When consistently warm weather finally makes an appearance in the Twin Cities, the last thing most home and business owners want to worry about is their plumbing systems. But, like any hard-working building system, that collection of drains, pipes, and pumps needs year-round maintenance and care. And for many property owners, that means drain cleaning is in order.
Why drain cleaning? Because the summer season is known for triggering a few common drainage problems that many property owners never anticipate. Read on to find out what they are.
1. Clogged Household Drains
When kids are home from school and the weather is perfect for entertaining, the load on any home’s plumbing system can increase dramatically. And that means the potential for serious drain blockages increases significantly too.
When more people take showers, use the toilets, and use the kitchen sink, more substances and objects that don’t belong in your drains can easily end up there. When you run more loads of laundry — especially if you enjoy time at the beach or elsewhere outdoors — more solid debris (like sand, dirt, and tiny pebbles) can make its way into your laundry drain.
Ultimately, increased drain use can quickly heighten the risk for clogs in bathroom, kitchen, and laundry drains. And since all of those drains eventually drain into the sewer line that exits your home, the risk for mainline sewer clogs goes up, too.
If you find yourself dealing with drain clogs you can’t seem to dislodge on your own, call a drain cleaning specialist for help. A quick water jetting procedure can easily clear even the most severe blockage and thoroughly clean the interior of the drain too.
2. Rain-Related Sewer Line Backups
If you’ve lived in the Twin Cities area for long, you know we get some pretty serious thunderstorms, which can bring substantial rainfall. When the weather is super rainy — whether it's intense and short lived or moderate rain that goes on for days — that influx of water can overwhelm municipal sewer systems.
When that happens, water and waste that would normally flow away from your home through the main sewer line can get backed up. And when that occurs, excess waste-laden water can flow backward through your drains and into your home.
If you find yourself facing this problem, call a drain cleaning specialist right away. A pro can perform a sewer camera inspection to determine if the issue is indeed due to excessive water accumulation. If it is, your sewer line will resume normal flow when the groundwater dissipates.
But if the backed-up wastewater is actually the result of a clog in the line, sewer cleaning services can quickly dislodge the offending blockage and allow the drain to resume normal flow.
3. Sewer Blockages Caused by Tree Roots
Roots of large, well-established trees grow faster in summer, so they’re more likely to cause main sewer line drainage problems throughout the season. Believe it or not, those roots can penetrate buried pipes, especially if those pipes are old and have tiny cracks or other weaknesses.
Once a root penetrates the pipe, it will continue to grow inside of it, where it will eventually cause a severe blockage that only a professional can remove. If you notice signs that your main sewer line may have a blockage, call a drain cleaning specialist right away. By performing a drain camera inspection, a pro can quickly locate the source of the symptoms you’re noticing and then clean the drain thoroughly to remedy the problem.
4. Sump Pump Problems and Flooding
Like municipal sewer systems, sump pumps can also get overwhelmed by an influx of groundwater when it rains heavily. These pumps, which are typically located in a basement or crawlspace, are designed to collect subsurface water that naturally migrates through the soil around a home’s or building’s foundation. They then pump that water into a drainage system that empties far away from the building.
But, when there’s too much water migrating through the soil, a sump pump may not be able to keep up. Ultimately, the sump pit (which collects the water) can overflow, leading to flooding in the building’s lowest level.
5. Agricultural Drain Clogs and Foundation Damage
In some cases, especially in homes with outdoor drainage systems or those on farmland, agricultural drains can also cause damage.
Like sump pumps, ag drains are designed to improve subsurface drainage in low areas and places with naturally poor soil drainage. But these drains can get clogged by debris or become overwhelmed with water during heavy rains, especially if they weren’t properly installed.
If that happens, water can seep back into the ground around the drain and end up pooling around the foundation that the drain was installed to protect. Ultimately, that standing water can weaken the foundation over time or seep in through existing, tiny cracks.
Call Drain Blaster Bill for Same-Day Drain Cleaning Services in the Twin Cities
Whether you’re dealing with drainage issues in your home or commercial building, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Drain Blaster Bill’s Sewer & Drainage Cleaning in Stillwater, MN! We specialize in residential and commercial drain cleaning, drain camera inspections, and sewer cleaning services for properties throughout the metro area. We offer same-day scheduling for your convenience and 24/7 emergency service because drain problems don’t just happen during business hours.
To get an estimate, or schedule service, call us today at 763-913-8719 or request a free estimate online, and we’ll get in touch!