Sewer lines connect to almost everything in your house – from doing laundry to showering to cooking to doing the dishes. But if your sewer backs up, problems can range anywhere from as slow drains to overflowing toilets. It’s crucial to spot sewage backup symptoms before they cause a horrible mess or need a significant repair.
Here are four signs that your sewer needs attention right away:
1. Multiple drains are clogged
Single drains get clogged all the time. It happens. But when several pipes clog simultaneously, your house has a problem.
2. Water backs up in other drains
Your plumbing problem is serious if secondary drains you don’t regularly use are clogged. When you flush the toilet and hear gurgling in your tub or shower, it means that a clog is blocking water and looking for another way to drain. You may notice this happening when you’re doing laundry, and your toilet water rises or bubbles.
3. Bubbles
Bubbling occurs when water tries to get past a clog, and the air gets trapped. Bubbling may happen when you flush a toilet or when a sink is trying to drain. To determine if this is an actual clog, fill up your sink, tub, and shower with a couple of inches of water. Watch them drain and see if they bubble. To check if your toilet is clogged, look for bubbles after flushing.
4. Toilets aren’t flushing properly
The most common cause of a sewer backup is toilet flushing problems. If your toilet isn’t flushing regularly, and plunging doesn’t help, the problem is probably a sewer clog issue. Bubbling is common after plunging a toilet, but if flushing problems persist, it’s time to call a plumber. Toilet problems are unpleasant and something you’ll want to repair right away. Often with toilet issues, broken sewer line symptoms become apparent, especially if you notice sewage backup in the shower, sewage backup in the basement, or sewage coming out of a pipe in your yard. In these extreme cases, you may require assistance from your local DPW.
Signs of a septic backup
Even if your house isn’t connected to the municipal sewer system, your septic tank system can cause you problems. Septic tank issues can be more difficult to deal with, because of added regulations. Septic tank backup problems can cost several thousands of dollars to remediate. These costs may extend to necessary cleanups of property damages, other contaminations, and environmental regulations.
Common signs of a septic tank leak include:
- Wastewater seeping from the ground above your septic system
- Lots of very green grass above the septic system, even during dry, hot weather
- Bacteria in your well water
- Algae or weeds growing near your house
- Bad odors around the house emanating from the septic tank area
For help with your sewer, septic tank, or general plumbing, contact All A’s Plumbing & Heating.
All A’s Plumbing & Heating
1152 Route 10 West
Randolph, NJ 07869
973-252-6233
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