A customer (in Dallas, GA) called because sewer backed up into their house – making their entire house completely unusable. Unfortunately, the contamination could have been avoided because there were warning signs. To avoid sewer backing up into your house, here are 3 warning signs of an underlying plumbing issue…
Video watch time 2 min 47 seconds
Sewer Backed Up Into House
We went to a customer’s house because they had a backed up sewer line – their entire house was nonfunctional. They called us to remedy the sewer problem.
Sewer Problem Visible in Grass
When we got there, almost instantly I could tell that it was something that had been going on for awhile. They had a beautiful green stripe going down the front of their yard. It was greener and taller grass than the areas around it.
That’s a red flag. That means that there’s water escaping the pipes – it could either be a water line that’s got a hole in it or, in this case, a sewer line. Roots from a bush had started to sperate the pipe and allowing sewage to escape into the ground. So over time, that sewage escaping into the ground made that beautiful green grass.
Root intrusion, commonly referred to as root invasion, is the number one cause of major sewer and drainage issues.
Locate Sewer Problem with Video Camera
We have a sewer camera, that basically is a camera for the inside of piping. This camera allows us to access the piping system through an opening (it can be a toilet, a sewer cleanout, or another access point). We can push this camera down the line and see what’s inside the pipe — if there’s a separation in the pipe, or if there are roots in the pipeline, or if something is broken / collapsed — we can see all of that without actually having to dig up the whole yard, or slab, or in the house. We can see from the inside.
How the Video Camera Helps with Sewer Problems
We try to minimize our damages. We try to minimize cost to the customer. AND we want to know for sure we are fixing what needs to be fixed.
Locate Problem
What that allows us to do is if we find an issue, we can find EXACTLY where the problem is. If it’s in your yard, we then use another device (called The Locator), and can pinpoint where in space that camera head is at. So if the camera head is in the middle of your yard, we know EXACTLY where that guy is at and we dig up just that spot.
Minimize Damage
We can make that repair without just randomly digging up the yard looking for the pipeline and problem spot.
Find All Underlying Issues
We are able to see, through the camera lens, ALL underlying issues not visible above ground. There can be multiple problems in the pipeline, so as we push the camera through, we can see the health of the pipe in its entirety.
Minimize Cost
We are able to minimize the cost to the customer by quickly locating the problem, minimizing damage to their landscaping, and see through the camera lens ALL underlying issues not visible above ground.
3 Warning Signs of an Underlying Sewer Problem:
There are many warning signs of an underlying sewer problem, but the following are the 3 most common (and the most commonly ignored):
Stripe in Grass
If you ever notice a green stripe in your yard that’s greener than the rest, or even a brown strip that’s darker than the rest, it could actually be an underlying plumbing issue.
Wet Spot in Grass
And of course anytime you see a wet spot when it hasn’t been raining is also a red flag.
Gloop Noise
Another sign is a Gloop Gloop Gloop noise in the toilet or bubbling in the sink while you’re taking a shower – that’s not suppose to happen.
Don’t let these things go unchecked because they can often be early signs of bigger things to come. Get a plumber to take a look and it will likely save you quite a bit of headache and money addressing the sewer problem sooner than later.
Sewer Problem?
Do you suspect you have a sewer problem? Or want to schedule a pipe inspection as part of your annual plumbing maintenance? Contact Trinity Plumbing before the warning signs become a big PROBLEM.
