A few of the most common causes of sewage backup are:
Tree Root Invasion
If you live in a home with a back or front yard, there’s a good chance you have a few nearby trees. Likely, your sewer lateral will run through one of these areas, leading out into the municipal sewer system. Large trees, such as the ones found in the yards of older homes, may have grown over the last century directly on top of where your home’s sewer line was installed. This is highly problematic because, as these trees grow, so do their roots. Eventually, roots will cause pipes to crack, and they will infiltrate your pipes before spreading new roots that grow and eventually form a blockage. Tree root invasion is one of the most common plumbing issues homes experience.
Old Sewer Lines
Due to the many old homes found in East Memphis and beyond, old sewer lines are another leading cause of plumbing problems in the city. Every pipe has its limit, and if your home is approaching the 80 to 100-year mark, you’ll likely need a complete sewer line replacement due to corrosion, clogs, cracks, and buildup that has accumulated over the years.
Improper Maintenance / Care
If you live in a modern building, you likely won’t have to worry about tree root invasion or old sewer lines causing sewage backup. Homeowners, however, may not be in the clear completely. If you do not care for your sewer drains, they will revolt in the form of stubborn clogs, which will eventually lead to a backup. From flushing feminine hygiene products and facial tissue to paper towels and cotton balls, there are many things that should not make their way down your drain pipes other than toilet paper. On top of improper care, neglecting regular maintenance, such as drain cleaning, can also result in your sewage backing up.
Other Causes of Sewage Backup
- Heavy rains. Excess rainfall can cause the city sewer to overflow and force sewer water back into your home.
- Sump pump failure. A full sump basin can cause water to flow into the sanitary sewer and back up into the home.
- Public sewer flooding. Whether from extreme weather or a burst pipe, if the public sewer floods, you’ll likely experience a backup.
- Broken backwater valve. Backwater valves prevent sewage from flowing back into your drains. If the valve is broken, when you have a clog, sewage will be forced backward and out of your drain pipe.
- Blockages from grease traps. Grease traps are designed to stop grease from entering your drain line. If they are full, grease will seep out and cause a blockage in your pipe.
Our Sewer Backup Services
Now that you know what causes sewage backup, how can we help? At Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Memphis, we have plenty of experience in getting down and dirty with your sewers. Offering a comprehensive range of services to inspect, clean, repair, and replace your drain and sanitary sewer lines, whatever level of care and attention your unique system needs, we’ll be sure it gets it. Here’s a peek at what you can expect when you call us after your sewer pipe backup.
Inspection
There’s no other way to determine the kind of attention your sewer line needs unless we take a look inside your pipes. Doing this will require specialized equipment, including a CCTV video camera that we’ll slide through your drains and sewer to find out what’s wrong. Capturing footage as it goes, we’ll play it back to determine the exact position of the clog, root, or damage within your pipes.
HydroScrub® Jetting
There’s a good chance that your sewer is backed up because your pipes are clogged. If so, we’ll need to perform a little pipe cleanup. While using a drain auger can help remove larger clumps of debris, this special drain cleaning method allows us to polish the inside of your pipes to clear them of all buildup—whether it’s feminine products or solid materials causing the problem.
Trenchless Pipe Repair
We offer two different methods of trenchless sewer repair. If, during the inspection, we find that your pipes are cracked or have small holes, we’ll perform a trenchless method to repair them. The two we offer are called Pipe Relining and Hydraulic Pipe Bursting and do not require us to excavate or jackhammer the concrete slab under your home. This type of sewer backup repair will not displace you from your home and will only take a few hours to complete.
Sewer Line Replacement
In the case that you live in an old home with tree root invasion or old pipes, we’ll likely recommend a complete sewer line replacement if your sewage backup has occurred from severely damaged pipes. Traditional sewer line replacement involves excavation, but we aim to cause minimal disturbance to your routines. Our experienced team will always be courteous of your property, time, and family and will work diligently to have your new sewer system running as soon as possible without compromising quality workmanship.
