On average most PVC sewer lines have a life of 40-50 years. A damaged sewer line can be aggravating and you’ll find out when the damage has been done. If you suspect there is sewer line damage in your house, you need to call our professional pipeline repair experts at Garden Grove Plumber as soon as possible.
Here are 8 signs that might mean you have a damaged sewer line that needs to be repaired soon.
- Foul Smell
The sewer pipes are designed in a way to keep the smells inside. If you have strange smells around the house, it might mean that you have a damaged sewer line that is letting the smell escape.
However, it won’t be very straightforward to pinpoint if it’s a sewer’s smell. It might be mistaken as the smell of trashcan, mold, decaying animal’s body, or a mixture of them. Find out if these smells are stronger near the drains. Try flushing more water down the drain or add some drain opener liquid. If the smell persists, you should contact the plumber as soon as possible.
- Strange Noises from Toilet
Flushing the toilet can cause strange noises as the matter moves down the drain. However, when the toilet is not in use and hasn’t been flushed, there shouldn’t be any noises. If it sounds like running water in the drain pipes or the toilet when no water or toilet is in use, the reason is probably a damaged sewer line.
Another sign is bubbling appearing in the toilet bowl. Bubbles coming up to the toilet also mean that you have a damaged or clogged sewer line. Because the water and air cannot go back to the sewer, it bubbles inside the toilet bowl. It can also cause nasty smells in the bathroom and become a major repair problem if left unchecked.
- Clogged Toilets and Drains
Although there can be many reasons for a clogged drain or toilet. It can be a sign of a damaged sewer line. If you have been trying to unclog the toilet yourself but it isn’t helping, then is probably because there is an underlying problem. If a drain or toilet won’t unclog, then you shouldn’t delay calling in a professional for an inspection.
Because most toilet clogs are minor and can be removed with DIY methods and products that you can find easily at the supermarket or hardware store. Only those clogs that you cannot fix on your own are the ones that require professional help.
- Mold on the Walls
Damaged sewer lines can lead to mold and humidity inside or outside your house. Although, a faulty HVAC system or high humidity inside your house can be the major contributor to mold on walls inside your house.
If there is mold on walls in your backyard or front yard, it probably means there is either a leak or a damaged sewer line. If there is discoloration on the walls that are near drains, it can be a sign of a faulty sewer line.
- Frequent Pest Visits
A faulty sewer line allows them easy access to a humid environment that gives them the optimum survival rate. In humid conditions, they live, grow and breed at an alarming rate. If you frequently see two or three cockroaches or mice around the house, it probably means that there are hundreds or thousands of them living near or right below your house. In that case, you’ll have to call a plumber and pest control to fix both problems.
- Toilet Doesn’t Flush
If after flushing, the toilet doesn’t flush, it can be a sign of sewer line damage. Although clogged sewer might be the reason. Either way, it is a nasty problem that needs to be fixed soon and requires the service of a plumber. The problem might be a little old when you could flush it by flushing twice or thrice but now it keeps backing up no matter how many times to try to flush it out. This is something that shouldn’t be ignored. If the toilet backs up even after flushing it a few times, call the plumber immediately.
- Puddles in the Front Yard or Backyard
Unless it had been raining constantly for two days, the soil in your garden should be dry after a few hours of watering. The water always seeps into the ground and the topmost layer dries up. If the topmost layer is not dry and you have been experiencing puddles, then it’s probably because the sewer line is spreading the water below your backyard that is keeping it wet.
Walk around the yard and look for signs such as strange noises, foul smells, and squishing noises as you walk. If the water is leaching into the soil, you’ll also notice something else.
- Lush Green Lawn
A super lush green lawn means it has been getting fertilizer from somewhere. You might notice that some parts of the lawn are lusher green than the others which shows that your lawn has been receiving water and fertilizer at some points in soil only.
Is the grass thicker and greener? Maybe you didn’t add fertilizer or tried something different to uplift the plants for a while but it’s still become greener and better than before. Even if your lawn looks lovely, there is a serious problem that you need to address. Call your plumber right away for an inspection.
Why Call the Plumber Immediately?
You might think the article is stressing a lot on the fact that you need to call a plumber immediately. Trust us, the damaged sewer line can be one of the worst things that can happen to your house. It can lead to several serious problems including health problems from harmful bacteria and viruses that spread, foul smells in the air, and pest infestations along with a myriad of plumbing problems.
Sewer repair doesn’t mean that it would require breaking the floor and inserting a new pipeline. There are new methods that the expert plumbers at Garden Grove Plumber use these days to fix sewer lines such as trenchless sewer pipe repair that is the ultimate solution of most sewer line-related problems.