What Are the Signs of a Broken Sewer Pipe?
It is aggravating when the city has to tear up the street for a sewer line repair, isn’t it? Even more aggravating is when you have to hire a plumber for your own sewer line repair, especially when it is the sewer line to the house from the city connection.
There is a lot of pride in owning a home. There are also a lot of expenses and worries, like a broken sewer pipe. This is even worse than the water heater going out, but even with the cost of the HVAC system needing replacement.
However, when a broken sewer pipe is detected early enough, sewer line repair is possible, and may not be as expensive as you imagine. Here we have listed ten indications that you may need to have a plumber check your sewer line. If you choose to ‘ignore’ these signs, you could experience a collapsed sanitary line, which will start pushing up wastewater into your house.
- Strong Odor: When you notice a strong and unusual odor coming up through the drains, it may be nothing more than a clogged pipe. However, if you’re smelling that odor in the basement, from under the house, or in the yard, that could be a broken sewer pipe.
- Gurgling Toilet: After you flush your toilet, if you hear unusual gurgling coming from the toilet, this is often because of a broken sewer line. That sound is from trapped air that has been abruptly repaired. This is a job for a professional sewer line repair contractor.
- Slow Drains: An isolated clog isn’t that big of a problem, but if all of the drains in the house are draining really slowly, it could be an indication that you need sewer line repair by a professional. There could be something clogging the space between the sewer line and the main, like a tree root.
- Sewage Backup: When your toilet or tub has wastewater backing up in them from a toilet flush or washing machine drain, it may be time to call a plumbing services contractor for a sewer line repair.
- Mold or Mildew: When there are mildew and mold growing on the walls in the basement or behind the plumbing, this means there is extra moisture that is probably coming from a broken or cracked sewer line.
- Cracking Walls: If a wall has a crack, you need to find out why. If the sewer line under your home is leaking, then your foundation is cracking and getting weak.
- Pest Invasion: Insects of all types and some critters can get through the smallest crack in a sewer line. Then they nest, clogging the line, and find their way into your home. When you start seeing a lot of insects or rodents in your home, even after a pest control treatment, call your plumber for an inspection to see if you need sewer line repair.
- Greener Patches: When you see oddly located patches of green grass, there is likely a broken sewage line in that area of the lawn fertilizing the grass.
- Lawn Indentations: An underground leaking sewage continuously saturates the ground, oozing a lot of extra moisture that causes the soil to be displaced, the top layer sinking. When you see these spots around the lawn, you likely need sewer line repair.
- Sewage Pooling: Yup, this is a sign you need sewage line repair.
What Does a Broken Sewer Line Smell Like?
Sewer gas is a lot like natural gas with a sulfuric odor, but it smells closer to rotten eggs whereas natural gas has been described as smelling like a skunk. The ammonia, methane, sulfides, and other inorganic compounds get backed up, causing that odor. While it is unpleasant, it isn’t harmful.
How Long Does it Take to Repair a Sewer Line?
There isn’t any specific time frame for sewer line repair jobs. Most can be completed in one to three days but depending on certain factors like where the pipe is located, the size of the pipe, and the damage the contractor has to work with, it could take as long as five days.
How do you Replace a Sewer Line Without Digging?
Technology has advanced plumbing a great deal over the past few years, and with the trenchless sewer line repair method, the lawn excavation or jackhammering of the foundation is almost unnecessary now because contractors can now replace a sewer line without digging.
After the plumber has inspected the situation and attempted to clear the clog with a sewer line auger, they will do a video inspection. This allows them to see if there is an actual blockage, clog, or is there a busted sewer line.
I have never given this much thought, but apparently, it has been asked before, “How long can a sewer line be?” and the answer is about what I expected. There isn’t a length limit for a sewer line run. However, the fall from the sewer line and mainline must be maintained by the property owner on one side of the meter and the city on their side.
Call 214-918-6109 today for your sewer line repair in Mesquite, TX.
