What Causes a Sewer Backup?

6/1/2022 (Permalink)

Of all the different water damages that could occur to your property, one of the worst is a sewer backup. Sewage is considered black water, or highly contaminated, and requires professionals to clean up properly and help ensure there is no bacteria or other harmful contaminants left behind. Continue reading to find out how these events occur and what you can do to help prevent them.

Sewage backups are typically caused when wastewater cannot properly flow away from your home due to some kind of damage or obstruction in the pipes. Some of the potential culprits are:

Causes

Tree Roots – The roots from trees are able to reach out far past where the actual tree is growing. These roots are strong, and overtime can push into the pipes and break them or grow into them. This can cause some serious damage to your pipes, from leaks due to the holes, or if the roots are inside of the pipe, they can clog it and cause a backup. You’ll need to cut out the roots and replace the damaged sections of pipe.

Cracked Pipes – Home sewer lines, while durable, do not last forever. Over time the structural integrity of the pipes will lessen, and they can potentially crack or completely collapse. Newer materials used for pipes can last longer, but some of the older materials have a lifespan of between 30 and 60 years.

Clogged Lines - It’s important to remember that our wastewater lines are not meant to just handle anything we put down the drains. Fats and waste from foods, hair and flushable wipes are some of the worst culprits of clogs but you should never try and put anything down the drain, no matter the size, that’s not meant to be there.

Signs

There are a few signs that you may be having issues with your sewer lines. While some are obvious signs of a serious issue, others may not be. If you have more than one of the following you may want to get your sewer lines inspected to make sure they aren’t damaged.

• Yard constantly swampy or smells bad
• You can hear different drains, like the sink, gurgling when you use the shower or flush the toilet
• Multiple drains are draining very slowly or starting to back up
• Drains constantly smell bad, particularly when you use a different drain in another area of the home

Prevention

Unfortunately, some of causes of sewer backups are not something you can prevent, but there are a few things that you can do to help reduce the likelihood of these events from happening.

• Do not use flushable wipes, contrary to their name these are some of the main culprits of sewage backups and cause many problems
• Use hair catchers in the showers and bathtubs. Hair is slow to breakdown and if it gets caught in your pipes, over time it can create a blockage
• Never pour fats down the drain. While they are liquid when hot, as fats cool the can congeal again and clog up your drains
• Have your pipes inspected for damage and cleaned regularly to help prevent clogs and address any pipe damage as quickly as possible

Sewer backups can cause a large amount of damage to your home and contaminate everything that the dirty water touches. It is important to have a professional company come in to take care of the damage and make sure that everything is cleaned to the proper standards. SERVPRO of Chesterfield and SERVPRO of Tri-Cities, Plus is IICRC certified and can take care of any kinds of damage that you may encounter due to a sewage backup. Give us a call or fill out a form on our website and let us know what we can do for you.