3 Signs of a Sewer Backup

Plumbing problems cause a special kind of stress, because the cause could be any number of things ranging from “you need a plunger” to “you need to tear up the street to have a sewer line fixed” and there’s almost no way to tell which it will be at first. 

Today we’re going to talk about how to recognize when the problem is a job for a real plumber and not Liquid-Plumr (which you really shouldn’t be using anyway, but that’s a topic for another time). Here are three warning signs you’re dealing with a sewage backup.

Sewage Smells

When you can smell sewage, it’s a good sign there’s sewage way too close to your home - which means the main sewer lines aren’t doing their job of carrying it away. This is especially true when the smell is coming from drains nowhere near a bathroom, like your kitchen sink.

Bubbling Drains

If you notice bubbling in your sink or toilet, what you’re seeing is air bubbles as water hits a clog and sloshes around, trying to figure out where to go. This is an early warning sign that leads to the next point.

Multiple Clogged or Slow Drains

When one drain is backed up or just taking a long time to empty, it could easily be a localized clog. But when every drain in your home is suddenly stopped up, it’s likely a problem in your sewer line itself. As water drains, it hits a block at the main line and backs up in every available path, which means every sink, bathtub, etc will suddenly have standing water.

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Whether you’re experiencing one of the above or there’s a draining issue that isn’t responding to anything else, the issue might be in your sewer and beyond the scope of DIY fixes. When you call a plumber, like us, you’ll get a professional with years of experience dealing with sewer line backups. Don’t waste anymore time trying to figure out the problem - just call us and we’ll take care of you.