How to Know If You Have a Leaking Sewer Pipe
Sewer Pipes
The chances are your house is connected to a sewer. All of the pipes from your sinks, showers, baths and toilets link to one large private pipe under your home, which travels to the street and sewer systems of Melbourne. Sometimes the sewer pipe from your house can crack or collapse, leading to severe consequences. There are many signs of a collapsed sewer line. These can be as simple as foul odour or as serious as structural damage to your home.
Common Symptoms of a Damaged Sewer Line
Regular Blockages
When experiencing blockages from a single drain in your house, it may be best to get a drain cleaning. If the issue persists, or you start experiencing blockages from multiple drains, it is likely a sign of issues with the sewer pipe. In addition to regular blockages, if your drains become slow, this can be a symptom of a more dire problem. Drain inspections can help you determine how serious the issue is.
Smell
An obvious sign of sewer pipe leaking is a foul smell in or around your home. Sewage odour is one of the first noticeable collapsed sewer pipe symptoms. Having your drains and pipes cleaned may solve the problem for a short time, but if there is any damage along the sewer pipe, the smell will quickly return. There is no reason for a sewer pipe to be emitting odour. If you can smell sewage near your house, there is likely damage to the main pipe.
Rodent and Insect Infestation
It can be easy to assume a rodent and insect infestation is unrelated to your sewage issues, but they often are related. Rats and insects thrive in the sewers and can crawl through tiny spaces to invade your home. If you have a collapsed sewer line, infestations will often follow. Rats and cockroaches can lead to several health issues and you may need more than a pest control company to get rid of them permanently.
Damp or Mould
If you notice mould growing in your house, this can be another collapsed sewer pipe symptom. Having a damaged pipe can cause water to leak out, resulting in higher humidity levels in the walls of your house, which encourages mould growth and structural dampness. Mould and damp alone is not always a sign of a leaking sewer pipe, but it can be a significant health issue, particularly for young children, and it is best to find the source as soon as possible.
Lawn Inconsistencies
If your lawn has inconsistencies, such as patches that are more lush than others or sinking ground, you may have a leaking sewer pipe. Lush patches might not seem like an issue, but they can be a sign of water seeping out of a pipe, acting as a fertiliser to your grass or plants. Similarly, if tree roots seem to thrive around your sewer pipe, it could be receiving extra nutrients from the leaking water. Because of this leakage, the dirt can also become softer, leading to indents in the ground or under pavers.
Foundation Cracks
One of the most severe signs of sewer pipe damage is structural damage in your home. In most cases, you will be able to detect the issue before these symptoms occur. If the problem becomes extreme, you may begin to notice cracks in your foundation or even sinkholes. It is best to call professional help immediately to resolve the sewage issue, and you may have to pay for foundation repair as well.
Collapsed Sewer Detection
At Drainpro we specialise in CCTV pipe inspections in order to give you the whole picture. Through our camera inspections, our drain plumbers are able to determine the best course of action going forward. If you have any questions or want to request a CCTV drain inspection, get in contact with us on 1300 620 273 or fill out our content form.
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TESTIMONIALS
we are very happy with a job well done by Nick! With a fixed price, i knew exactly what it was going to cost me before he arrived. He assessed the problem quickly then dropped a camera in the drain and explained everything to us as he worked! We could see with our own eyes that the drains were free of roots and squeeky clean by the time he had finished! Thank you Nick for a job well done!
(Testimonial from Google)
Wouldn't call anyone else! Spoke with Jim on the phone, he was easy to talk to, honest and knew what he was talking about. Nick was here on time and did his work with pride and care. He explained everything as the work was done and had my problem solved in no time at all. He was even able to check out some other issues and help to fix them as well. I have no doubt that if any problems came up during the work, Drainpro would have the tools and experience to get the job done right the first time for a fair price!
Great company, Great people & Great service!
(Testimonial from Google)
I highly recommend Drainpro. A week ago Jim from Drainpro attended to my drain blockage issue. He took the time to diagnose the problem (due to tree roots), fixed the problem and gave me great advice on how to manage my drains instead of lining it or digging it out and replacing which are very time consuming, costly and not to mention not suitable recommendation for my drains which are still in a reasonably good condition. He took the time also to call and logged a job with my water authority to ensure that they come out to also clear the council drain of roots which is the main cause of the blockage. All this done at a very reasonable price. I have used other plumbers before but Jim from Drainpro is by far the best I have encountered. Jim is very passionate about his work, he is prompt, professional and friendly. I will definitely use him again for my drains issue in the future. Keep up the good work!
(Testimonial from Google)
Discussed problem with Jim on phone. Very rapid service. The blocked drain proved to be quite difficult. Nick was more than equal to the task and remained cheerful throughout. The result is excellent. I can happily recommend Drain Pro.
(Testimonial from Google)
Nick performed an excellent job on our blocked sewer line. He was very friendly and courteous! The flat rate may seem pricey compared to other plumbers, but after seeing Nick at work and how thorough he was I think it was a fair price. Traddies like Nick are very rare these days! Thank you!
(Testimonial from Google)