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The average American household uses approximately 300 gallons of water daily, with 70 percent of the total usage happening indoors. Water plays a crucial role in every home as it facilitates daily routines such as cooking, cleaning, and bathing. It reaches your Arlington, TX, home via a complex network of pipes that comprise the plumbing system. After use, the wastewater leaves your residence via the sewer line, often underneath the house. The sewer line is connected to all the drains in your home’s sinks, bathrooms, and toilets. This is why sewer line problems can affect all the plumbing components on your premises simultaneously.

Your home’s sewer line may develop problems due to wide-ranging circumstances. Regardless, plumbing service experts recommend tackling them early on to prevent further damage to your residential plumbing infrastructure down the road. Sewer lines may need repairs or replacing due to improper toilet use. What you flush down the toilet can affect the structural integrity of your home’s sewer line. If you’re fond of flushing sanitary napkins down the toilet or dumping foreign objects such as children’s toys down there, sewer line clogs may soon follow, leading to more serious plumbing issues such as toilet backups.

Besides that, the sewer line may also get damaged due to factors that may be well beyond your control. Plumbing service professionals and beyond claim that tree root invasions are the most common cause of sewer line clogs. As they get older, their roots may grow longer and eventually infiltrate the sewer line. The extent of growth may be greater if the pipes that comprise your system are corroded, cracked, or outdated. As the infiltration begins, your drains may start draining slowly. However, a full-scale blockage may occur if you fail to find prompt solutions from a well-trained and experienced plumbing professional.

Additionally, the sewer line may sustain damage due to the improper use of residential garbage disposal systems. Although these systems have improved the convenience of getting rid of leftovers, homeowners are often advised not to use them as trash cans. Improperly using your home’s garbage disposal system can result in sewer clogs after a short time. With that in mind, you should avoid pouring grease and shoving large debris down the system. Plumbing experts recommend requesting the installation of sink strainers since they can allow you to trap larger debris so you can easily collect them for disposal in an actual trash can.

With that in mind, understanding the signs of a sewer line repair or replacement can help you avoid more serious plumbing issues down the road. Therefore, below are some of the telltale signs that show you may need to contact a plumbing service professional near Arlington, TX, for sewer line repair or replacement solutions.

Greener Patches of Grass or Puddles in Your Yard

A sewer line that’s damaged may lead to sections of your lawn becoming wetter than usual, and in some scenarios, the appearance of greener patches of grass. Under such circumstances, determining where the problem is can be a daunting task. However, if you still have the blueprint of your home, you may be able to know where the problem lies, but only a licensed and certified plumbing service can help you remedy the situation.

The presence of greener patches of grass or puddles on the lawn is an obvious sign that the sewer line may be extensively damaged, necessitating the need for a prompt replacement service. Leaving the issue to fester for too long may lead to the damage of other plumbing components. That’s why you shouldn’t take your chances waiting for your preferred plumbing contractor to become available. Instead, you should immediately schedule an emergency plumbing service even though you may need to fork out some extra cash when paying your dues.

With that in mind, you should also understand that greener grass patches and water puddles in your yard may develop due to damage to the main water line. Although the main water line and sewer line are both integral parts of your home’s plumbing system, they individually serve different purposes. The main water line connects your home to the local water utility service provider while the sewer line’s main job is to facilitate the removal of wastewater from the house to the outside septic system for treatment.

To determine whether your home needs a water line or sewer line service, you can turn off the water main whenever you notice greener patches of grass or small puddles forming in your yard. Once you’ve done that, if the water meter is still running, your home’s water line may be damaged. If it stops as expected, then your home may need a sewer line repair or replacement. Regardless of the situation at hand, prompt remedies should be sought from your plumbing service provider to prevent further damage to your residential plumbing installation.

Pest Infestation

Although pest infestation is among the less well-known signs of sewer line damage, more pests within your compound often hint towards a sewer line problem. The most common pests associated with sewer line issues are cockroaches and rats.

Any homeowner who experiences a sewer line leak in their home shouldn’t be surprised if they notice an unprecedented increase in pests on the premises. This is because pests naturally thrive in areas that have food that’s easily accessible. Sewer lines transport sewage matter, which is a rich source of food for pests. If it’s damaged in any way, the sewage may end up exposed, consequently attracting pests.

Besides rats, sewer flies may also infest your property since they’re responsible for the breakdown of sewage matter. Sewer flies reproduce rapidly, which is why you should request a plumbing service immediately when faced with sewer line issues. Otherwise, it’ll only be a matter of time before hordes of them flock to your residence, ultimately reducing your comfort and the safety of your family healthwise.

After the sewer line has been repaired or replaced, you may also need to contact a professional pest control service provider to help prevent infestation in the future. Although sewer flies may soon dissipate after your home’s sewer line problems have been addressed, cockroaches and rats can be difficult to eradicate, which is why you may need professional solutions to get rid of them.

Mold Growth

Generally, molds can’t be considered a threat indoors unless their spores land on a moist and dark area and begin growing. If your home’s sewer line is damaged, moisture leaks may develop, and after some time, the water produced may begin seeping into the walls, ceilings, and floors of your residence. Molds reproduce via tiny spores, invisible to the naked eye and can remain floating in the air for a while before they’ve landed on a suitable breeding ground. Although there are many different types of molds, none of them can thrive without the presence of moisture. While professional mold remediation companies can help remedy the situation, understanding the cause of the mold growth can assist in preventing its pervasive growth.

Therefore, if you suspect that your home could be having a sewer line leak, calling your preferred plumbing service contractor for repair or replacement solutions should be a priority. Molds can be harmful to the well-being of your family members. Particularly, they produce allergens, mycotoxins, and irritants that may elicit severe reactions, especially in sensitive or vulnerable individuals upon contact or inhalation. Some of the most common allergic responses that molds may evoke include a runny nose, skin rashes, sneezing, and red eyes.

Although these reactions can be immediate or delayed, their effects may be more serious in individuals that have asthma. However, experts from the Environmental Protection Agency strongly warn that mold exposure can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs in both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Therefore, if you observe discoloration on the walls or strange colors spreading from the base of your toilet, a reliable plumbing service professional near Arlington, TX, can help you identify and remedy the cause of the mold growth.

Clogged Toilets

A clogged toilet is yet another obvious sign that you may need to contact your preferred plumbing service contractor for sewer line repair or replacement solutions. This is because once you’ve flushed the toilet, the wastewater generated often flows through the sewer line to reach the sewer system. If the sewer line is damaged or clogged, your toilet may fail to flush, consequently resulting in the waste backing up into your home.

Such scenarios are not only disgusting but may also pose significant health risks to your and your family. Additionally, since the sewer line is often tucked away beneath your home’s foundation, any DIY efforts to unclog it may be futile.

However, your plumbing service professional may have the tools and knowledge required to comprehensively inspect your property to determine the location of the problem and how serious the issue may be. While on your property, they may also check on the status of your home’s septic tank if it’s present. They often perform this service to ensure that it hasn’t been affected by the sewer line damage. Past that, a poorly maintained septic system can also result in sewer line problems, which is another reason why the professional may ensure that it’s adequately inspected.

Your plumbing service expert may use advanced plumbing video technology to identify the location of the sewer line problems. Therefore, if you call them due to a clogged toilet, they may need to feed the plumbing video down the toilet drain to know the exact cause and location of the damage. Once they’ve determined these parameters, they may coordinate a sewer line repair or replacement service accordingly.

Slow Drainage

Plumbing service professionals claim that drainage problems account for a significant chunk of the service calls they receive from homeowners. Even though they may be common, they occur due to various circumstances and should be addressed with urgency due to health concerns. Also, when left unattended for too long, they may lead to more serious problems such as sewage backups, which can cause extensive water damage in your residence.

One of the predominant issues experienced with residential drainage systems is clogs that reduce the rate at which wastewater moves from your home to the external sewer system. The formation of clogs is influenced by different factors, depending on which drains have been blocked. For instance, blockages affecting bathroom drains are mostly attributed to hair accumulation in the pop-up assembly, forming a sort of trap that captures all the other types of debris with time. On the other hand, slow kitchen drains may result from food-related remnants such as grease getting stuck in the sink’s P-trap.

Additionally, when your home’s sewer line has been damaged in any way, the rate at which wastewater leaves your Arlington, TX, home may reduce. In most cases, when there’s only one slow drain, the issue may be confined to a single appliance, and you may even be able to remedy the situation if you’re stocked with a few drain cleaning tools and products. However, if the slow drains are persistent even after your homemade solutions, the problem may be deeper, and you may need to call your plumbing service expert for professional assistance.

Gurgling Noises from the Toilet

Plumbing service experts claim that it’s natural for your toilet to produce a particular sound once you’ve tugged on the flush handle. However, they insist that you must schedule a professional plumbing service if it makes any noise when nobody’s using it. Specifically, they warn that the sound of running water or gurgling noises coming from the toilet are signs that your home’s sewer line could be damaged.

The bubbling noises you might hear are often a precursor of an impending sewage backup. This noise is usually produced when wastewater from your toilet encounters a clog or blockage within the sewer line. Since the clog hinders its path to the sewer, the wastewater will be forced back up your toilet.

During this process, air bubbles may come up with the regurgitating wastewater, displacing the bowl’s water. This displacement is responsible for the gurgling noises you may be hearing. Without professional assistance from a reputable plumbing service company, your home may soon experience a full-scale sewage backup, which is both messy and costly to remedy.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth; A Reliable Plumbing Service Contractor in Arlington, TX

Family-owned and operated since 1998, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth is a premier plumbing service provider serving homeowners in Arlington, TX, and the surrounding areas. Whether your home needs a sewer line repair or replacement, our well-trained plumbing service professionals are ready to help. Contact us today to schedule a comprehensive plumbing inspection.