How To Detect A Clogged Sewer Line

Sewer lines are the bane of your life. They’re clogged and smell bad, and when you try to solve the problem yourself, all you get is a bad smell and a sense of self-loathing.

But what if there was another way? What if there were simple ways to determine whether or not your sewer line is clogged? What if you could avoid the unpleasantries of an entire plumbing job and just take care of it yourself?

We’re here to help. In this article, we’ll show you how to detect a clogged sewer line so that you can save time and money by doing it yourself or when you can call a sewer cleanout professional in Naperville, IL.

Let’s start with the basics.

How Do Sewer Lines Works?

Sewer lines are a pretty simple, straightforward system for moving waste from your home to the local wastewater treatment plant.

Here’s how it works:

When you flush your toilet or put in a load of laundry, water gets sucked out of your home (or whatever room you’re doing the washing in) and into the pipes that run up to a main sewer line leading out of your house. The pipes are all connected under your house or apartment building, so when one person flushes their toilet, everyone else’s toilets get flushed too. Then there’s a similar system that carries wastewater from each apartment building to the larger main sewer line clogged.

Once all those toilets have been flushed and the wastewater is flowing through these massive pipes, it goes right into the sewer line that takes water away from buildings in a neighborhood (and sometimes just one building). This pipe will go through some sort of treatment process before being dumped into rivers or lakes—or even pumped back into groundwater sources!

The sewer line is usually made out of PVC or cast iron. If there’s something wrong with your sewer line—maybe someone has accidentally poured concrete down it—then you might notice sewage backing up into your bathroom sink or bathtub. If this happens at night, you must call emergency experts to unclog drains and sewer lines.

What Clogs Your Sewer Line?

It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves and one that can’t be answered with a simple answer. There are so many things that could clog your sewer line—from grease to hair to toilet paper—and it all depends on where you live and the type of pipe you have.

But don’t worry! We’ve compiled some of the most common causes for clogged sewer lines in NAPERVILLE, IL, so that you can take steps to prevent future problems.

Here are seven things that clog your sewer lines:

Hair

Hair is one of the most common culprits for sewer line clogged in general and sewer lines in particular because it’s so light and fluffy that it easily gets trapped in cracks or bends in the pipe. The hair then starts to collect other particles like food scraps and paper towels until it forms a big clog that blocks water from flowing through the pipes.

Grease and Fat

Grease and fat can clog your sewer line. If you pour grease down the drain, it will harden your pipes and clog them. Use a strainer to detect food scraps and fat before they go down your drain, or put them in your compost bin instead of the trashcan.

Tree Roots

Tree roots can cause tree roots to grow into sewer lines, which can cause clogs in your house. If you have a tree near your home, make sure it is trimmed regularly to prevent problems with tree roots growing into the sewer line.

Solid Debris

If you have solid debris in your drain, this can cause a major clog. This means that even if you’re doing everything else right, there’s still a chance that you’ll find yourself with a clogged pipe.

Aging Pipes

As pipes get older, they tend to become less efficient at moving fluid through them and more likely to develop cracks or holes that allow soil and other particles into the pipe itself. These particles can then settle inside the pipe and create obstructions.

Flushed Non-Dissolvable Items

Things like diapers and feminine products will not break down when flushed down the toilet. These items can cause major problems with your system, including backups and overflows.

Poorly Installed or Designed Systems

If you have an older home, it may not be up to current code standards. This could mean your pipes don’t have enough capacity to handle all the water that comes through them at once. It could also mean that there are leaks somewhere in the system that needs to be fixed before they become a problem for everyone else in the neighborhood!

How to know if sewer line is clogged?

Do you know what can clog your drains and sewer lines? Hair, grease, and paper towel.

But how can you tell if your sewer line is clogged? What are the signs to look for? What can happen if you don’t deal with a clog quickly?

Well, the good news is that there are some telltale signs that will help you spot a problem and address it before it becomes a bigger issue. If these signs sound familiar, it’s time to call a professional NAPERVILLE, IL, plumber immediately!

Here are those signs: 

Multiple drain clogs

If all the drains in your home suddenly start to clog at the same time, it’s a sure sign that there’s a big clog in the main sewer line. For example, if your kitchen sink, bathroom drains, and toilets are all draining slowly or not draining at all–that’s a dead giveaway of a major blockage in the main sewer line.

Skunk smell 

This is the number one sign that you might have a clogged drain or sewer line. If your bathroom smells like a skunk, you’ll want to call LaCassa Plumbing Services immediately. It’s important to get this fixed right away—if left unchecked, it could lead to a sewage backup and/or an explosion.

Sewage backup 

If you notice water coming up through your drains in your kitchen or bathroom, then there’s a good chance you have a clogged drain or sewer line. This is another sign that you need help from American Sewer Services right away!

Slow draining 

If the drains in your home are taking longer than usual to empty, it might be because they’re clogged. While a single slow-draining toilet can be a local issue, such as a clog in the trap or pipe, multiple drains exhibiting slow drainage point toward a more significant problem in the main sewer line.

Gurgling noises

Pay attention to the sounds your plumbing makes. If you hear gurgling noises when you flush the toilet or use the sink or bathtub, it means that air is trapped in the plumbing system due to a clog. The gurgling occurs as air tries to escape through the blocked sewer line, causing water to drain slowly.

Sudden changes in water levels

If you notice a sudden drop or rise in the amount of water flowing through your pipes, it could be an indication that something is blocking the flow of sewage from your home to the city’s treatment plant.

Lush patches in your yard

If you start seeing lush patches of grass growing in places that you know aren’t supposed to be green (like the middle of your driveway), it could be a sign of a clog.

How to clear a clogged sewer line?

It’s no secret that your sewer line is the one thing you never want to think about in your home. After all, it’s not exactly pleasant. But when something goes wrong with your sewer line, you’re going to be thinking about it—a lot.

So what do you do if you suspect there’s something wrong with your sewer line? How to Diagnose a Clogged Sewer Line?? And how to fix a clogged sewer line or clean a clogged sewer line once you’ve identified the problem? We’ll respond to all of these questions and more below!

Identify the Blockage

A clogged drain can be caused by a foreign object, like a piece of food or even an animal. Or it could be that your pipe has been partially blocked by sediment or rust. You’ll want to know what you’re working with before you get started. 

Use a Plunger

A plunger is one of the most common ways to clear clogs in drains and toilets. If you don’t know how to snake a drain, then Plungers work by creating enough pressure in the pipe that water will push past whatever is blocking it and continue flowing through the pipes.

Use Boiling Water

Yes, you read that right. You can use boiling water to clear a clogged sewer line. Just pour a pot of water into the toilet bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then flush it down as normal—you’ll be amazed at how well this works! This is pretty effective, but it can take some time—and if you don’t have a lot of patience, you might want to try chemical drain cleaners instead.

Chemical Drain Cleaners

If boiling water doesn’t work, you can try chemical drain cleaners. These products are easily available at many hardware stores and online retailers. Read all instructions carefully before applying them to your pipes—make sure you don’t get any in your eyes or mouth!

Call In a Professional Drain Cleaning and Repair Expert!

Has your drain been clogged for days? Are you worried about the cost of a professional drain cleaning and repair expert in NAPERVILLE, IL, or Darien? Don’t worry. LaCassa Plumbing is here to help.

At LaCassa Plumbing, we have been providing drain cleaning and repair services to Naperville and Darien residents for more than 5 years now. We understand that you need your drains to be working as efficiently as possible at all times. That’s why we offer 24/7 emergency service and scheduled appointments that fit into any busy schedule.

At LaCassa Plumbing, we take pride in our work. As trusted professionals, we understand that when you’re having trouble with your plumbing, it can be a huge pain—and it can also be dangerous if left untreated. That’s why we make sure to do our best to make the process as quick and painless as possible. 

We’ll take the time to listen to your concerns and answer any questions you have about the problem with your drains so that we can provide a solution that works for you, whether it’s a Darien sewer service charge or something more involved, like installing a new fixture or line.

So whether you need clogged sewer line costs for installation or repair, we’ll get there quickly to ensure your problem gets fixed right the first time.

If you’d like to learn more about our drain cleaning and repair services or schedule an appointment for today or tomorrow, call us today at (630) 880-2126!