If you own your own home you probably know about sewer lines. Since you started looking for a house to buy, you have probably learned more about sewer repair and replacement than you ever expected to know without going to school for plumbing. For instance, you probably are aware of the fact that if your house is 40 years old or more, the sewer system may need to be replaced. If you are looking into buying a home, you should spring for a professional sewer inspection. These will run you about $250 to $350 but that is a lot less than a full sewer replacement will cost.
Tips to Keeping Your Sewer System in Tip Top Shape:
Look into the codes for your area. Every state and city has their own rules and regulations for dealing with plumbing and sewer repair. Read up on the codes and look for any information they have about safety regulations. You should make a special point to look at anything pertaining to how deep you can safely dig. Make sure you do no digging in your yard until after you have read the rules and regulations on this topic. You do not want to get half way through your project only to find you are violating city codes with your digging.
Find out what the problem is. It is much easier to fully fix a problem if you know what the root cause is. One way to find put what exactly is going on in your lines is to have a camera sewer inspection done. Most problems are caused by a clog somewhere in your pipe system. These inspections can find the root cause of almost any drain problem.
Do what you can to clean out the sewer system. If your problem is caused by debris in your lines, you should be able to flush it out yourself. If you do not have an auger or plumbing snake, you should be able to rent one from your local hardware store.
You can thread the snake through a drain and pull out whatever debris is clogging up your pipes. If you are able to find the clog and pull it out, you should be able to tell if that was the main problem with your sewer line. This may be all you need to do to avoid costly sewer repair.
Try lemon dish soap.Some clogs can be cleaned out with lemon scented dish liquid. Pour sone dish soap down the drain and follow that with some hot (not boiling) water. Use the plunger. Repeat the process until the drain is totally clear. This may take some time. When doing this on a toilet that is clogged, let the dish liquid and warm water sit for a bit before trying the plunger. Be really careful about the temperature of the water you use in your toilet. If it is too hot, it can crack your toilet bowl. This can take several hours to work but it can be effective at certain kinds of clogs such as those from pouring clumping cat litter down the toilet.
Call in the sewer repair cavalry. So, you have tried all of the do it yourself tips and tricks and yet, your pipes are still not clean and clear. It may be time to call in the plumbing cavalry. If you do not have a plumbing company that you know and trust, ask for recommendations from your friends and family. It is always good to research plumbing services before you are having a big plumbing crisis. Try to find any kind of plumbing special or new customer discount.
If you do find that a sewer repair is not enough and you need to have your sewer system replaced, ask local contractors about trenchless pipe replacement. This option has been around for about 15 years but most homeowners do not know anything about it. While this option does cost more than traditional sewer replacement but many homeowners who have it do Tne say that it is worth it. The beauty of this kind of work is that it does nothing to disrupt your landscaping. This is what most homeowners like it more than traditional methods.
