Nobody wants to deal with a sewer mess, which is why it is important to have proper sewer drain maintenance. With by taking a little bit of care and following proper sewage drain maintenance tips, it is possible to avoid having to deal with a sewer backup or overflow.
First, it is important to understand that there are two primary causes that lead to backups and overflows. These two primary causes are grease and roots. While it is not necessarily the easiest thing to deal with roots, it is possible to limit the amount of grease that goes into the drain and therefore avoid a sewage mess.
Grease
Grease is actually the most frequent cause of sewage problems. When cooking with grease or oil, pouring it down the drain can eventually lead to clogs. The clogs form when the grease begins cooling, congealing, building up, and hardening. Essentially, the grease hardens and forms a plug that blocks the home’s sewage line. Severe grease usage can also lead to blocking in the district, city, or county sewer lines and this can lead to an even more expensive situation.
Since grease is a common ingredient in cooking, it is easy to simply pour the grease down the drain and think that takes care of the problem. Unfortunately, when there is a plug in the line, the grease will ultimately cause backups and overflows which require serious sewer repair. Luckily people can easily avoid this situation by following sewer drain maintenance tips. Here are a few:
- Never pour grease down the sink drains or into the toilet
- When cleaning dishes, scrape grease and food off the dishes and into a garbage can for proper disposal
- Do not put any grease down the garbage disposal
- Use baskets and strainers in the sink drains to catch bits of food or grease
Roots
Overgrown plant roots are another frequent reason for sewage backups and overflow. It is important to remember that roots of trees, and shrubs, have a natural instinct to seek out any water source. The sewage line is a water source. As such, the roots are going to probe the sewage line looking for any place where they can penetrate the line and gain access to the water below.
Once the root gains access to the sewage line, typically through a crack or a poorly sealed joint, it is going to form a ball and this will serve to block the line. For sewer drain maintenance, it is important not to plant trees and shrubs close to the home screen out of sewer service line. If such trees exist when a homeowner purchases the home, it may be a good idea to pay someone to professionally remove them and the roots as well.
If there are trees and shrubs already growing by or on the sewer line, that the homeowner does not want to remove, it is important to keep an eye on the flow down the drain. If there is a reduction in the flow, is a good idea to have somebody who is familiar with sewer drain maintenance to come and check the line.
Call for help.
If your line is blocked, call us for a cleaning and repair.
