When Everything Backs Up

You’re getting ready to get out of the house on time and suddenly, the plumbing acts up. You have a mess that will not wait for a more convenient time.

Every toilet, sink, shower or tub in your home drains directly into a pipe called the main sewer line. Improper use of your plumbing fixtures, drains and pipes, as well as other contributing factors, can give this pipe a beating. The backup of a single fixture, such as a slow-draining bathtub, is unfortunate. However, when two or more drains in your house back up, you need professional help.

Your Main Sewer Line

If this significant unassuming piece of hardware, your main sewer line, becomes clogged or blocked or broken, you have a big problem. Without a functioning main sewer line, everything in the house backs up.

The worst-case scenario is when the main sewer line ruptures. This may be caused by geological shifts or too much heavy traffic from above crushing it. Another cause could be that the pipe is old and worn out or the joints of the pipe have simply given out and allowed fluid to escape. Old lines made of porous clay can become clogged with shrub or tree roots searching for water, which eventually breaks the line. With any one of these scenarios, you have no option but to dig up the yard and lay a new pipe.

Buildup of Sludge

Sludge is an accumulation of muddy solid waste and sewage matter that can build up and block your pipe, causing backups. If you have been disposing of fats and oils from cooking in your kitchen, that can build up, too. Older sewer lines can sag due to ground or soil conditions where the sludge is inclined to settle and accumulate. When it does, your pipe can develop repeat blockages.

A More Powerful Tool

Often, lines can be cleared with cutters and cables. Because of the liquid consistency of sludge, it can require a more powerful tool. Hydro-jetting is a high-pressure water machine used to clear sludge from the pipe.

Should you need the power of a hydro-jetting machine, for either an emergency or routine maintenance, Eco Pump Services has the right equipment and experience you need. Contact Eco Pump Services and schedule an appointment.