When your main sewer line is clogged, it leaves little doubt as to what’s actually happening. Water is backing up onto the shower floor, into the bathtubs and toilets, and gurgling and pooling around the floor drain. Just when you think you have a regular old clog, you smell it … the sewer.
If you suspect your main line is clogged, call Plumbing by Jake at (888) 628-5890 immediately. We offer round-the-clock emergency service and can address your main line clog at any time of the day or night.
Your Main Sewer Line May Be Clogged
If you think your main sewer line may be clogged but you’re not sure, here are some clues:
- More than one of your drains is running slowly or appears clogged. A clog in your bathroom sink is one thing. A clog in every sink, shower, and bathtub in the house is a sign of a giant clog wreaking havoc on all your drains at the same time.
- You hear gurgling or bubbling sounds when you flush the toilet or run water. When water can run through a drain clearly, it sounds like water running or trickling. However, when the passage of water is being blocked, you can hear the difference.
- It smells like a sewer in your home. If the areas around your drains smell like sewage, it’s a good sign that sewage is backing up into your home.
- You see water where it shouldn’t be. It may be backing up onto the shower floor or into the bathtub. The toilet may be overflowing. Water may be creating a smelly lagoon around your lower level floor drain and/or sewage cleanout.
- The toilet or washer is backing up. You may notice water filling your shower or bathtub when the toilet is flushed. Or, when you run your washing machine, water backs up into drains around your house.
Your Main Line Is Clogged. Here’s What to Do Next
When your main line is clogged, here are some things you can do:
- Step one: Do not make the problem worse! Stop using the water immediately and shut off the main water source, if possible.
- Step two: Call Plumbing by Jake right away at (888) 628-5890. Fixing a main line clog is not a do-it-yourself process. It requires expertise, care, and professional equipment.
- Step three: Do not attempt to clear the clog on your own. Do not use drain-cleaning chemicals. At best, your efforts will do nothing. Alternatively, you could make the situation much worse.
- Step four: Clean up the standing water. Do your best to sanitize any areas touched by the water. Remember, this water contains sewage, so be careful not to leave germs and bacteria behind that can make you or someone else in your home sick.
What Happens When a Plumber Comes to the Rescue
The skilled specialists at Plumbing by Jake will do an inspection of your main sewer line using a special camera to see what is happening in the pipe.
Common causes of main line clogs and backups are:
- Broken or cracked pipes
- Tree roots growing into the main line
- Large amounts of hardened grease or congealed fat dumped down the drain
- Severe blockages caused by flushing non-flushable items, such as baby wipes, “flushable wipes,” or facial tissue.
Flushable Wipes
Wipes marketed as “flushable” wipes are not actually safe to flush and can lead to major clogs for you and for sewage treatment plants.
As soon as the plumber can see the cause of the issue and where it is located in the main pipe, they will let you know if it is a relatively easy fix or something more serious.
If the main line is clogged by items or grease, your plumber may be able to clear the blockage using a professional water jet or snake tools.
If your main sewer line is broken or cracked, or if tree roots are growing into it, you may need a major repair and perhaps even a replacement.
We have several techniques for repairing and replacing cracked and broken sewer lines. The method we recommend will depend on the severity of the problem and where it is located.
In many cases, fixing a broken main line involves digging a trench in your yard and possibly breaking through concrete to get to the issue.
How to Care for Your Main Line Pipes
Here are some tips to help you prevent main line pipe problems in the future:
- If tree roots were the cause of cracking, breakage, and clogs, you may need to remove the offending tree (or trees) to prevent it from happening again.
- Never dump paint, grease, or fat into a drain or flush it down the toilet.
- Do not flush anything other than human waste and easily dissolvable toilet paper. Regardless of what is printed on the packaging, nothing else is safe to flush.
Schedule Your Emergency Main Line Service Now
Call Plumbing by Jake at (888) 628-5890 anytime. We offer 24/7 emergency service and rapid response times. Our expert plumbing team will evaluate the situation and provide you with a flat-rate estimate. We even back up every job with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
