Your sewer line is the central location where all the drain water and waste leaves your home. It carries it away to the municipal sewage pipe, which brings all the waste from your neighborhood to the sewage treatment facility.
Clearly, the sewer line does a very critical and not particularly pleasant job for your home. You don’t want anything to go wrong in that process, or you’d have a big smelly mess on your hands! Sewer line cleaning is a plumbing service that can ensure waste drains easily and your sewer line stays in good condition. But how often should you have it done?
Preventive Sewer Line Cleaning
If you’re looking to prevent problems and keep your drainage flowing easily, preventive sewer line cleaning should be part of your regular home maintenance routine. It’s recommended that this be done every one to two years. However, your specific needs will be affected by certain things about your home and your family.
Old plumbing may be rougher on the inside from oxidation, leading to more buildup and narrowing of the pipes, requiring more frequent cleaning to avoid developing clogs. A home with hard water may experience so much mineral scaling that drains and sewer lines need more frequent cleaning. And while homes for large families need more frequent cleaning, homes for smaller families, couples, or individuals may need it much less often.
Sewer Line Cleaning to Address a Problem
Sewer line cleaning should also be done under certain circumstances in order to resolve problems rather than just prevent them. Schedule a sewer line cleaning right away if you notice any of the following concerns in your home.
- Odors: The smell of sewer gas in your home is a sign that something is wrong, possibly a blockage in your sewer line.
- Sounds: Bubbling or gurgling sounds in one drain may indicate a partial clog in that spot. If you hear them in multiple parts of your home, the problem is likely deeper within the sewer line.
- Backing Up: If using one fixture or appliance causes water to back up in another drain—for example, if water comes up your sink drain when you use the washing machine—it’s time for sewer cleaning. And if, instead of water, sewage backs up into your drains, schedule that cleaning immediately!
- Problems in Multiple Drains: Again, an issue with a single drain should be addressed by a plumber. But if the drains throughout your home are slow, or you regularly experience clogs in different drains in your home, the problem is probably in the sewer line.
How Plumbers Clean Sewer Lines
Your plunger, plastic snake, or hand-cranked auger are no match for deep sewer line problems, but your plumber has more powerful tools. Motorized drain augers can reach far into your pipes to break up clogs and blockages. And hydro-jetting machines pressurize water to blast away mineral scaling and other buildup along the length of your pipes.
Whether you want to schedule preventive maintenance or you have a problem right now that needs to be addressed, we’re ready to help you out with sewer cleaning in Sterling, VA.
AllTech Services, Inc. is your trusted resource for all your drain and sewer line concerns. Contact us today!