If your sewer line gets clogged and needs cleaning, you can easily identify it through a foul smell, slow flushing drains, or strange noises, which indicates that your sewer lines need to be cleaned immediately. You can call a professional plumber to do the job, or you can as well try clearing the clog using simple home tips as well and solve these sewer line problems. 

Drainage seepage through sewer lines is a health hazard and it should be cleared instantly. If you smell a foul smell coming from the toilet, shower, or sink, it denotes clogging of sewer lines. Blockages can make all drains in the house stop working as they are linked to the municipal sewer system or a septic tank. The level of the water in the toilet vacillates when the toilet wouldn’t flush or drains do not work perfectly. 

Indication of a clogged sewer line

• Water drain backups
• Flooding shower
• Strange gurgling sounds can be heard from the drain

Most of the time, sewer backup occurs by flushing the things or debris down the toilet or a sewer drain, including paper towels, diapers, bandages, sanitary napkins, grease, thick toilet paper, or coffee grounds. You should know that though all this debris goes through the fixtures, it can still get stuck in the sewer line. 

This kind of plumbing issue occurs a lot as most homeowners do not consider maintaining sewer lines regularly. It can further lead to a clogged or dirty sewer line and the possibility of the negligence could be raw sewage backup in the sewer drain lines. If it is not taken care of immediately, then it causes a lot of damage to the entire home sewer system. 

Damaged drainage pipes are the main reason for the sewage backup. These issues mainly occur due to intrusion of tree roots, offset joints, and cracks. 

Clean your sewer line regularly

You must clean your sewer line often with an enzyme cleaner. These enzyme cleaners are available in different types, and most of them are good for cleaning drainage lines. You can find them in hardware stores and plumbing supply stores where you can get the best and high-grade cleaning products.  

Before using the cleaning product, check the manufacturer’s instructions menu and follow that instruction to clean your sewer lines. Make sure to put the enzyme cleaner in large drains like basement drain, or any other large drain line connected to your home sewer main. Most of these enzyme cleaners work through a biological reaction, which means it takes some time to clear the clog in the sewer line. 

Snake to clean a sewer line

Snakes are the most reliable product that helps you clear the clogs in drainage pipes, and also they are very affordable. You can easily use snakes to clear minor clogs in sewer lines, and with little effort, you can remove clogs from sewer lines inside your house. Augers are snakes that are sent inside the drain line and twist or cut through a clog. 

However, snakes can solve minor clogging issues, but it is not a solution for every sewer problem in your house. A snake can be very handy and it helps you keep your sewer lines clean and clog-free, but if there is a major issue, then you should get professional help or look for other options. 

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Baking soda and vinegar is the best cleaning option for cleaning sewer lines. It is a very standard cleaning solution that many people prefer to use to clear their sewer pipe clogs inside the home. The chemical reaction happens when the two ingredients are mixed. When you mix vinegar and baking soda you will get a bubbly foamy liquid and when you pour the liquid into the drain pipes the baking soda will remove grease that is causing the clogs in the drain pipe. Along with the grease, this liquid removes other debris that is clogging the drain. 

Flush Your Sewer Lines

Though there is no clog in your sewer lines, you can clean it by pouring a lot of water into the drain line. You can add a small amount of drain cleaner into the water before pouring it into the sewer line. Put some drain cleaner in the toilet and flush it, the water cleans all debris and keeps the sewer line clog-free. 

However, if there is a clog in drain pipes, then this method is not advisable, because if you put a lot of water, there is a chance of getting back all the dirty water into the sewer line. Make sure that there are no clogs in your home drain pipes before you flush water, otherwise you need to call a plumber to clear the clog. 

Precautionary Cleaning 

If you want to clean your home sewer lines, then you don’t need professional help. All that you need to do is put some baking soda in sewer lines once or twice every month as a precautionary to keep the drains unclogged. Baking soda will wash the walls of the drain pipes and keep pipes clean and problem-free. Also, you can use any citrus-based cleaning products to keep your sewer line clean and clog-free. 

Drain cleaning products

Choosing any drain cleaning product is a very good option, but sometimes overuse of these cleaning products can degrade your sewer pipes. You can use them once or twice a year to maintain clean and clog-free sewer lines. However, you shouldn’t use a flush or a lot of water when you put the drain cleaning product in the sewer lines. This is because the chemical will stay in the pipes and liquefy all waste and debris that causes the clogging.  

Conclusion

In general, most homeowners do not attempt to take care of their home sewer lines. You should take preventive action before the plumbing issues start. People tend to ignore it as long as they don’t see any sewer problem, but when it shows up, it becomes a big headache and expensive to unclog the sewer lines. Regular sewer line cleaning will lessen the chances of damage to drainage pipes, and also keep them unclogged.