Nasty, damaging, and unsanitary—there are not many plumbing complications worse than the dreaded sewer drain backup. It's not just unpleasant. It can also cause widespread damage on your property and even threaten your health.
Because Long Island homes rely on aging sewer systems with many demands asked of them, sewer backups are on the rise. But how do you even know when you're dealing with a backed-up system? This guide will cover the signs of sewer troubles, what could have caused them, and what you should do next.
Just want to skip straight to the part where you get a professional plumber at your door as soon as humanly possible? No problem—just give Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Long Island a call. Our dependable plumbers are experienced with all types of plumbing issues and can get your system running smoothly again in no time flat.
What Are the Signs of a Sewer Drain Backup?
When you think of a backed-up sewer, you might picture a catastrophic nightmare scene with raw sewage spilling all over the floor inside your house, but fortunately that's a rare, worst-case scenario. and it can usually be avoided if homeowners are aware of the warning signs of impending trouble. If you've noticed any of the problems listed below, it's time to get help from a professional before your home turns into the most disgusting wading pool imaginable.
Nasty Smells
A rancid odor inside the house, particularly near drains, is usually one of the first and most noticeable signs of a serious clog. It might smell like raw sewage, but it could also be more of a decaying or sulfurous odor, or a rotting food smell from a kitchen drain. You may also smell sewage odors outside your home, near vents or between your house and the access point for the city sanitary systems.
Slow-Moving Drains
This is one of the most common and annoying drain issues. Instead of vanishing straight down the pipe, dirty water lingers in your sink, shower, or bathtub — slowly draining out of the fixture and leaving a ring of soap scum residue behind. When wastewater pipes are partially obstructed or broken, water can't get down rapidly. This might just mean you need drain cleaning, but it could also indicate you have main drain blockage.
Strange Noises
Your drains should not be talking to you, so if you hear gurgling, bubbling, creaking, sucking, grinding, or other unusual sounds coming out of them, it's a clear sign of trouble. Gurgling, bubbling sounds could be the result of water trying to get past a run-of-the-mill clog, but they could also be the result of a bigger problem. Clanking or and creaking noises may be caused by parts of a broken pipe grinding together or a joint that's about to burst.
Visible Sewage in Low-Lying Fixtures
We probably don't really need to tell you that actual, visible raw sewage backing up into your toilet, shower, or bathtub is not a good thing. If this happens in your home, please don't hesitate to get a plumber in right away. Something is very wrong with your system, and raw sewage can pose a health threat, so it needs to be taken seriously.
Lawn Issues
If you've got water pooling on your lawn, sudden lush spots in the grass, or sinkholes and indented areas, you've likely got a leaking sewer drainpipe that needs to be replaced before it can cause any further damage to your property or make people and pets ill.
What Causes a Backed-Up Sewer?
There are several potential reasons why your sewer drain could be clogged or backed up. Here are a few possibilities:
Tree roots intruding into the drain line and blocking the flow of water
Clogs from improperly disposed items such as hygiene products, or fat, oil, and grease build-up
Aging, cracked, and broken pipes that have deteriorated over time
Winter freeze and thaw cycles constricting the earth around pipes and causing them to break
Renovations or nearby heavy construction causing the soil to shift or vibrate and damage sewer lines
Faulty sewer pipe layout or installation
It can be difficult or sometimes impossible to tell what the cause was without advanced equipment like video camera inspection tools, but your Mr. Rooter plumber will be able to perform a complete investigation and diagnose the cause before beginning the repair process.
What to Do When You Have a Sewer Drain Backup
Now that you know what to look for when you suspect that you've got sewer trouble—and some reasons why it may be happening—what can you do to deal with this nasty, unsanitary problem?
The first step is to call Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Long Island. Your plumbing experts will recommend the best course of action based on what they find during their inspection. Plumbing services we offer to treat sewer clogs and backups include:
Sewer drain snake: We'll lower a plumber's auger into the pipe and pull it back up with the clog attached.
Hydro jetting service: This drain cleaning technique uses high-pressure water jets to blast out build-up that is clinging to the walls of pipes and causing clogs.
Trenchless sewer line repair: This term applies to a number of services for replacing sewer lines and fixing water leaks in your plumbing system, but what they all have in common is they eliminate the need for a huge, damaging, time-consuming trench to be dug across your property in order to access sewer lines.
Rely on Mr. Rooter for Residential & Commercial Drain Line Services
Whether you're in Ronkonkoma or nearby areas such as Stony Brook, Centereach, or Smithtown, you can count on Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Long Island to offer quality workmanship and excellent customer service. We're always willing to come to the rescue of a customer in distress with 24-hour emergency drain cleaning services at an honest, up-front price.
Give us a call today at 631-542-2194 and we'll be at your door with a smile—even in the dead of the night or the middle of a holiday weekend.