Professional sewage line repair addresses a serious issue like a sewer pipe leak, blockage, or collapse. It’s one of the most significant plumbing services you can need, as a problem with a sewage line can affect your entire home. The symptoms may be widespread or begin more subtly in isolated locations. To reduce the risk of property damage and health hazards to your family, call your local plumbing contractor for symptoms such as:
- Fluctuating Water Levels In Your Toilet
- The Toilet Backs Up When Flushing
- Slow Drainage
- Issues Throughout Your Plumbing System
- Sewage Odors In Your Home
- Your Pipes Are Gurgling
- Mold Is Growing On Your Walls
- Pests Appear In Your Home
- Parts of Your Lawn Are Greener Than Normal
- Soggy Spots Appear In Your Yard
- Your Home’s Foundation Is Damaged
1. Fluctuating Water Levels In Your Toilet
The water level in your toilet bowl should remain constant. If the bowl is full one day and nearly empty the next, your sewer line is likely damaged. Although there can be other causes of this problem, call a plumber as soon as possible. Your home may be at risk of a sewage backup.
2. The Toilet Backs Up When Flushing
When you flush the toilet and waste backs up instead of draining, this is a telltale sign of a sewer line problem. The issue often coincides with backups from other drains, such as in a sink, tub, or shower. It means that wastewater has nowhere to go but back into your home. To avoid major property damage, your main sewer line must be promptly repaired or replaced.
3. Slow Drainage
Watch how water drains from your sink or shower. It should flow steadily down the drain. However, if water backs up shortly after that or takes longer to go down, contact your local plumber instead of using toxic and corrosive drain cleaners. A technician can use more eco-friendly alternatives and has the tools and expertise to locate and fix the underlying problem at its source.
4. Issues Throughout Your Plumbing System
Homeowners often call for sewage line repair when their toilet backs up or dirty water appears from any drain. However, these aren’t the only signs of a problem. Your plumbing system may be telling you something’s going on much sooner. Therefore, call a plumber if using a drain or fixture causes an issue with another one, such as when flushing the toilet causes a shower drain to back up or multiple fixtures suddenly start overflowing.
5. Sewage Odors In Your Home
If there’s a backup in your sewage line, you’ll likely smell it. The odor can range from mildew or musty smell to the unmistakable smell of waste. You may first notice it only around sewer drains. However, if unusual odors spread to other drains or proliferate throughout your home, call for help. A sewage smell may also be present in your backyard if an underground pipe is damaged.
6. Your Pipes Are Gurgling
A gurgling noise when you flush the toilet or use a bathtub drain should be addressed professionally. No plunger or home remedy is going to fix this. If you hear gurgling from your plumbing pipes when using fixtures or not, a sewer line blockage may be causing air bubbles to move around your plumbing system. Air bubbles inside the toilet bowl aren’t a good sign either.
7. Mold Is Growing On Your Walls
You may ask, “What do walls have to do with sewers?” A blocked sewer line can increase the humidity level in your home. This can leave enough moisture on surfaces for mold spores to grow and form colonies. The problem often starts near plumbing fixtures, but soon walls throughout your home change color. It’s time for a professional to determine if you need plumbing or sewage line repair.
8. Pests Appear In Your Home
Insects and rodents are attracted to smells, dampness, and stagnant water in a sewer line. If a sewer pipe is broken, pests can leave its confines and take shelter inside your home. You’ll need a plumber and a pest control company, so it’s best to call for help as soon as you notice a problem. The appearance of pests can precede infestations and the spread of diseases.
9. Parts of Your Lawn Are Greener Than Normal
A sewage leak is bad for people, but this is not the case for plants. The grass above a broken pipe has access to nutrients that help it grow faster and become greener than the surrounding plant life. This is similar to how tree roots are drawn toward leaky sewer pipes. Waste is an effective fertilizer. If you see greener patches of grass, call a plumber to investigate the source of a potential leak.
10. Soggy Spots Appear In Your Yard
When damp spots and puddles form in your yard and it hasn’t rained, this is cause for suspicion. A sewage leak below can cause water to rise and pool above. Puddles will also take longer to dry up in soil that typically absorbs water quickly. The area is also likely to be stinky, so it’s not hard to suspect you need sewage line repair.
11. Your Home’s Foundation Is Damaged
A broken sewage line directly under your home can damage its foundation. You may notice cracks in the slab. If the issue isn’t resolved quickly, it can lead to sinkholes and soil shifting that can worsen the damage, cause cracks in walls, and eventually lead to a structural collapse. Therefore, a sewage pipe leak can destroy your home.
Call Air Stars for Plumbing Repair
Fully licensed and trained, our plumbing technicians provide accurate leak detection and quickly restore your plumbing system whenever necessary. Our team uses the latest products, tools, and technologies to diagnose and resolve any issue. A water supply or sewage leak can quickly affect the integrity of your plumbing system and home. For prompt plumbing services in the Salem, OR, area, call us at (503) 809-5831 today.
