Ask a Reading Drain Cleaning Specialist: What To Do About a Sewer Back Up

sanitary sewer manhole cover

Sewage Backups Cause an Unsanitary Mess in Your Home
As you are probably aware, waste water travels from your home’s plumbing to the city’s municipal sewer system. When that sewer main gets blocked up, the water can’t travel appropriately out of your home. This, then, will cause a back up through your floor drains, toilets, and other plumbing fixtures.
Sometimes these backups won’t cause too much damage, but other times they can create a big mess. If sewage water starts backing up into your home, you will experience some serious water damage, along with threatening the health of you and your family.
The unfortunate reality surrounding sewage backups is that they won’t just stop and unclog themselves. In order to rid your home of this headache, you will need a Reading drain cleaning specialist here at Essig to come clean it out.
What Causes Sewage Backups

Heavy rain: There is no predicting, or preventing, inclement weather. However, it’s a good idea to be prepared for it. During heavy rains, a sewer backup will typically manifest in your basement instead of outside in the yard. The best way to stay ahead of the flooding is to have an Essig professional come out and maintain your lines.
Clogged lines: Waste, inorganic debris, paper products, grease, or tree roots can all cause your sewer line to become clogged. Tree roots are the worst culprit we see, as they just continue to grow making the clog worse and worse. Again, the best way to prevent this is to have regular maintenance performed. If you want to try some at-home maintenance, you can try flushing tree root killer down your toilet annually to stop them from making a home in your pipes.
Human interference: Much like the rain, you can’t really predict when a human will come in and vandalize the sewer main. But, there is a way you can try and stop them. Install gates and locks to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the lines.

Aside from regular maintenance, there are a few other things you can try to help prevent against these plumbing nightmares.
Sewer Backup Prevention

Standpipe: This device allows water to enter through the drain while still keeping it in the pipe. If you encounter a really severe backup, you may want to try a different approach, though, because standpipes are more of a half-measure.
Floor drain plug: Because most sewer backups start in the floor drains, it’s smart to take care of those first. This handy tool seals off the drain and prevents liquids from passing through.
Backwater prevention valve: These valves are installed into a sewer or drain line in the basement. It’s specifically designed to prevent sewer backups, as it allows sewage to go out but not come back in.

Sewage backups are unsanitary situations that can sometimes lead to disease, property destruction, loss of important items, and dangerous electrical malfunctions. It’s vital that as soon as you recognize signs of a sewer backup, you call Essig’s drain cleaning team.
We will come out as quickly as possible and get your sewer main back to working like normal. Call us today!

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