Your main sewer line is an essential aspect of your building’s plumbing system, but it’s not one you may think much about. However, you should be aware of the causes and signs of a clogged sewer line and how to clear a main line blockage.
Causes of a Clogged Main Sewer Line
Tree Roots
Tree roots search for any water source they can access. This is how trees grow. Unfortunately, tree roots can latch onto a sewer pipe, where they feed off the moisture. As the roots extend toward the moisture in the sewer pipe, they can eventually grow within it. Over time this can cause a clogged sewer line and even break the pipes.
Pouring Grease Down the Drain
If your commercial building houses a restaurant or commercial kitchen, employees may be sending large amounts of food waste down the drain. This can include grease and fats, which should never be poured down the drain. People often believe that if they run hot water as they pour oil or fats down the drain, it’s a DIY main sewer line cleanout. However, hot water does not do that. Instead, the hot water heats the grease or fats, which remain in the sewer line and harden on the pipe as it cools.
If this is the cause of your clogged main sewer line, there is a simple fix—don’t pour grease or fats down the drain. Pour the grease into a container, such as a jar or empty can, and throw it away when the container is full. This prevents substances from causing a main sewer line clog.
Flushing Debris Down the Toilet
This is similar to the grease problems previously discussed. Building occupants may try to use the toilets as trash cans, which can cause commercial plumbing problems such as water backup and clogged sewer lines. If this is a problem in your building, notify the occupants that flushing the toilet is only for human waste and toilet paper.
Water Damage
Since commercial buildings send large amounts of high-volume water through their main sewer lines, the pipes may experience corrosion and leaks as well as bursts and clogs. If your building or facility uses older steel pipes, you should be especially aware of this possibility. You should contact commercial plumbing services if you think your main sewer line clog is due to damaged pipes.
Signs of Main Sewer Line Clogs
Luckily, there are indicators to look out for that alert you that you may have a clogged main sewer line. Be on the lookout for:
Frequent Drain Backups and Slow Drainage
This is an easy sign to spot. If your sink drain, floor drains, in-ground drains, tub or shower, or any other drains in your building back up often, you should have a plumbing professional inspect your pipes and sewer line.
You should also do this if your drains take a long time to drain water. This could result from a small clog in that fixture’s pipe, but it may be a sign of a clogged sewer line if that fixture’s pipes show no signs of clogging. If multiple fixtures are backing up or draining slowly, you have a more significant plumbing issue on your hands, and the most likely cause is a main sewer line clog.
Strong Sewage Smells Coming From Plumbing Fixtures
A main sewer line clog is the most likely issue if strong sewage smells emanate from multiple plumbing fixtures. If you notice this smell, contact a plumber immediately because raw sewage and germs may be entering your building through your pipes, posing a risk to the building occupants’ health.
Sewage Cleanout Is Holding Water
You should check your building’s sewage cleanout. The sewer cleanout is a pipe that drops directly into the main sewer line. It should be free of water. You can unscrew the cleanout’s lid and see if any water is inside. If the sewage cleanout has water in it, you should contact a commercial plumbing maintenance and repair company to inspect and determine if you have a clogged main sewer line.
Plumbing Fixtures Have Strange Reactions During Use
These reactions include toilet water bubbling or gurgling and flushing toilets causing other nearby fixtures to back up. Slow draining washing machines or oddly functioning dishwashers are also symptoms of a plumbing issue; Such reactions indicate water is not passing through because of a main sewer line clog.
How To Clear a Main Line Blockage
Once you’ve identified the issues caused by a main sewer line clog, there are numerous solutions to clear the main line blockage. Some problems require simple tasks like using a plumbing snake or an over-the-counter drain cleaning product, but many require the expertise of a plumbing repair specialist.
If you have a main sewer line clog, consider:
Video Inspection
A video inspection, featuring a flexible video camera that can travel through pipes and drains, captures images of the main sewer line clog while the video device emits a radio signal to pinpoint the blockage’s exact location. This is especially helpful for tree-root jams. Overall, video inspections help the plumber determine where and how serious the clogged sewer line issue is while providing the building owner or property manager with visual evidence that helps them understand the problem.
Main Sewer Line Cleanout
Main sewer line cleanout methods vary depending on the cause of the clogged sewer line. Plumbers can use high-pressure water to remove tree root and grease blockages. Tree roots can also be removed with saws, while professionals can remove grease with rodding. Rodding is a process where a drain or sewer rod is screwed end to end in a drain or pipe. These drain cleaning methods alleviate clogged sewer lines and leave the pipe intact.
Trenchless Sewer Line Repair
An alternative way to clear a main line blockage is digging up a damaged or broken pipe and replacing it with a new one. Using the trenchless repair method, a technician drills holes into both ends of the clogged sewer line and then pulls a new pipe through the old one. This causes the old pipe to burst and lays new pipe simultaneously. Trenchless sewer line repair is a streamlined replacement method for broken or damaged pipes.
A&G Piping Is Here for All Your Dallas-Area Main Sewer Line Clog Solutions
If you have a commercial sewage problem in the Dallas area and want services that include video inspection, contact us today. We have the experience and knowledge to tackle your main sewer line clog or other drain line problems with high-quality solutions. We also provide preventive maintenance that helps stop minor issues from growing into large ones, like clogged sewer lines and backed-up septic tanks.
