Residential Plumbing Services to Help You Prevent a Sewage Back-Up

Most likely, the plumbing at your home has a combined water and sewage system and you’ll need trusted residential plumbing services to ensure you have a fine working home plumbing system.

When you use the shower, washing machine, sinks, tubs, and toilets, wastewater is moved away from your home through sewer lines. In a sewer backup, a blockage prevents waste from flowing from your property to the sewage line.

Sewage back-ups can ruin flooring, electrical systems, walls, furniture, and other items that could cost you thousands of dollars. Learn about the causes of sewer back-ups, your role as a homeowner, and the steps you can take to ensure your home is protected from sewer issues.

Homeowners’ Responsibilities in Sewer Maintenance

Usually, homeowners are unaware that they are responsible for maintaining and repairing their house or sewer lateral, the pipe connecting the city sanitary sewer main that is usually located in the street to the house.

When plumbing issues arise—such as leaky faucets or showers, broken pipes, kitchen sink, and drain problems—you need to look for professional repair services for all your plumbing needs.

It is also your responsibility to schedule service for regular proper maintenance of your home plumbing. This can prevent the need for severe pipe repair.

Reasons for Sewer Back-ups

Even though most basement water problems do not result from sewer back-ups, the Civil Engineering Research Foundation reports that backed-up sewers are increasing at an alarming rate of about 3% per year. Sewer back-ups can be caused by many things and below are a few more common ones.

Deteriorating Sewer System

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, approximately 500,000 miles of sewer lines in the country are over thirty years old. Increases in the number of homes connected to aging sewage systems have also contributed to the rapid rise in sewage back-ups, flooded basements, and overflows.

Combined Pipelines

Combined stormwater and raw sewage into the same plumbing system pose problems. Rainstorms expose the systems to more volume than they can handle, resulting in sewage backup situations that allow sewage to leak into basements or low-lying drains.

Plant Roots

The roots of trees and shrubs find their way into sewer line cracks and service pipe joints in search of moisture, and as they grow larger they can cause extensive damage or blockages.

The owner of the tree will bear the cost of clean-up. If both public and private trees cause the problem, the city and the property owner share the costs.

Main Sanitary Blockages

Through floor drains, sewage can back up into residential areas if the blockage is not detected in time. The problem usually manifests gradually, and early warning signs are present.

You should contact a licensed plumber in Rancho Cucamonga if you notice seepage at your floor drains.

How to Prevent Sewer Back-ups?

To prevent sewer back-ups, homeowners can take a few preventative measures, preferably with the help of residential plumbing services. Below are the following precautionary steps to prevent sewage backup.

Avoid Disposing of Grease Down Drains

When grease and oil cool, they solidify, which could cause blocking your drains. If you throw away hot oil or grease down the sink, toilet, or garbage disposal, your property will be damaged.

Among the proper ways of disposing of bacon grease, cooking oil, and other fat-containing food substances are the following:

1. It is best to wait until the oil has cooled before getting rid of it.
2. Use a container to hold the fatty grease, such as a jar or aluminum can.
3. Put the can or jar in a plastic bag.
4. Put the whole package in the trash.

If you think you have a drain blockage, reach out to residential plumbers in Rancho Cucamonga for drain cleaning services.

Choose What You Flush

Do not flush anything but toilet paper and bodily waste down the toilet, as this will cause damage to your sewage system. No matter how much a wipe or sanitary item claims to be flushable, these waste products can clog drains.

If you observe any of these signs of sewer backup in your toilet, you should call some professional residential plumbing services:

1. Even after plunging, the toilet does not completely flush
2. Water backs up somewhere else when you use the toilet
3. A bubble repeatedly appears when you flush the toilet or drain the sink

Inspect Your Lateral Sewer Lines Regularly

It is your responsibility to maintain the sewer line that goes from the home to the road, so do not let it cause damage to your home. If the sewer lateral becomes clogged, it could cause a backup in the basement during heavy rain. If this happens, the only solution may be to replace the sewer line.

You can identify a plumbing problem in your sewage system by looking for these signs:

1. There’s a puddle of water on the lawn
2. Pests are present in your house and surrounding areas
3. Many of the sinks in your house take a long time to drain or don’t drain at all
4. Cracks or bends are present in your sewer pipes
5. There have been tree roots growing in the pipes

Consider Getting Rid of Whole-House Plumbing Traps

The whole-house plumbing traps, or house traps, comprise downward curving sections of pipeline along a lateral sewer line. Your lateral sewer line must travel from your house or building to reach the sewer mainline.

In older homes, house traps prevent sewer gasses from entering buildings from the main sewer line.

In modern times, house traps are no longer used due to the development of drain traps on household fixtures like sinks and toilets. The curved pipe under your sink achieves the same purpose as a whole house trap on the lateral sewer line, thereby eliminating the need for whole-house traps.

House traps often cause flooding and back-ups in older houses. Consult professional plumbing services for house trap removal if you believe you may have a house trap in an older residential building.

Take Care of Your Drains

Any food or hair buildup in your bathroom, kitchen, and basement drains should be cleaned when you’re using the sinks. Using a plunger or a hair remover could ensure that your pipes flow better. The best way to prevent a clogged drain is to boil a kettle of hot water and pour it slowly down your drain once a week.

You can use a drain cleaner in the short term to remove clogs, but plumbing services can clean and inspect your drains every two years to prevent severe blockage. If you notice any of these signs of clogged drains, contact some skilled plumbers in Rancho Cucamonga as soon as possible:

1. Every sink and tub in your house drains slowly
2. There is an unpleasant odor emanating from your drains
3. A number of drains in your house are clogged
4. There are signs of seepage in the basement floor drains

Professional Plumbing Services for Your Plumbing Problems

For a reliable plumbing service, we offer drain cleaning services in Rancho Cucamonga to fix sewage backups.

By repairing and inspecting your clogged drains before your sewage backs up and breaks, we will save you money and stress. You can also get an emergency inspection from us if you are in a plumbing emergency.

We also offer 24/7 residential plumbing services, contact us at 909-854-2547 at Bobby Blue Plumbing today!