Protect Your Home Sewer Line from the Inside-Out

The luxuries of modern living—like the ability to use the bathroom without having to tromp through the woods to the nearest outhouse—is something that so many people take for granted. That is, until something goes terribly wrong with the sewer system and the toilets and showers cannot be used. If you're having sewer line problems, or have recently just had some repairs made and want to avoid having to go through that process again, you'll do well to continue reading. Here, you'll learn what you can do to avoid damaging your sewer lines so that you don't have to live without the luxuries of modern living.

Protect the Line from Inside

What you send down into the sewer line will play a significant role in how well your sewer line holds up over the years. If you're constantly putting things through the sewer line that shouldn't be there, it will build up, cause blockages, and possibly even back up into your home. The following items are not sewer-friendly.  

1. Feminine hygiene products: even those that are labeled as flushable.
2. Diapers and Wipes: including the "flushable" wipes for adults.
3. Cat litter: keep a box beside your toilet because that "flushable" litter will clump in the sewer lines.
4. Paper towels
5. Grease and oil: keep a grease can in your kitchen because once you dump grease down the drain, you will begin to coat the lines with grease that will catch all kinds of debris and clog things up.
6. Food: your garbage disposal only does so much—avoid sending things like coffee grinds, bones, and eggshells into the disposal.
7. Medication: this won't hurt your sewer system, but it will contribute to contaminated water. The sewer water is processed and cleaned, but those cleaning agents don't remove most medications from the water.

Before you pour anything down the drains or flush things down the toilet, pause—even those items marketed as flushable could cause problems.

Protect the Line from Outside

There are a few things that you can do to protect your sewer line from damage outside. First of all, know where the sewer lines run through your property. This will help to avoid damaging the lines and will help you know where to look for squishy grounds that alert you of leaks. Remove any large shrubs and trees that have root systems that could penetrate the sewer line.

The minute you begin having problems with your sewer lines, contact a sewer repair professional. The longer you allow the problem to persist, the worse the problem could become.