A clogged sewer drain is one of the most aggravating plumbing issues for homeowners. It’s also one of the most important issues to resolve in order to keep a home functioning properly.
Even the government believes this. Those working in the plumbing business were designated as ‘Essential Workers’ during the COVID-19 epidemic, demonstrating how critical plumbing is to maintaining our communities well-maintained and safe during an emergency.
However, a clogged sewer does not necessarily have to be an emergency. Once you’ve identified a few of the most typical reasons for sewage backups, you may take preventative actions, do a few short fixes yourself, or know when to call in a professional.
Call A Professional
As real estate agents in Brisbane, we’ve come across our fair share of houses where the owner has left the house in a bad state. One of the biggest hidden problems we find is plumbing. It’s something that unless you are using the water regularly, you just don’t notice.
So a couple of weeks pass and suddenly one of our tenants is complaining about backlogged water coming up the toilet. That doesn’t look good on us. That’s why we always have a professional plumber inspect all the plumbing before we make any sales or rental inspections. And if our rental properties do have an issue we have Brisbane’s best emergency plumber on call. For any plumbing issues, we use The Brisbane Plumbers. Joseph is an incredibly kind, speedy and efficient plumber and his team is available 24/7 for any emergency plumbing needs.
Blockages
If you notice that it takes longer for water to flow from your sink or that you hear gurgling noises when you flush the toilet, this might be the beginning of a clogged drain.
Clogs form over time when anything restricts the free flow of liquid out of a drain pipe, affecting the plumbing throughout your entire home. Sinks, toilets, showers, bathtubs, dishwashers, washing machines, and even sprinkler systems will be affected. If the clog is severe, raw sewage from the septic tank or main sewer lines may back up into your drainpipes and into your plumbing fixtures. It might get out of hand.
Drain blockages, in our experience, can be caused by the accumulation of ordinary things such as:
- Grease that has hardened
- Baby wipes and feminine hygiene items
- Toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissues that are extra-thick
- Cotton swabs and dental floss
- Products with the label “non-flushable”
Keep in mind that sewer pipes are around six inches in diameter, so clogging them takes a lot of material buildup. When in doubt, don’t flush it down the toilet. Put it in the trash.
Tree Roots
When tree and plant roots invade your sewage system, they grow right through plumbing pipes or wrap around and crush them in pursuit of the water that runs within.
This happens naturally over time and can be accelerated if your pipes are in poor condition, with cracks or holes that allow roots to enter the drain.
Plan for tree root development when determining where to put new trees on your property to prevent tree or plant roots from damaging your sewer systems.
Main Sewer Blockages
A sewage main obstruction occurs in the pipe system owned and maintained by your city, municipality, or district.
A clog comparable to a domestic clog might create obstruction. It can also be caused by insufficient system capacity if your neighbourhood is seeing rapid expansion. This sort of issue becomes apparent when a town experiences sewage difficulties following significant rainfall.
A sewer main obstruction will impact most or all of your plumbing throughout the house at the same time, rather than just one drain. To prevent damage, turn off all water supply in your home and try to block drain holes with absorbent material.
Quick Fixes
Plunger
Plungers are the simplest and most widely accessible drain openers. Plungers are useful for clearing small to medium-sized obstructions in most drains, including toilets and sinks.
Liquid Drain Cleaner
Purchase a Liquid Drain Cleaner if you need to unclog a sink or bathtub. However, do not use them in toilets.
Liquid drain cleaners will eat away a toilet’s wax seal on the bottom, causing leaks.
Release Pressure
First, turn off the main water supply. Locate the sewer cleanout line in your yard. It’s a short, white pipe that’s three to four inches round and has a screw-on cap. Once the cap is removed, the pressure in the sewage line should be released, forcing any water that has backed up into your home to drain.
Chemical Drain Cleaning
Some advocate flushing copper sulphate down the toilet several times to destroy tree roots, however, copper sulphate is not safe for septic systems and is prohibited in some localities. Try flushing down the toilet a root-killing foam containing the pesticide dichlobenil. The foam adheres to the pipes and destroys the tree roots in a matter of hours. It may, however, take many months for dead roots to be totally purged from your sewage system.
Water Pressure Cleaning
This will aid in the clearing of mild to badly blocked drains. An auger is used to clear obstructions further down the pipe. Plant roots and other debris are blown down the sewage pipe by a high-pressure water jet.