One of the least enjoyable parts of owning a home is dealing with your main sewer line. This is because sewage backup is not only disgusting, it can cause some major damage to your home.
So if you have a sewer line that has backed up, you need the best plumbing company in Philadelphia to be there as soon as possible.
Here at Mount Airy Plumbing, we’ll be there for you. We offer main sewer line cleaning and repair services and new main sewer line installations throughout Philadelphia.
Our 24 hour emergency plumbing contractors will get the job done right the first time. We’ll get your main sewer line running clean and smooth.
How To Tell If You Need A Main Sewer Line Repair?
In some cases, it’s extremely obvious when you need your main sewer line repaired. Your basement flooding is the big one.
However, there are some early warning signs that you may have an issue before the backup begins.
These can include:
- Bad smelling drains
- Drains that don’t drain quickly
- Ongoing toilet issues
- Not being able to use more than one plumbing fixture at a time
If you notice these signs, call us right away to book your on-site inspection. If you ignore it, you may end up needing emergency plumbing services, which will end up being much more expensive.
What Causes You To Need Main Sewer Line Repair?
There are a number of different reasons why you may experience a clogged main sewer line needing repair.
These include:
Tree Roots
It’s hard to believe, but tree roots can actually break through the hard plastic or metal that your pipes are made of. After all, tree roots are there to seek out water, and your main sewer line is a great source. As they crack open your pipes and grow inside of them, this can cause a main sewer line backup. Nature is amazing (but sometimes it’s a plumbing hassle!)
Clogged Sewer Line
The only things you should be sending down the drain are human waste, water, and the ground up bits of food from your kitchen garbage disposal. Anything else is prone to clogging your sewer lines, regardless of whether it says it’s flushable. It’s common to find menstrual care products, cotton swabs, and even children’s toys causing a main sewer line backup.
Floods
Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and here in Pennsylvania, we have the dubious distinction of having the highest flooding rate of any state in the Union. When we deal with heavy rain or flooding, it can overwhelm the city sewer network, which can cause sewage backup through your main sewer line. It’s not fun.
Damaged Sewer Line
Not surprisingly, damaged pipes are more susceptible to clogging. A cracked pipe can lead to tree roots growing into it as we mentioned above, but it can also cause your pipes to sag and shift, making them misaligned and creating a greater risk of becoming clogged. This can, of course, cause you to need main sewer line backup plumbing repair.
How Can We Help?
Here at Mount Airy Plumbing, our experienced and professional plumbing contractors have been trained in main sewer line backup repairs and installations.
If you are having trouble with your main sewer line, we’ll be there to help.
In some cases, it’s just a matter of cleaning out your drain to get the water flowing once more. However, in more serious cases, you may need a full sewer line replacement. Our technicians will perform a camera drain inspection to find out what it is that’s causing your main sewer line backup issues, and recommend the best option going forward.
Whatever it is that’s causing your plumbing issue, we’ll be there to solve it.
Main Sewer Line Repair & New Installations FAQ
Ever wondered about how your main sewer line works? Here are some of the more common questions we get asked.
The answer to this depends on what material your main sewer line is made of. In most cases, if your sewer line is more than 40 years old, it likely needs to be replaced. However, if you have a lot of trees on your property or nearby, you may need to replace it sooner.
If the backup is happening in the parts of the main sewer line that the city owns and operates, it’s up to them. Unfortunately for you, that’s not usually the case. If your part of the main sewer line needs repair, it’s your responsibility.
Yes, for a couple of different reasons. First of all, having a flooded basement may be hazardous to the structural Integrity of your home. This can cause you to need much more expensive home renovation repairs. Beyond that, however, it should come as no surprise that there are a lot of germs and toxins in sewage that can make you and your family sick.
First of all, and we cannot stress this enough, don’t flush things down the toilet that don’t belong. Water-based liquids, human waste, and the food that’s chopped up in your kitchen garbage disposal are the only things that should be going down the drain. Beyond that, though, it’s a good idea to call for a plumbing maintenance service to regularly review your plumbing.