You may never see your main sewer line, but, like anything else in your home, the drain will require professional plumbing service from time to time. Drain Blaster Bill offers professional drain cleaning services to fix damaged or clogged drain lines.
We can identify problems in your entire drainage system and then provide the right solution to get your plumbing back on track. Below are some of the issues we look for when we inspect your pipes.
1. Clogged Sewer Line or Backed Up Toilet
The biggest red flag that something is wrong with your main sewer line is water backing up from a drain or the toilet. You may also hear gurgling sounds coming from the pipes when you turn on the water or flush the toilet.
The gurgling noise you hear is a product of simple physics. Because negative pressure in a clogged drain forces air within the pipes to return to where it came from, you'll hear a bubbling noise as air travels back up through the drain.
If it sounds like water is percolating while washing the clothes, you should call us and schedule a camera drain inspection—you'll know exactly what's causing the noise after a thorough inspection.
2. Tree Roots in the Plumbing
Tree roots are often the primary cause of a clogged sewer line. Older homes have older trees in the yard. Over time the roots may find their way to pipes. When pressure occurs between the tree root and the plumbing, the tree roots almost always win out. They will penetrate the pipe and create water leaks or severe blockage.
Again, gurgling noises are an indication that there is a hole somewhere in the sewer line. We can use a camera inspection method to find the problem without digging up your plumbing. If your pipes are damaged, we'll need to replace them and cut back the roots.
3. Sewage Smells
Clogged sewage has nowhere to go but back up the pipes. If it's lingering near the tip of the drain, it will fill up a room with a nasty odor. You shouldn't be alarmed if you smell it every once in a while.
However, if it reoccurs, call us to look into the problem, and we'll see where the blockage is located. You may also notice the smell in the yard. This means that roots have damaged the pipes, and the sewage is spilling out into the ground.
4. Slow-Flowing Drains
If several drains around your house seem to be draining slower than usual, that's a surefire sign of a mainline sewer clog. Remember, each drain in your house eventually feeds into the main sewer line. So when there's a clog in the trunk line, it will affect multiple drains throughout your house.
5. Strange Water Stains in the Basement
You may notice a persistent stain on the floor in older homes with unfinished basements and sometimes cast iron pipes. It isn't wet all the time, but perhaps it returns after somebody takes a shower or uses the washing machine.
Instead of flowing down the main drain, water may be backing up in other pipes and seeping around old joints until it slowly works out to the main sewer connection.
6. Water Up to Your Ankles in the Shower
You have pulled the hair out of the shower drain, poured some chemicals down the pipe, and still, the shower slowly fills with water every morning. It drains eventually but never keeps up, so you get to splash around a bit.
Grease, roots, and foreign objects can all combine to create a blockage in your main drain that doesn't completely stop the water but seriously slow it down.
Request a Sewer Line Camera Inspection
If you need your sewer line repaired, call Drain Blaster Bill today. We utilize the most advanced technology in the industry to deliver superior plumbing service to you.
Our work includes drain cleaning, clogged toilets, bathroom drain cleaning, and main sewer line repair. We serve homes in the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota area. To schedule a sewer line inspection or drain repair, contact us at (316) 847-4277 or message us on our contact page.