Many homeowners are familiar with the sinking feeling of knowing a clogged drain is imminent. Strange smells wafting from under the floor, gurgling sounds coming from the toilet, not flushing how it should.
These are all tell-tale signs that your sewer drain is having some issues. Your first instinct may be to grab a plunger or some draino to fix the problem yourself, however, this isn’t the best course of action with most sewer drain issues.
A well-functioning sewer line is incredibly important to maintain the integrity of your plumbing, preventing widespread flooding or drainage issues that can cost you time, money, and effort and most important your health.
Knowing how your sewer line should work will help you to determine if something is wrong, and when to call in the professionals.
Signs your sewer drains may be clogged
- Slow-moving drains
- Gurgling sounds coming from the drain
- Clogged plumbing
- Sewage water coming out of the drain
- Smelly drains
- Ponding water in the garden
If you notice any of these issues, it’s important to stop using the water as soon as possible and get in contact with sewer drain specialists.
Is your sewer actually clogged?
It can be difficult to recognise a clogged sewer, and many people want a sure-fire way to discover if their pipes are truly damaged before calling on the professionals to fix the problem.
Most modern homes will have two ports to check the health and function of the sewer lines. These are the overflow relief gully (OFG), which is an open pipe with a grill type lid, and the inspection shaft (IS), a vertical pipe set in concrete or garden with screws on the lid. The IS will be near your property’s boundary, and the ORG will be in your backyard near wet rooms such as the bathroom or kitchen.
A quick check of the water levels and for any spills can give a clear idea of what is going on inside the pipe. If your water is overflowing, running, or gurgling when no action is happening from the taps in your house, you have a clog somewhere in the pipe.
If the same is happening when you are using the taps in your house, the blockage is more likely within your internal pipes and a professional call-out is essential.
The quick fix for clogged sewer drains
Issues within your drains can range in terms of complexity and severity. Most cases of sewer line damage will require a professional examination and treatment, as the problem is often more than meets the eye.
However, if you’re desperate to make things more pleasant while waiting for your technician, there are some DIY tricks that you can perform.
Most sewer lines have an easily accessible cleanout, (such as the overflow relief gully), often located on the side of the home or within the basement. If the clog is pushed up against the end of the cap, it may flow out once you remove the cap.
Sewer drain clogs are no small matter and are often the result of months of accumulation caused by damage within the pipe. If you happen to have a standard drain plunger on hand, this may remove the clog, but it is often not enough.
Most of the time, the best you can expect to achieve DIY is to get things moving, potentially making the repair, or relining of your pipe slightly easier while providing temporary relief.
This can make your home less stinky and more comfortable, but ultimately, the problem needs to be addressed from the inside out. Our blog, 5 steps to managing your broken sewer lines offers some more handy tips for DIY maintenance.
From the inside out…
Sewer work can be a tricky thing that requires skill, speciality tools and professional training to ensure problems within the pipe are well and truly solved.
Your sewer line may be clogged for several reasons, most commonly from tree root invasion, ageing, and large objects being mistakenly thrown down the drain which can reach the sewer line.
Household activity such as pouring cooking oil down the sink or grease from tradie uniforms can become sludge inside the pipes and cause clogging that is impossible to clean out with over-the-counter products.
Pipe relining is the best and most effective method of repairing the issues that may cause a clog in your sewer line. There isn’t any other foolproof way to examine what is happening deep within your pipes that often lay underground or inside the walls.
Where plumbers of old had to rip up precious landscaping or essential pathways to find out what’s going on within the pipes, CCTV technology has mitigated this need and made it simple for your professional crew to provide the best solution. Through an opening as big as a keyhole, your pipe doctors can get deep within your pipe to plan their pipe relining and repairs to be as accurate and efficient as possible.
Pipe relining is the process of using epoxy resin to rehabilitate a broken pipe or sewer line from the inside out, making the pipe stronger than ever. A good clean out is necessary to remove the clog and ensure a clean surface for the epoxy to attach to, and CCTV cameras reveal each tree root, piece of debris or wayward waste that is lurking in your pipes.
The epoxy resin will be placed inside the pipe before conditioned air inflates a removable tube to ensure even and complete coverage of the resin to the shape and diameter of your pipe. The epoxy will repair any damage that is causing clogs and blockages and prevent more from occurring down the line.
Pipe relining is quick and simple, getting you back into your bathroom with perfectly functioning sewer lines before you can even say ‘gross’. Thanks to speciality training and access to the best German engineering products on the market, your pipe can run smoothly and effectively for decades to come. Click here for more information on how pipe relining works.
Get your pipes flowing today…
A blocked sewer drain can be disruptive, dangerous, and quite honestly – disgusting. It’s important to clear the blockage as soon as it occurs to avoid further and more permanent damage to the pipes.
With minimal disruption to your routine and the flow of your life, our professionals can check out what is going on within your pipes and fix the problem to get things running better than ever.
It brings priceless peace of mind to have a crew on your side who can ensure your pipes are good to go for the next few decades, saving you untold effort, money, and time. Learn more about sewer pipe relining methods here.
Our experienced, friendly, and trustworthy team can be on your property for a free consultation at your earliest convenience to fix your pipes once and for all. Using keyhole technology, we will perform our work without damaging your curated lawns or careful paint job. We can give your pipe new life to make your home function as efficiently and effectively as possible, for years to come.
To book your free consultation, give our friendly office crew a call on 02 8339 4695, or click here to send an online enquiry.
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