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Flushed Toilets Causing Shower Issues? Unclog a Sewer Main

Quality Plumbing • Mar 06, 2019

Flushing a toilet should wash away waste without causing any surprise side effects in a home’s plumbing. Unfortunately, a clogged sewer line may trigger shower overflow issues when a person flushes their toilet. Determine the best way to unclog your sewer clog.

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Main Sewer Lines Clog Up Over Time

A home’s sewer main takes wastewater out of the house and brings in fresh water when needed. Unfortunately, a large number of issues could cause a clog in the sewage line. These common concerns include the following:

  • Broken pipes letting water flow out of the system
  • Tree roots growing into the drain opening
  • Animals making nests in the pipe

Often, though, homeowners do the most to cause this problem by washing items like grease, paper towels, and hygiene products down a drain. Often, people think of their toilet like a magical trash disposal unit, which is far from the truth. In fact, when the sewer main clogs up, many issues related to the toilet typically occur.

Backed Up Water When Flushing Indicates Issues

Anyone who believes that their sewer line is clogged should pay attention to their shower every time they flush the toilet. When a clog affects a sewer main, water will flow more slowly out of the drains in a home, including those in a toilet. As a result, the excess wastewater may flow upwards through the pipes and cause the water to bubble up in the shower.

Water typically appears in the shower for a few reasons. Mostly this situation occurs because the shower pipe is lower than those in the sink, which makes water to appear here easier. If homeowners ever see water flow up into their bathroom sink or hear gurgling noises from the sink when flushing the toilet, a clog is a likely culprit.

DIY Fixes May Help

A few simple DIY repair techniques may fix minor issues with a sewer liner. For example, individuals can turn off their main water supply and open up their sewer cleanout line, a short light-colored pipe with an easy-to-remove cap, to release pressure in the pipe. In some instances, this action will force the backed-up water through the line and potentially break apart any clogs.

However, chemical cleaners may also help by providing a powerful — and abrasive — burst of cleaning action. Typically, these cleaners will break apart items like paper towels, hair, and hygiene products. That said, chemical cleaners likely won’t affect tree roots, though copper sulfate does destroy these roots. However, most areas have banned this chemical as it is highly corrosive.

Professional Help Provides Maximum Effectiveness

When DIY repair methods fail to clean a sewer line, professional plumbing help is necessary. These experts will assess the cause of a clog and work to eliminate it. For example, plumbers have tools like clog snakes that feed into the main line, follow along its length, and break apart any clogs that may exist in the line.

Often, these snakes have a camera at the end that gives plumbers an inside view of more serious plumbing concerns. For example, a camera can locate root puncture in the sewer line, cracks in the pipe caused by other plumbing problems, and much more. With these tools, a plumber can then identify the best way to fix a pipe to prevent further spread of the clogs.

Plumbers Can Unclog a Sewage Drain

If you need high-quality plumbing services to unclog a sewage drain in your home, please don’t hesitate to call or visit us at Quality Plumbing right away to learn more. Our expert professionals will find a solution to your clog and get your sewer line as clean as possible.

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