more permanent solution.

If the sewer line is collapsed, broken, or otherwise in bad shape a sewer line replacement may be the only alternative.

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