You might wonder if you should clean your sewer drains so often to keep them in a good working condition. While many other items in your home require regular inspections and cleaning, your sewer drain should also be cleaned and maintained, but most of us don’t care for it. When it comes to cleaning, you want to do it often to prevent clogs from forming. The plumbing professionals advise that sewer drain cleaning is most effective when performed once every 18 to 22 months.
Signs Your Sewer Drain Is Clogged
Getting your sewer drains cleaned at least once a year can help prevent clogs. By regular maintenance, it’s possible to clear pipe breakages that may lead to your sewer line backing into the home or creating costly repairs.
- Backup in the toilet, bathtub, or shower
- Pipes making gurgling sounds
- Clogged drains occurring frequently
- Bad smell coming from drains
- Drains emptying slowly
- Water pooling in basement drains
- Washing machine causing backup
What causes sewer line clogs?
Tree roots: The large roots from nearby trees and shrubs naturally grow toward sewer lines and can even break the pipe in search of the nutrients within. If these roots continue to grow inside the sewer lines it may lead to clogs, this may also catch waste material to form a large clog in the sewer line.
Grease: Dumping grease, oil, and fats down the kitchen drain leads to clogs in the sewer line. It solidifies and sticks to the interior parts of the drain pipe, thus restricting the line catch other materials to form a clog.
Sagging pipe: Ground shifting can cause sewer pipes to sag, thus creating a dip in the line. Materials stuck into the section of pipe, forming a large clog in the sewer line.