3 Signs Your Sewer Line Needs Repair

Staying on top of necessary sewer line repairs is important for keeping your plumbing system functioning properly and avoiding costly repairs on water damage in your home. Damage to your sewer lines can not only cause flooding and moisture problems, but it can also lead to contaminated groundwater that compromises the health of your community.

As a homeowner,you should be aware of signs showing severe problems. You should also know a good plumber who can respond to emergency situations and get out to your property right away to address the issue.

Usually, there will be obvious signs when your sewer line is in severe need of repairs. The following are three of the most common signs that are seen when sewer lines are beginning to malfunction and need to be looked at by a plumber:1. Varying Water Levels in Your Toilet Bowl

This is very commonly seen in San Mateo homes with sewer line issues. When your toilet bowl refills after you flush, the water should always rise to the same level. If there is a lot of variation in the water level in the toilet bowls in your home, you’ve got a plumbing issue.

Water levels could become inconsistent as a result of sewer line problems. Fluctuating water levels in your toilet is usually a sign of a severe plumbing problem that needs to be looked at immediately. If water levels begin to fluctuate too much, your toilet bowl could be at risk of overflowing or your toilet could be at risk of malfunctioning.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy for homeowners to notice fluctuating water levels in their toilets right away. After all, we don’t really pay a lot of attention to the inside of our toilet or take the time to observe what happens after we flush. It’s probably a good idea to make a habit of regularly inspecting your toilet bowls to look out for problems like fluctuating water levels before they become too severe.

2. Damp Areas in Your Yard

Sewer lines that are working properly will manage moisture in your yard by adequately containing waste water. Sewer lines that are damaged and in need of repair will lose the ability to properly manage moisture in the yard. This will lead to buildups of water on the surface of the ground below which sewer lines are placed. Eventually, this buildup of water could become so severe that you will have large patches of standing water in your yard, and this could lead to flooding, drainage, and landscaping problems in your yard. If it becomes too severe, water buildup in your yard could compromise the structural integrity of your home.

Not only do sewer line problems cause patches of standing water or soggy areas in your yard, but they can also cause the ground to rise up above your sewer lines. This can happen as the ground swells due to increased moisture content.

Excessive wetness in your yard or rising patches of land indicate that you need to have your sewer lines looked at right away. The longer you let this problem go, the more likely your yard will become warped by damage. Allowing this problem to become more severe can not only increase the costs of restoring your landscaping, but can also increase your risks that plumbing system components in your home will completely fail and need to be replaced. Failed plumbing equipment can cause flooding in the home that could entail massive water damage.

3. Drains That Take a Long Time to Empty

If you’ve got sewer line issues that are developing, you’ll notice that your drains don’t empty as quickly as they should. Most of us would first assume that such an issue is caused by blockages in your drains or pipes, but a clogged drain is sometimes the result of blockages that originate from down in the sewer lines.

If your sewer lines are the problem, you won’t be able to remedy your clogged drains adequately with commercial drain cleaners. In fact, repeatedly putting harsh and corrosive chemical drain cleaners down your drains could even aggravate damage to your sewer lines over time. It’s therefore important to realize quickly that your sewer lines are the problem causing drains that are not emptying properly. The longer you continue to try to remedy the problem with drain cleaners, the more damage you can do to your sewer lines.

While any one of these complications could indicate sewer line problems, these problems are especially likely to be signs of sewer line damage if they are seen in combination. Maintaining a properly functioning plumbing system requires you to be vigilant about developing repair needs. Now that you are aware of a few of the most common signs of sewer line damage, you can take better care of your San Mateo home and rest assured that you will stay on top of plumbing repair needs even with system components like sewer lines that are out of sight and difficult to inspect directly.

Still have questions about your sewer line? Make sure to call James Caccia Plumbing Inc. in San Mateo, CA at (650) 442-1470.