Symptoms and Signs of a Sewer Line Problem

The first signs of a potential issue are usually a stoppage or a clog. However, you should not be overly alarmed if your toilet clogs up, especially if it can be cleared with a basic plunger.

If toilets are the original builder-grade toilets, this could be a recurring problem. If you continue to have toilet stoppages, the solution could be a simple repair or toilet replacement rather than a sewer line problem.

Clogs and/or Slow Drains
It is possible that just one fixture is the issue, but usually, a significant and/or worsening problem will affect multiple fixtures in a room and/or appear as a combination of multiple items. That might include a toilet stoppage or toilet gurgling, water backing up into the tub/shower through the drain, and the sinks stopping up or draining very slowly.

In the case of a main line problem, the entire first floor of the home may experience these issues. They may start in the front of the house and make their way to the back bathrooms or kitchen as water and debris fills up the pipes.

However, sometimes a break may go unnoticed for months or even years with minimal impact to the home because it is located at a higher point in the slab, such as at a fitting for a vent or waste stack junction. Vent pipes are part of the sewer system and allow air to flow through the lines to prevent a gulping effect. We often see breaks in the vents and/or waste stacks after foundation repairs.

In other words, the break may be low enough and severe enough that the home will not pass a hydrostatic test as a properly functioning sewer system, but it might not be in a location where immediate or significant damage would be caused.

Sewer Gas Smell 
Another possible symptom that could indicate a problem is a random but continual foul smell.  A typical hydrostatic test used for underground plumbing only checks to the top of the slab level. But technically, the sewer system goes much farther than just below the slab.

Some of these lines are dry by design and function as vents to allow air to pass through the system. Therefore, a break of any kind might not produce a visible or detectable water leak. A foul smell that goes unexplained could be sewer gas escaping from a pipe failure. This could be a break or something like an improperly installed fitting. We see this a lot after a remodel where a licensed plumber was not used.

Another issue we see isn’t technically a break, but it can cause thousands of dollars in damage over time—nails and screw punctures. We have seen both nails and screws penetrate sewer lines (and water lines) and cause significant damage. Sometimes this happens during the initial construction (or remodeling) process, and it takes a while for the nail or screw to rust away before the damage is noticeable.

More often, a homeowner has hung a picture, mirror, or shelf on the wall and the fastener ends up penetrating a sewer line. If it is a vent, you will get an awful smell. If it is a waste stack (two-story homes), water and sewage will enter the wall every time an upstairs fixture is used. In addition to water damage, fecal matter will be a byproduct, and over time this can cause mold inside the dark wall. Depending on where this penetration (break) is located, it can be very difficult to diagnose, locate and repair.

Contact Earl’s Plumbing today for sewer line repair services!