A sewer blockage is an unpleasant situation that requires quick attention; otherwise, bad odors and flooding are likely to occur. Depending on the severity and location of the blockage, it can be addressed independently or with the help of professionals, such as plumbers or sewer contractors offering sewer truck services.
How Does a Sewer Blockage Form?
If you’ve wondered how sewer blockages form, it’s usually due to improper use of the system. Here are some common types of blockages associated with this issue:
1. Wipes Blockage: Wipes flushed down the toilet tend to get stuck in the pipes, disrupting water flow—especially in smaller-diameter pipes inside buildings.
2. Root Blockage: Tree roots can detect minor leaks in external sewer pipes, penetrate them, and grow inside, leading to severe and complex blockages.
3. Construction Waste Blockage: Construction and renovation debris can enter sewer pipes unintentionally, intentionally, or due to negligence. Materials such as concrete, stones, plaster, sand, and other substances don’t flow well, accumulate, harden, and cause blockages.
Other causes of severe sewer blockages include grease poured into sinks, which hardens along the pipe walls, diapers flushed down the toilet, hair clogging drains, and more.
How to Identify a Sewer Blockage?
The clearest sign of a sewer blockage is water overflowing. Blocked sewage that cannot flow freely accumulates in the pipes and eventually finds a point of escape. This point can be anywhere along the piping system, depending on the blockage location, and may result in flooding in the yard, building entrances, or even inside the house through drain openings or inspection boxes.
Additionally, early signs of an impending blockage include slow-draining water and foul odors emanating from the sewer. In some cases, symptoms may also involve leaks (e.g., water rising from the floor), especially in older pipes, as increased pressure inside the pipes can cause water to seep out.
DIY Sewer Unclogging Methods
If a sewer blockage’s signs are evident within your property, you can first attempt to resolve it independently. Here are a few methods:
- Using a Plunger: This method creates vacuum pressure at the drain opening. If the blockage is near the drain, the vacuum can loosen and dislodge it.
- Cleaning Sink Traps: Sometimes, the blockage occurs in the trap beneath sinks. Simply unscrew, clean it, and resolve the issue.
- Using Chemical Products: There are chemical solutions available for purchase that can help unclog blockages near drain openings. Be sure to follow usage instructions and protect your hands and eyes.
Additionally, if you can attach a hose and flush water at high pressure into the pipes, it may help clear the blockage. It’s important to note that these methods are suitable for clearing blockages located inside the property near drain openings.
What if the blockage is deeper, affecting the main sewer line and cannot be resolved independently? It’s time to call in the professionals.
Who to Contact for Severe Sewer Blockages?
If the blockage is within your property, affecting only your apartment (in a residential building) or a single drain opening, a regular plumber can often resolve the issue.
However, if sewage is overflowing from a sewer manhole, multiple drain openings in your home are flooding, or blockage signs are apparent in multiple apartments in the building, you’ll need to contact a company specializing in sewer truck services and sewer pumping. This indicates a much more severe and widespread problem involving the building’s main sewer lines.
Sewer truck teams use various methods to identify blockages, primarily using optical fiber cameras that locate the blockage, determine its cause, and assess its severity. After identification, the sewer truck approaches the nearest manhole and inserts a hose with a pump that flushes water at high pressure to dislodge the blockage.
If necessary, the truck’s hose can be fitted with a specialized nozzle to assist with clearing the blockage. This may include a root-cutting nozzle, a concrete and stone-grinding nozzle, or a grease-dissolving nozzle.
Additionally, if the blockage has caused flooding, the sewer truck can handle that as well using a powerful suction pump—usually performed before inspecting the sewer line and locating the blockage source.
Important Note: For complex cases, it’s advisable to contact a sewer contractor offering round-the-clock services. Choose one who can arrive promptly, regardless of the hour, and has various sewer truck types, such as combo trucks, low-profile trucks, or standard trucks, to handle all blockages and flood pumping needs.
For more information about sewer services, visit the Biobit4U company website.
To order sewer blockage removal services, call: 072-3319921.
In collaboration with Biobit4U.