Sewer Line
Drain lines run throughout your home that carry wastewater from sinks, toilets, tubs, and more. All these lines lead to the main sewer line. This is a huge pipe that carries all your wastewater from your home right down to your sewer or septic system.
However, it may get clogged at times leading to stressful and undesirable situations. Drains all over your home are unable to work and you can even end up water backing up out of your fixtures.
So, a clogged sewer line (Riolering verstopt) is not desirable. However, if you have a clogged sewer line, there’s still something you can do before calling in the plumbers. The main aim is to detect it early. Luckily, there are certain signs that indicate that you might have a main sewer line clog.
Here, we have compiled those signs and symptoms that show you might have a sewer lines clog. So, read on.
Dark Water
Water backing up in your tubs or showers is one of the signature symptoms of a main sewer line clog. You try to drain water down your sewer pipes but it has nowhere to go because the sewer line is clogged. The common occurrence in such situations is that the water moves backward and comes out of the lowest point of entry. In most houses, this entry point will be the shower, tub, or floor drain in the basement.
This water that flows back and comes out of your shower will not be clear but dark, stinky, and gross-looking because of the waste material mixed in it. This water may have raw sewage in it, so you need to be careful around it. Please wear proper protective gear and use powerful cleaners when cleaning up dark water flows.
Slow Moving Drains
Take a look at your drains. Are they draining rapidly as they should or water is pooling whenever you run the water? If latter is the scenario, then it might be a sewer clog. Drains tend to slow down at first, because no clog suddenly blocks 100% of the pipe. The clog grows with time as debris get collected gradually making water movement harder with every passing day.
So, if all the drains in your home begins to slow down, there’s a high chance of a clogged sewer line. Typically the first drains to slow down will be the toilet drains. After flushing your toilet, the water might seem to hang there for some time before slowly sinking down. The toilet drains are usually the first affected because they are directly connected to your sewer lines.
Gurgling Sounds
A main sewer line clog affects the swift movement of water through the line. And thus, you might face strange symptoms as you use your plumbing system. Running a sink, flushing a toilet, or using a washing machine can lead to formation of water and air bubbles. And this can lead to strange rumbling or gurgling sounds. You might get these noises from plumbing fixtures, walls, or even floors and ceilings.
So, when you hear strange gurgling, hissing, or bubbling noises, it’s almost taken that your main sewer line is clogged. With a clogged sewer line, it will take some time for the water to drain through. So, you might get the noises for quite some time after you use the drain.
What to do When You Have a Clogged Sewer Line
When one or all the symptoms are showing in your home, it’s almost certain that your sewer line is clogged. But detecting a clogged sewer line is half the battle. You must do something to unclog it. Here are the steps to be taken.
Turn Off the Water
First things first. Turn off all the water in your home. The last thing you want is flooding your bathroom with raw sewage while absentmindedly turning on a clogged sink.
Call the Plumber
When you have a clogged sewer line (Riolering verstopt), it’s not advisable to try DIY repair. We recommend calling a trusted plumber in your area who will have access to specialized tools (often heavyweight) to unclog your sewer line completely.