All the drains in your home converge into your sewer line. This lone pipe carries all your waste to the municipal sewer system or your private septic tank. Invasive tree roots, heavy buildups of sediment, and trapped, slow-degrading waste can create stubborn sewer line blockages. Without timely intervention, clogged sewer lines could cause significant water damage both in and around your home.

Whole-House Backups

When your sewer line clogs, all your outgoing waste and wastewater will have nowhere to go. If you keep using your plumbing system rather than scheduling sewer line repairs, this waste will eventually come flowing back into your plumbing-connected appliances and drains.

Whole-house backups can soak slabs, sub-floors, baseboards, drywall, furnishings, and more. These events also create significant increases in indoor humidity. With excess moisture in the air, you’ll have an elevated risk of developing widespread mold and mildew problems.

Soil Contamination and Soil Erosion

Clogged sewer pipes have a high likelihood of developing stress cracks and other structural damage. The heavy weight of trapped sediment and fast-growing tree roots and weeds can create openings that allow effluence out. This waste will introduce e. Coli, Salmonella, and other dangerous pathogens into the surrounding soil.

The sewage that flows out of cracked sewer pipes is also rife with nitrates, sodium, and other chemicals. It can contaminate groundwater and render the soil unsuitable for edible gardens and common landscaping foliage for years.

Among the top signs of a damaged sewer pipe are perpetually wet soil and standing pools of water. Not only will you have soggy, muddy terrain, but your property’s grading could suffer. Unchecked sewer line leaks can lead to soil compression and underground voids, soil shifting, and soil erosion.

Foundation Damage

Sewer line backups and sewer line leaks can cause serious damage to your home’s foundation. If you have a blocked or cracked sewer line in your yard, the resulting soil shifting, erosion, and grading changes could cause water to pool around the perimeter of the building. In time, it will seep into your crawl spaces, basement, and other low-lying areas.

Sewer pipe blockages and cracks can also develop in the portion of your sewer line that travels directly beneath your slab. Indoor sewer line leaks can cause:

• Increased humidity
• Rank sewer gas odors
• Pervasive moldering odors
• Warped floors and sub-floors
• Settlement cracks throughout the building

As your foundation cracks, shifts, and deteriorates, it can cause structural problems all the way to your roof. Long-duration slab leaks can lead to loose or torn flashing, lost shingles, leaky roofing protrusions, and visible separation at your roof’s valleys.

The best way to minimize water damage from a clogged sewer line is by catching and resolving the problem early on. When you need expert sewer line repair services in Durham, NC, contact Harmon Plumbing.