Signs of a Sewer Line Problem (and What Fixing It Involves)

Your main sewer line carries everything from every drain in the house out to the city sewer. When it has a problem, the whole house feels it, so the clues usually show up in more than one place.

Warning signs

• More than one drain is slow at the same time.
• Gurgling from a toilet or drain when another fixture drains (for example, the toilet bubbles when the washer empties).
• Water backs up into the tub, shower or a floor drain, usually the lowest fixtures in the house.
• Sewage smell inside, or outside near the cleanout.
• Toilets that clog often even when used normally.
• Wet, soggy or unusually green patches in the yard along the sewer line's path.
• Sewage at the cleanout: if the cleanout cap is wet or water is standing in it.

One slow sink is usually just that sink. Several slow drains at once points to the main line.

Common causes

• Grease and buildup coating the inside of the pipe until it narrows.
• Tree roots getting into joints and cracks.
• Old pipe wearing out. Older homes may have cast iron that corrodes and cracks from the inside.
• A sag ("belly") where the ground has settled and the pipe dips, so waste sits instead of flowing.
• Things that shouldn't be flushed, like wipes.

How a plumber finds the problem

A camera inspection runs a small camera through the line. It shows exactly what and where the problem is (roots, a crack, a belly, a collapse) so you're not paying to guess.

What fixing it can involve

From smallest to biggest:

1. Cleaning the line. Cabling or hydro jetting clears buildup and roots when the pipe itself is still sound.
2. Spot repair. Replacing just the damaged section, including under the slab when that's where the problem is.
3. Trenchless repair. Repairing or replacing the line with far less digging than a traditional trench, often a good option under driveways, landscaping or concrete.
4. Full replacement when the line is worn out along its length.

The camera tells you which one you need.

Who owns which part?

You're responsible for the line from your house to the city's connection. The main in the street belongs to the city. In Mesa, if sewage is coming up from a manhole or into the street, call the City of Mesa at 480-644-2262.

Don't wait on it

Sewer problems tend to get worse, and a backup into the house is a health and cleanup problem. If you see two or more of the signs above, have the line checked.

OX Plumbing handles sewer line repair, including trenchless, plus drain cleaning and camera inspections, 24/7.