30 Oct. 20

3 Signs a Sewer Backup is Coming 

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night with a strong and nasty stench in your home. You feel that you can no longer go back to sleep with the reeking smell around. So, you search your home trying to find the source of the smell, only to find out that it’s a sewer backup. Urgh! What a nightmare!

Your home sewer lines are one of your home’s most important components, especially to everything that involves water– washing dishes, showering, doing laundry, and others. It is responsible for transporting wastewater from your home down to the underground sewer mains smoothly. However, despite its importance, it is also often taken for granted, well, not until it causes problems such as sewage backup. 

A sewage backup is not only a smelly problem, but it can also pose great damage to your home and belongings. Common causes of this problem include damaged pipes, clogged drains, flooding, plumbing system damaged by tree roots, extreme temperatures, and others. The good news is, there are warning signs that you can watch out for to know that a sewer backup is coming and prevent costly damage.

  • Slow draining in the bathtub and other water fixtures

Unwanted materials such as grease, pet dander, hair, soap, and others can pass through the drain can clog. When this happens, the wastewater cannot pass through the pipes, resulting in slow drains in the bathtub, laundry and other water fixtures. And the more debris clogging the pipe, the slower the water will drain. Do not wait for the time that water can no longer pass through it, or you will be dealing with a sewage backup. 

  • Foul odor coming from the drain

Sewage-like odors coming from areas in your home with drains is another warning sign of a sewer backup. A sewer line that is working fine will serve as the passageway of wastewater going through the main sewer away from your home. You will know if there is a problem with your sewage system if you will start to smell foul odors from it. 

  • Water backing up

Most drains in your home are interconnected, allowing the wastewater to flow smoothly away from your home. However, if the wastewater path is blocked, it won’t be able to flow through and look for another route. During this time, you may start to notice bubbling water in the sink or in the toilet. 

When you encounter the 3 warning signs above, do not put the problem off. Aside from the foul smell that it brings, sewage backup can also cause water damage to your furniture and belongings. And the longer that problem is left untreated; the more costly the repair will be. When dealing with damage caused by a sewer backup, call a water cleanup professional to dry your area fast and prevent water damage. Have your sewer line checked by a professional regularly too.