Sewer Repair in Skokie: How We Repaired the Clogged Sewer Line
If you notice an unpleasant smell or sewage coming from all the drains, you likely have a clogged sewer line. If ignored, this can cause serious and expensive damage to your home’s plumbing system. Our experienced plumbers can clear any sewer line clogs.
Clogged Sewer Line Symptoms
A clogged sewer line is a common plumbing problem that can occur in all homes. This is a serious problem and you should not ignore it. The most common symptoms of a clogged sewer line include:
Slow Draining Sinks, Tubs, or Toilets
A clog in the sewer line can cause slow drains in many areas of your home. While the clog may be in the sewer line remember that the sewer line connects to the drains in your home. By default, the sewer clog will affect your home drains.
Gurgling Sounds Coming from Your Drains
If you hear gurgling noises coming from your drains, the sewer line is likely clogged. The build-up of sewage and water trying to find a way to escape make these noises. Do not wait until the problem worsens. Call our expert plumbers at (773) 799-8848.
Unpleasant Odors in Your Home
A foul, pungent odor in your house often occurs before sewage backs up into your home. You do not want to continue smelling the odor because it is a health hazard for you and your family.
Sewage Backup in Your Home
A sewage backup is the main indicator of a clogged sewer line. Sewage will first back up through the lowest point, like the basement floor drain. Look for raw sewage backup in the sink drains, toilet, or tub as well. A standard plumbing auger will not be enough for the tough clogs a sewer drain usually has.
Preventing Clogged Sewer Lines in the Future
Clogged sewer lines are a headache but you can prevent them from happening in the first place. The City of Chicago has some suggested preventative measures. Here is how you can avoid a clogged sewer line:
Proper Disposal of Waste
Throw away grease and other waste material in the trash instead of the sink. Grease can solidify and clog your pipes.
Avoid putting things like coffee grounds, eggshells, or meat scraps down the drain. If you have a garbage disposal make sure to use it for small scraps. Large amounts of food waste are not meant for disposal in drains.
Do not flush hygiene products (sanitary pads, baby wipes, etc.) down the toilet as they will not dissolve. This includes “flushable wipes” since they take a while to disintegrate.
Sewer Line Maintenance
Have regular maintenance on all of your home’s drains. Power Rodding and camera inspections are common services for regular sewer line maintenance. Rescue Plumbing offers scheduled maintenance give us a call to learn more at (773) 799-8848!
A camera inspection looks at your main sewer line to identify problem areas early on. A plumber will insert a camera down the drain to search for any clogs or collapsed sewer lines.
Power rodding cleans your sewer line. Power rodding works by sending a jet of water through the line to loosen any clogs. This will remove any build-up that has formed over time.
Replace Clay Pipes
Plastic pipes are durable and less likely to collapse when there is a clog. Clay pipes make it easier for tree roots to grow into the sewer line and clog it. As the clog gets larger the clay pipes collapse calling for large and costly repairs.
Sewer Repair and Cleanout – What’s the Difference?
Sewer repair and cleanout are two different types of plumbing services. Both are common solutions for a sewer line clog.
Sewer Repair
Sewer repair is a plumbing service used to fix a cracked or collapsed sewer line often caused by large clogs. A sewer repair is a less expensive option than replacing the whole sewer line.
It involves identifying the location of the broken pipe. Then the plumber will dig out to reach the broken pipe. The plumber cuts out and replaces the bad section of the pipe.
Sewer Line Cleanout
A cleanout is an accessible section of pipe with a detachable cover. The cleanout allows plumbers to access your sewer line to perform repairs and maintenance.
Not all homes have a cleanout installed. But if your home does have one, it will be on Y- or T- shaped plumbing fixtures. So, it may be the case that a plumber would recommend the installation of one in the event of a clogged sewer.
Main Sewer Line Clog in Skokie Home
If you’re unlucky enough to experience a clogged sewer, don’t panic. Here’s how we helped these Skokie residents who were dealing with a clogged sewer.
The customer explained they were experiencing sewage backup from their sewer pipes. Prior to this, they had noticed a sewage smell. The customer did the right thing by giving us a call.
A standard drain auger would have not gotten the work done as it does not compare to our professional equipment.
Accessing the Sewer Line
The plumber opened the home’s interior walls to access the sewer line. Then inserted a professional-grade power rodder machine to unblock the sewer. After many failed attempts, the plumber realized the clog was much deeper in the pipe!
The home’s sewer line extends out to the front of the home to connect to the city’s main sewer system. The plumber suspected the clog to be somewhere in the front yard.
The plumber proceeded to move to the front yard to locate the clog. Once located, the plumber began excavating to reach the sewer line pipe. The plumber found heavy amounts of root masses and pieces of the broken pipe.
To provide the best solution the plumber did two types of repairs: a sewer repair and a cleanout installation.
Broken Sewer Line
The plumber first repaired the sewer. The plumber removed old and broken pipes. Then the plumber cleared out the tree roots using a high-pressure water jetter.
After the plumber removed the blockage, the plumber threw out the broken pipe pieces. From there, we proceeded to install new piping.
Sewer Line Cleanout Installation
Finally, we installed a full 6-inch cleanout for future maintenance. To prevent clogs in the future, our plumber installed a cleanout for maintenance and easy access for repairs.
The plumber completed the work by closing the area with dirt. The customer felt satisfied the drains were functioning as they should. Our customer plans to take preventative measures to avoid this from happening again.
Our team of experts is here to help! We’ll clear out your clogged sewer line and help prevent future clogs.
To The Rescue!
If you are experiencing a clogged sewer line, don’t wait any longer! Call us and we will take care of everything. We have the experience and knowledge to get the job done right. We will work hard to make sure that your home is back up and running in no time.
Skokie is not the only Chicago suburb we service. Other locations include Evanston, Northbrook, Oak Park, Berwyn, and others.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us today at (773) 799-8848! and we’ll have a licensed plumber to you in no time!
