In the event of a broken sewer pipe, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this guide, we’ll show you how to clean up and make the necessary repairs.
The Importance Of Sewage Pipes To Your Home
Sewage pipes play an outsized role in keeping a home and neighborhood liveable. They are the waste management system that helps to protect both people and property from health hazards. A home sewage pipe is a small but mighty part of this system, performing an essential function.
Sewage pipes are responsible for carrying wastewater away from homes and businesses. This includes water from toilets, sinks, showers, and washing machines. The plumbing system in your home provides clean, fresh water into the house and subsequently disposes of it via a sewage line. This flow, on the other hand, grinds to a standstill when a sewage pipe breaks.
If a broken sewage pipe is not diagnosed and repaired fast enough, it could lead to damage to the home and even health problems for its residents.
Diagnosing A Broken Sewage Line
Early diagnosis may help manage a broken sewage line, but the best approach to keep your drains clear, clean, and running correctly is to avoid them in the first place.
It’s not always easy to distinguish between a blocked drain and a damaged sewage line. A bad odor emanating from one or more drains, as well as backed-up water in sinks, toilets, and tubs, are signs of both. You may have a damaged sewage line if you have many drains that are backing up.
Fortunately, there are some fairly simple ways to deal with a burst sewage pipe.
Four Ways to Deal with a Burst Sewage Pipe
1. Make an Attempt to Unclog the Line or Drain
A sewage line may clog for a number of reasons, but the most common offenders are huge wads of toilet paper, grease from the kitchen, hair, and soap scum. Even if the blockage affects many drains in your house or company, the pile of sludge may occasionally be removed using a plunger or plumber’s snake. Small blockages may sometimes be readily eliminated with minimum effort. If your attempts to unclog a drain fail, however, you should contact a professional right away. Continuing to use a plumber’s snake or drain chemicals incorrectly might exacerbate the damage to your pipe.
2. Locate the Pipe
Knowing where your sewage line is located can make it easier to deal with blocked or damaged sewer lines in your house or company. The sewage line may readily be found if you have access to the crawl area under your house or the basement. The pipe may be more difficult to locate in houses constructed on slab foundations. The first step in determining the source of the issue is to locate the sewage line in your house or company (and help a professional plumber know where to look).
A damp, stinky, bug-infested part of your yard is one sign of a damaged pipe; drains that can’t be cleaned with a plunger or snake are another. Closed-circuit television may be used by a specialist to peep into your sewage system and assess the precise position and amount of the breaking. They’ll be able to tell whether a part of the pipe needs to be repaired or if a complete replacement is required based on this information.
3. Assess the Damage
You can receive a good estimate of the damage to your sewage system with the aid of a professional plumber. Sewer pipes may get cracked or damaged for a variety of reasons, including major blockages.
Cast iron, Orangeburg, or clay pipes may be found in older houses and businesses. They grow brittle with time and can no longer withstand the strain of excess waste (or the chemicals and overly aggressive use of a plumbing auger that many DIY homeowners use to clear their drains).
Planting trees and plants too near to your sewage pipe might cause it to break at some time when the roots take hold. Pipe breakage is also common among family members who flush too much paper down the toilet. A sewage pipe might be fractured as a result of improper flushing.
4. Repair or Replace The Sewage Pipes that Have Burst
When a pipe bursts, you may be able to fix just the piece that’s causing the issue. If your house or company has older sewage pipes, it may be necessary to repair the whole line from your property to the city’s sewer system. Most sewage lines may now be repaired or replaced in a matter of days thanks to advances in plumbing technology.
Trenchless sewage line repair is less intrusive than traditional procedures, and it replaces your pipes with a resin-soaked pipe that solidifies in situ, resulting in a pipe with a 50-year lifespan. Short portions of sewage pipes in houses, companies, and municipalities are repaired using this type of sewer line replacement.
A broken sewer line can cause health issues, damage to your home or business, and a great deal of frustration. Professional help can get your problem assessed and repaired in short order. If you have a problem with a broken sewer pipe or another plumbing issue, contact one for an assessment of your home, business, or municipal plumbing system.
Repairing a broken sewer pipe is usually no small task. Fortunately, there are ways to make it go faster with less mess. For more information, see a Full List of Trenchless Technology Methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you fix a broken sewer line?
A: First, you would want to contact a plumber or an experienced homeowner. Then, the best way is usually to just dig up and replace it with a new one. You can also use trenchless technology to repair a broken sewer line.
How do I fix a leaky sewer pipe?
A: If the pipe is leaking, it means that there is something clogging up one of its openings or there is a crack. In order to fix this problem, you need to make sure all debris and trash are out from the pipe before attempting any repairs. You can do so by emptying the contents of your toilet down into a bucket and then pouring them back into the toilet’s tank once the sewer pipe is repaired.
How do you fix a broken ground pipe?
A: There are multiple ways to do this. One way is to use a wrench and then poke around the walls of your pipe with a screwdriver or something similar until you find the broken piece that has fallen out. Once you locate it, repair it and allow water back into your house so that all piping can be flushed until clean.
If you are considering sewer line relining, you may face a legal roadblock. The “sewer liners are illegal” is a common plumbing issue with regards to relining a sewage pipe. It can happen in any location and it is important to know the proper laws in your area. Make sure to check with your city and county sewer line laws and ordinances before commencing with sewer pipe relining.
Related Tags
- sewer pipe repair sleeve
- broken sewer line covered by insurance
- how to fix a broken drain pipe underground
- cracked sewer pipe repair cost
- can you replace your own sewer line