Every drain in your home empties into your sewer line. This lone pipe carries your waste and wastewater to the municipal sewer system. If your sewer line develops a blockage, your effluence could come rushing back into the building. Also known as whole-house backups, these events cause serious water damage. They also expose residents to dangerous biological and chemical contaminants. The first step in preventing whole-house backups is understanding their cause. Here are several things that can obstruct your sewer line.

Heavy Sediment

In homes with hard water, limescale and sediment can build up in water supply pipes, wastewater pipes, and sewer lines. These buildups gradually decrease the interior diameter of pipes. In sewer lines, this leaves wastewater with less room to move through.

You can remove hard water buildups by scheduling sewer line cleaning. Treatments like hydro-steaming and hydro-jetting break these deposits down and flush them toward the sewer main.

Invasive Roots

Tree roots that are near sewer pipes send out hair-like branches known as feeder roots. Feeder roots can enter pipes through tiny, hairline cracks. Once inside, they have access to abundant nutrients and moisture. They grow rapidly and can block sewer lines completely.

Tree roots aren’t the only root type that poses a risk to your sewer pipe. Weed roots can enter and block sewer lines as well. To avoid problems with weed roots, stay on top of yard maintenance and use herbicides as needed.

Always plant trees 10 to 15 feet away from your sewer line. You can also install underground root barriers to redirect aggressive root systems.

Trapped, Slow-Degrading Waste

Apart from human waste, the only thing that residents should ever flush down their toilets is toilet paper. All other cleaning and self-care products should go in the trash.

Slow-degrading waste, like personal care wipes and paper towels, don’t rapidly disintegrate when flushed. They can remain intact in sewer lines for weeks or months. When waste like this gets trapped on rough pipe interiors, it can capture and retain passing waste to create larger blockages.

Built-Up Organic Matter

The same greasy buildups of soap scum, body oils, food waste, and hair that develop in indoor drains can also form in sewer pipes. Much like sediment and limescale, these buildups can decrease the interior diameter of pipes. Regular sewer line cleaning will flush these tacky residues out.

Structural Damage

In some areas, sewer lines are buried less than two feet deep. With just 18 to 24 inches of soil coverage, these pipes are extremely vulnerable to soil shifting, erosion, and soil compression. Placing heavy items just above your sewer line can create cracks, offset sections, sewer bellies, and other structural harm.

To limit the risk of structural pipe damage, never place sheds, play structures, or stump grinders on top of your sewer line. You should also schedule regular sewer line inspection services. Sewer inspection cameras travel the length of sewer pipes and can spot bellies, offset sections, and other issues before they result in backups or leaks.

From tree roots to slow-degrading waste, many things can block your sewer line. Fortunately, camera inspections, professional cleaning, and diligent landscape maintenance can keep whole-house backups at bay. If you live in Antioch, CA or a surrounding area and need sewer line services, make your first call to Almighty Plumbing.