Tips to Minimize Sewer Backups at your Home or Business

As a homeowner, you ought to be aware that flushing the wrong stuff down your sink and toilet can cause problems with the sewer line. The sewer line can get clogged and whatever you flush down the sink will not be able to make it smoothly to the drainage outside. Instead, these things that are rotting down the drain will backup on your sink. Your family’s health can be affected if they are constantly exposed to a sewer backup.

Don’t Put Oil and Grease Down the Sink
Oil, grease, and sauces can be thickened and create blockage so you should avoid pouring them down the drain. When you are washing veggies or rice or pasta, be careful not to let them drop and get flush down the sink. When you are filtering coffee or tea, don’t do it on the sink as some are likely to drop. Eggshells should be plucked inside a container and not in the sink as the eggshells can block the pipe.

Don’t Flush Everything Down the Toilet Bowl
You are not to use your toilet bowl as a way of flushing away the rubbish. Some people will throw rubbish like leftover food, diapers, and sanitary pad into the toilet bowl. Flushing these things down the toilet can cause them to be stuck. Soon, you won’t be able to flush the toilet and sewer water will overflow from the bowl contaminating your toilet. The toilet bowl should be used to flush down soft toilet paper only.

Remove Tree Roots in the Sewer Line
Sewer backups can be caused by tree roots that are infiltrating the sewer lines. The roots can grow into a bunch that creates a clog in the pipe. Everything that you flush down your pipe such as toilet paper, hair, food will accumulate in the root. One of the signs that there are roots in your sewer line is you hear bubbling sounds in the toilet. You have to pay it out of your own pocket if you want to hire a plumber to remove the tree roots. Most of the time, the sewer line will need to be repaired after being infiltrated by tree roots. Old sewer lines are made of clay which can attract tree roots. If you are using old sewer lines, you might want to call a plumber to replace it to a plastic or PVC pipeline.

Install a Backwater Valve
You can minimize sewer backup by installing a backwater valve to permit one-way flow from your home to the sewer. The backflow preventer is a requirement in many municipalities. If your home does not yet have any backflow preventer installed, you can hire a plumber to install it for you now. There are many cases of backflow contamination being reported every year which makes it necessary.