Who To Call When Your Sewer Backs Up

Sewer Lines Plumbing Services

One of the things most homeowners overlook in terms of regular maintenance routines is having their home's sewer lines cleaned.

Everything seems to work magically, and wastewater flows out of the home perfectly. However, one day, usually just before you plan a social gathering, the sewer is suddenly backed up, and you're having major plumbing issues.

Sewer backups are inconvenient, unpleasant and expensive in terms of damage and cleanup costs incurred. The good news is that it is often entirely preventable by having the sewer system inspected and cleaned at regular maintenance intervals.

Symptoms Of Sewer Problems

Drains and sinks smell like sewage / rotten eggs
Water backing up into laundry sink, shower or tubs
Multiple sinks and drains are emptying slowly
Toilets, washing machines and shower drains gurgle
Sewage backup (sewer water) has occurred in your basement

Clogged drains and blockages in your household pipes can be nasty, stopping wastewater from leaving your property and causing all sorts of problems, starting with unpleasant odours. If you find that it's difficult to flush your toilet or notice that water drains from your sinks very slowly, this could be a sign of a potential blockage. When wastewater cannot flow away, it can come back up from the various drains and flood your home.

A sewage backup is not something you ever want to experience as raw sewage coming up your pipes can end up getting on your walls, floors, furniture and valuables. Because raw sewage is full of bacteria, germs, and viruses, anything it touches that can't be sanitized with bleach or cleaning detergents must be thrown away. This includes drywall, carpeting, furniture and electronics.

Causes Of Sewer Problems

Many factors could potentially cause sewer line backups, including:

aging city sewer infrastructure
types of pipes used for the sewer lines
Too much rainwater or snowmelt flooding the storm sewer system
sump pump failure
main sewer line blockages
tree roots entering sewer pipes
grease or solids buildup (toilet paper), etc.

Clay pipes in an aging sewage system can wear away over time, and joints used for connecting pipe links can fail due to aging or weather-related factors. Meanwhile, cast iron pipes can develop scaling over time, forming deposits of rust inside, which can start the blockage process.

The best way to avoid sewer blockages is through prevention and maintenance. A. McKenna Plumbing specializes in sewer maintenance. We will clean your sewer lines to ensure they are running properly without any blockages so that your sewer won't back up.

Sewer Backup Prevention

Our Oakville plumbers have the training and experience to diagnose the problem, target potential trouble spots, repair or replace failed joints & pipe links, and recommend a regular drain cleaning program using a preferred type of maintenance using jetted water or snaking.

For new properties, starting a regular maintenance program and sticking to it is the key to a trouble-free sewer line.

Other steps you can take to prevent clogged drains and sewer backups include:

Never flushing diapers, dental floss, wipes, cigarette buts, paper towels and personal hygiene products down the toilet
Never pouring bacon fat, coffee grounds, eggshells or food waste down the kitchen sink
Installing a backwater valve - the municipality of Halton offers backwater valve subsidies.
Disconnect downspouts from sewer systems.

For professional sewer cleaning & repair service, call your local Oakville plumber, A. McKenna Plumbing Ltd., at 1-905-510-4965. We also serve Burlington, Milton, Mississauga and Etobicoke Ontario for all your plumbing services, including emergency plumbing.