A broken sewage line is a nightmare for homeowners. It can cause serious issues like a foul odor (smell of rotten egg) circulating the home, sewage leakage, or water backups which could lead to serious property damage if not managed on time. The sewage line collects and channels all the waste from sinks, toilets, laundry tubs, shower drains, and other drains out of your house.
If you’re suspecting whether your sewage line is broken or not, read on. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to detect a broken sewage line, what causes it, and what to do to fix it immediately.
What Causes A Broken Sewage Line
We will highlight the most common causes of a broken sewage line.
1) Poor Sewage Line Installation
If the sewage line is poorly installed, wastewater might not be able to drain efficiently in a downward slope, which can cause the wastewater to back up in other areas of the sewage line, causing increased pressure in the sewage line and leading to breakage.
Other problems can also occur due to a poor sewage line installation such as debris accumulation or back-pitched drains. Insufficient coupling or welding can increase the likelihood of the pipes clogging, cracking, or rupturing.
2) Tree Root Growth
Tree roots usually grow towards a subsurface water source. This would be more obvious during drought (when trees have a limited supply of water). If the tree roots detect a body of water like sewage, they would get attracted to it and grow towards it. When the roots locate the sewer line, they would connect to it, grow around it, and eventually break into the pipes.
As the pipes break further, it could lead to leakage of sewage water around the yard or lawn. As the tree roots grow further, the blockage in the pipe worsens, leading to sewage backups or causing the sewage water to forcefully leak out.
3) Pipe Deterioration and Damage
If you frequently treat clogged drains in your home with chemicals, it could cause extensive damage to the plumbing system. These chemicals can crack the pipes, which can lead to pipe bursts, causing sewage leakage. Harsh chemicals like sulfuric acid corrode the pipe, causing serious damage to the sewer.
Outdated pipes in an old home have a higher tendency to deteriorate faster compared to a modern PVC pipe. Plumbing experts like The Climate Master can easily detect whether the pipes in your home need to be replaced.
4) Flushing Grease or Debris Down the Drain
Grease can cause severe blockage to the drains. When you pour grease and oils or throw cotton swabs, cards, and other debris down the drain, they can clog the pipes. This is because when grease flows through the pipe and cools down, it solidifies and sticks to the lining of the pipe, which can cause a sewage line blockage. You can put your grease into a grease disposal container and throw other debris into the trash can. Avoid flushing anything down the drain other than toilet water and human waste.
5) Pipe Settlement
If there are changes in the surrounding soil where the sewage line is, it can cause blockage. This happens when the ground around the drains settles or shifts as a result of changes like erosion, soil composition, earthquakes, or landslides. You may realize a shift in the pipe’s original position, a downward slope in the wrong direction, or it sinking. This situation can cause cracks or clogs in the sewage line, leading to a buildup of waste, tissue paper, and other debris.
Signs That You Have A Broken Sewage Line
There are signs indicating a sewage line problem. Most times, more than one sign would be observed. Let’s discuss how to detect a broken sewage line.
Clogs and Backups
If you’ve been noticing blockages or backups in your bathtubs, toilet, and other drains in your home, there is a high chance that a sewage line is clogged or broken. Usually, if the blockage is only in one location (i.e. just one toilet), then it is probably not a sewage line issue. If it’s a sewage line issue, it won’t be limited to one drain. Other drains would be affected too. For instance, if you notice that all the toilets in your home drain slowly or don’t drain at all despite using a plunger over and over again, then you should pay close attention to the sewage line as the problem is likely from there.
If you want to go DIY, get a drain line camera to inspect the drain or sewage pipe. This would let you know if there are cracks or identify other possible problems affecting your sewage line or plumbing ventilation. Or you can hire a professional plumbing company to do a thorough inspection of your sewage line.
Foul Odors
If you perceive a foul odor that smells like rotten eggs inside or outside your home, then there is a high chance the sewage line is broken, clogged, or faulty. Normally, the sewer is buried below ground level, so you shouldn’t be smelling any foul odor emanating from it if it isn’t faulty.
Address this problem as soon as possible by hiring a good plumber. You don’t want the sewage line to develop more damage or continuously emit an off-putting smell that would make you uncomfortable in your living space.
Mold Growth
When a drain pipe breaks, mold can begin to grow. Mold thrives on moist surfaces. This is because as wastewater leaks behind the wall surfaces, mold spores get attracted to these areas and begin to grow there. If you’ve noticed mold growth in your home, especially around the sewage line, then there is a high chance your sewage line is broken. Mold can grow and infest your home, which can affect your home’s value and may require huge costs to get rid of it.
Bubbling/Gurgling Toilets
A sign of drain blockage is a bubbling or gurgling toilet. This is especially true if it’s not limited to one toilet, but all or virtually all the toilets in the home are gurgling. If there is a blockage in the sewage line or pipe, air would be trapped. Since there is no free flow of water due to the blockage, it would push back, causing a gurgling sound. If your toilets still bubble despite all you’ve done to fix them, the problem is likely from the sewage line.
Yard Waste
If you observe the collection of waste in your yard and can’t pinpoint exactly where it’s coming from, then there may be a possible breakage in the sewage pipe, causing wastewater to leak. If you can also smell sewer gas or a rotten egg odor around the area where waste has accumulated, then the problem is from your sewer line.
Foundation Cracks
If your home has obvious cracking in its foundation, then you may be dealing with a sewage line issue. The bigger the breakage in the sewage line, the bigger the cracks in the foundation. Sinkholes can also form due to the accumulation of wastewater that settles there for a while, dissolves the soil there, and washes it away. Depending on how deep a sinkhole is, you could spend thousands of dollars fixing it.
With issues like this, you need to fix your sewer immediately. This would prevent further damage and would protect your home’s value.
Sunken Yard or Pavers
Ever noticed a depressed area in your driveway or yard? If you’ve noticed any, especially around the pavers, a broken sewage line could be the culprit. Observe the yard or pavers. If a particular area looks sunken, depressed, and saturated than the surrounding areas, it is a warning sign. As the sewage continues to saturate the ground or soil, the affected area will continue sinking and appear lower than the surrounding areas.
Green Fresh & Lush Grass
Grass loves water. Any standing water would enhance faster growth. If you notice that the grass around a particular area is looking more green and lush than those surrounding it, don’t be too excited yet. Sewage acts as a fertilizer. A broken sewage line could be the cause if the lush green grass is growing around the area where the sewage pipe is located.
Rodent Or Insects Infestations
If you have an infestation of insects or rodents in your home, it could be from your sewer. Cockroaches, rats, and sewer flies love harboring in moist places. A sewage line with cracks creates an entryway into your home and an ideal environment for these pests to infest. Maybe you’ve tried using different remedies to get rid of these nasty bugs and have also tried pest control services, but all to no avail. If that is the case, then there is a high chance that the problem is from the sewer. It would be better to contact a reliable plumbing company like The Climate Master to diagnose and fix this problem and a pest control company to exterminate the insects or rodents.
What to Do Today
Fixing a broken sewage line can be very expensive and may require the use of excavation equipment or manual digging. Avoid repairing a sewage line yourself if you’re not an expert in it.
If you’re always dealing with plumbing issues, it’s time to get help from a professional plumbing company. A plumbing expert can find the cause of your sewage line issues and safely replace or repair the sewer line if necessary. Sewer lines are buried beneath ground level, so quickly detecting any defect won’t be so easy until you start observing signs of sewage line issues that we’ve discussed previously.
Contact a reputable plumbing company for inspection and effective sewage line maintenance. A good plumbing company would inspect and do the necessary maintenance services to prevent potential damages that you may have to deal with later.
Conclusion- Addressing Broken Sewage Line Issues
If you need professional plumbing services, contact The Climate Master. We do plumbing repairs, complex installation, renovations, and routine maintenance.
Sewage line issues are better handled by professionals. A professional plumbing company like The Climate Master would easily diagnose and fix the broken sewage line for homeowners living in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. It’s always a good idea to contact a professional plumbing company so that extensive damage to the sewage line can be avoided.
If you have a broken sewage line or other plumbing issues, we’ve got you fully covered. Contact The Climate Master today to fix a consultation date or service appointment. At The Climate Master, we fix plumbing issues efficiently so that you won’t need to waste money over and over again fixing the same problem.