Plumbing system backups are among the messiest plumbing disasters, and they can be expensive too if they damage property like drywall and flooring. Although it’s not always possible to prevent a plumbing backup, there are ways to reduce the risks. Covenant Plumbing offers a full range of plumbing maintenance and repair solutions. Whenever you need a plumber near me in Bloomington, IL, you can rely on our professional plumbers to tackle the job. If you’re concerned about plumbing problems that can cause backups to occur, there are measures you can take to keep these types of disasters at bay.
Why Do Plumbing Backups Occur?
A plumbing backup can occur at the fixture level (i.e. a toilet or floor drain) or at multiple drains. Backups can happen for a few different reasons that include:
Plumbing Clog
Plumbing clogs are a nuisance. They can occur just about anywhere in your drains. Frequently, they occur in kitchens and bathrooms but sometimes a single clog can impact the whole house. If your sewer line develops a clog, it will stop up the entire plumbing system. If someone flushes a toilet, washes laundry, or takes a shower, the clogged sewer line will send water back up the drain, and it may come up through multiple drains, which makes for a terrible mess.
Clogs can be caused by toiletry products, soap residue, biofilm, hair, hard water, grease, oil, fats, food debris–and anything else that enters the line and stops it up. Clogs can also be caused by tree roots that infiltrate sewer lines. If you have a clog, it’s best to contact a plumber near me in Bloomington. Trained plumbers have the necessary tools and techniques needed to safely unclog pipes.
Commercial drain cleaners can damage pipes, and they don’t always work to clear stubborn clogs. Covenant Plumbing features professional plumbing solutions that you can depend on. If you can’t clear your clog with a plunger, it’s time to contact a plumber near me in Bloomington for help.
Broken or Collapsed Pipe
A broken or collapsed pipe will block your plumbing system just like a clog. However, while a clog can be cleared, a collapsed pipe needs to be repaired. A pipe can break because it’s old and brittle. As water jets through your plumbing system over and over, pipes can weaken. In fact, no pipe material lasts forever. While aging pipes are most vulnerable to collapses, new pipes can break too.
For instance, if you have frozen pipes or your home’s foundation shifts, pipes may be vulnerable to breaking. Tree roots can cause clogs but they can also lead to collapsed pipes if their growth goes unchecked. A serious clog can cause a drain line to break too. Someone attempting a DIY fix can even break their pipe. When a break happens, there may be no place for water to go except for back up the drain it came from. That’s when you need a plumber near me in Bloomington, IL, to make the necessary repair or pipe replacement.
Heavy Rains
Although cities and towns take steps to ensure that their sewer systems can handle great influxes of water, they can’t always manage it. Heavy rains and local flooding can overtax and overwhelm municipalities. Your home’s drains may be perfectly clear and all your pipes flowing smoothly, but if the local sewer system becomes overwhelmed during periods of heavy rainfall, you could find your drains backing up with wastewater. A plumber near me in Bloomington may be able to help you reduce the risk of this happening.
How to Prevent or Reduce the Chances of a Plumbing System Backup
A plumber near me in Bloomington certainly can’t make it stop raining but Covenant Plumbing can install a backwater prevention valve in your home’s basement, floor drain, or sewer line to reduce the possibility of wastewater entering your home. Valves can fail, but when a professional plumber near me in Bloomington installs one, you can reduce the risks of a sewer line backup.
You can also reduce the chances of a plumbing system backup by:
Cutting Tree Roots
If your sewer line has had tree roots stop up its pipe before, it’s very likely that it will again. Moreover, cutting down the tree might not solve the problem. The tree with the offending roots could belong to your neighbor. You can contact a plumber near me in Bloomington for annual sewer line clearing, however. That will help you clear the line of any roots before they can grow into a stubborn clog.
Replace Your Sewer Line
Some property owners choose to replace their sewer line. If it’s old and in disrepair, this is a good idea. It’s an extensive plumbing repair, but it may actually enhance your home value if you choose to sell. It will also help you prevent messy backups caused by infiltrating tree roots or damaged pipes.
Be Careful About What Goes into Drains
Finally, be careful with your drains. Use screens to prevent common drain-clogging debris like food particles and hair from entering your drains. Never pour grease or oil down your drains either. These liquids can get caught in the bends of your plumbing system and harden. As they harden, they can trap food pieces or hair. In very little time, you can have a major clog to contend with.
If you are experiencing numerous clogs, you should consult with a plumber to discuss drain cleaning. You may need sections of your plumbing system professional ‘scrubbed’ to prevent frequent clogs from occurring. Also, be sure each member of your household understands what can and cannot be introduced to the plumbing system through drains or the toilet.
Call Covenant Plumbing if you experience a drain clog or want to take measures to reduce the risk of water backups. Let a plumber near me in Bloomington, IL, from our team handle all of your plumbing system needs.
