Let’s be honest: How often do you think about your sewer?
If you’re like most people, the answer is never. But if you’ve ever experienced a severe sewer back-up, then you probably have flashbacks to the problems they bring.
The humble sewer line simply takes wastewater from your building to the main sewer line, but any number of things can happen to obstruct or totally prevent that flow. And when it does, you’ll know.
Some telltale signs of a sewer back-up include bad smells, slow drains, or water coming back up the drain.
Even if you don’t experience a complete sewer back up, some obstructions to your sewer line can lead to sickness or disease for the people in your building, aggravated breathing, and even a mold outbreak.
Clogs are the most frequent cause of sewer back-ups.
There are many reasons for your run of the mill clogs.
Clogs often come from people flushing things that don’t belong, like wipes or other sanitary products. Accumulated hair, food, or debris are also some common culprits.
Back-ups from clogs are at least usually easy to fix. And preventative measures like proper training, signage, or drain catches can make it so drain clogs don’t affect your sewers in the future.
When you think of a sewer or pipe back-up, the first thing that comes to mind is probably some sort of clog. However, one of the most common causes of sewer back-up isn’t a clog, per se. It’s tree roots.
As the lovely trees dotting your lawn grow tall, their roots simultaneously grow deep. Often, they will grow into sewer lines and cause a huge mess.
This is a slow process, obviously. Roots tend to gravitate toward pipes, and as they grow the roots can wrap around and eventually breach them. Drains will begin to slow or mildly back up at first. Eventually, the tree roots can lead to a total block.
There are a few different ways to deal with tree roots depending on your specific situation and the extent of the damage. Solutions range from just clearing the obstructing roots to totally replacing the line.
If you’re in the food or restaurant industry, then fat, oil, or grease are likely sources of sewer back-up.
All of these substances can be poured into a drain, but they eventually harden. Not only that, but they trap other particles and debris, creating large clogs and obstructions.
An improperly maintained grease trap is another source of back-ups. If your grease traps aren’t regularly cleaned, then they can cause big problems for you.
For fat, oil, or grease clogs, solutions can include hydro-jetting, which is a fast and effective way to clean your drain.
Other commercial use can lead to backed-up sewers. Whether you’re in an industrial setting, the above-mentioned food industry, or just host to a high volume of traffic.
Remember, the more people using your facility means the more strain on all of its systems.
More people using bathrooms, sinks, and drains means more opportunity for clogs, wear and tear, and other things that cause sewer back-ups.
Setting up a regular maintenance plan is probably the best way to deal with sewer back-ups in a commercial setting. It’s often a totally justifiable cost, as any downtime to a business means lost revenue.
Cities and municipalities can also be the cause of a sewer back-up.
Municipal sewer systems are subject to getting clogged just like your own sewer and drain system.
If there’s a clog downstream, it can cause a back-up to everyone connected to it.
While this isn’t a problem you can fix, alerting the relevant authorities can help get the repair process underway on their end.
A final common cause for sewer back-ups is a damaged sewer line.
A pipe or line could be broken, cracked, or collapsed at any point leading to a sewer back-up. The likelihood of this happening rises for older buildings.
Use simply causes deterioration and corrosion in all materials, eventually leading to failures.
In the case of a cracked or collapsed line, trenchless technology can be used to replace sewer pipes with minimal disturbance.
Easily set up an appointment or get help using the form. If you need us right away, call us at (315) 699-7255.
