If there’s a particular aspect of your home plumbing system that you don’t ever want to think about as a homeowner, it would most definitely be your sewer line. Not only is the ick factor a 10 on a 1-10 scale, repairs to a sewer line are often more expensive than other kinds of plumbing issues. As such, it’s good to know what can cause your sewer line to potentially back up so that you can successfully avoid some of these scenarios in your own home.
Potential Causes of Sewer Line Back Up
So what kinds of conditions can lead to your sewer line backing up? Here are a few common ones
- Tree roots infiltration – tree roots will look to any kind of water source for nourishment, including your sewer line. You may think, how much damage can a tree root do? Turns out, quite a bit. It may take time, but tree roots can not only penetrate your sewer pipe, they can crush it, causing serious problems.
- Corrosion – depending on the age of your home, your sewer line can be up to 50 years old. While sewer line pipes are made of durable materials, a pipe that is 50 years old can be corroded, which will weaken the pipe.
- Damage to the pipe – even though your sewer pipe is buried, it can still suffer from damage. Ground shifts in particular will cause a sewer pipe to crack or break, which will lead to a back up.
- Inappropriate items put down your toilets – your toilets are made to deal with certain kinds of waste, but there are some homeowners who will treat their toilets like garbage cans. Things like candy wrappers, heavy paper products and feminine products can cause a blockage that can lead to a sewer line back up.
When your sewer line in New Hope, PA, backs up, call the people you can count on for repair: Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.