3 Signs That Your Home's Main Sewer Line Is Clogged Up

If you have noticed that one of your home's drains has slowed down significantly or stopped up, you may wonder whether the problem lies within a pipe in your house or the main sewer line. If so, look for the following signs that the culprit is your main sewer line.

1.  Noticing Slow or Stopped Drainage Throughout Your House

One of the first thing you should investigate when trying to determine if your main sewer line is clogged is the speed of drainage in all areas of your house. If you have noticed that only one drain or one room is affected, the problem may be caused by a stopped-up drain in your house.

However, if it seems as though every drain in your house is experiencing a severe decrease in drainage speed, the clog is probably located somewhere in your main sewer line. Not only do your kitchen and bathroom fixtures drain slowly, but you may also find that your washing machine's drainage port overflows whenever the washing machine goes through the spin cycle.

2.  Flushing the Toilet Causes Sewage to Back Up in Another Room

Another sign to look for is sewage backup whenever you flush the toilet. Finding out where the backup is occurring is a key to determining whether the clog is located in a house sewer pipe or your main line.

Ask a family member or friend to sit in each room where you have plumbing fixtures, then flush your toilet. If sewage backs up in the sink or shower in the same room but does not cause issues in any other areas of your house, the problem is probably with the adjoining sewer line.

However, if you flush the toilet and gurgling noises are heard or sewage is seen in the kitchen sink's drain or another bathroom's shower, the sudden force from the toilet is pushing the sewage in the main line. And, because the clog is not allowing it to flow freely, the sewage starts coming up through all of the drainage pipes in your house.

3.  Finding Saturated Patches of Ground in Your Yard

To find this next sign that your main sewer line is clogged, step outside and walk around your yard. If you notice any patches of ground that are saturated even when it has not rained recently, the sewer line may be overflowing into the soil around it. 

When you find the saturated ground, you will probably see that the grass is a lot greener in that area than the rest of your lawn. Also, if the saturation is caused by sewage, you will detect a foul odor when approaching the area.

Especially if you have a severe clog, the line's pipe will be under increased pressure. As a result, tiny cracks or large breaks may form in the pipe, causing the sewage to leak out into the ground. And, since the soil will also have access to the pipe's interior, dirt may fill the line and only make the clog worse.

If your main sewer line has clogged to the point that it is leaking out into your soil, you need to have it inspected as soon as possible. Raw sewage is responsible for a number of serious health issues, and leaking sewage puts not only your household at risk but also your neighbors.

If you have noticed the majority of the signs above, you most likely have a clogged or even broken main sewer line. If you suspect that this is the case, contact a plumber who offers sewer line repair services at a company like Gold Seal Plumbing to have them inspect your sewage lines and discuss your options for fixing the issue.