What To Do When You Fear Your Sewer Line Is Broken

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A broken sewer line is something that should rarely happen in your home, but when it does, it's crucial that you have it fixed as quickly as possible. It is not the type of repair you can put off having done. Unfortunately, a broken sewer line can appear similar at first to one that is clogged. This is why you must determine if the sewer line is broken or clogged, and take appropriate action.

Determine If The Sewer Is Broken or Clogged

If you are having drain issues in your house, it could be happening in one of two places. It will either be within the main pipe going out to the city sewer system, or the smaller drains throughout your home in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. If the drainage problem is only in one room, chances are that it is only a clog.

A collapsed sewer line will affect all of the drains in your home. You may have an odor coming out from the drains, standing water, or wet grass outside your home above where your sewer line is located. The best way to determine if it's a clog or collapsed pipe it to snake the drain through the main sewer cleanout in your home.

Attempt To Snake The Main Sewer Line

If you have a major clog in your main sewer line, the drain cleaning chemicals you can buy at the store are not going to cut it. You will need to snake the sewer line using an auger. This tool can be rented at your local home improvement store, or you can have a plumber come to your home and do it for you.

Follow the instructions for how to clean out your drain using the auger. If you are not successful at getting your drains flowing again, it could be because of a collapsed pipe.

Call A Plumber For Major Sewer Line Damage

A professional plumbing professional will be able to determine the exact cause of the clog by using a sewer camera to take an up close look. If the sewer line is truly collapsed, it will require excavating your yard to get down to the broken pipe. It is the only way to reach the pipe for the repair.

The bulk of the work required will be the excavation, as the repair itself is fairly straightforward.

Catching a collapsed pipe early is very important, as it could lead to severe sewage backup in your home if left untreated. 


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