Dealing with sewer line repair can be a real headache and disrupt your home life.

Imagine going about your daily routine, and suddenly, you start noticing foul smells wafting through your home, a bug fest in your yard, and the water in your sinks and toilets backing up.  

As awful as that sounds, sewer line repairs aren’t that big of a deal for experienced homeowners. After all, they have been here before, and they know who to call in this situation.

However, new homeowners in this dilemma find themselves faced with two scenarios, they can either take care of the repair themselves or they can hire an expert.

The problem is, they don’t know which one is the right decision. 

Sewer lines aren’t like your everyday DIY projects. A well-installed sewer line can last for decades, which means it’s highly unlikely someone has more than one time experience with it.

So, what is the right answer when it comes to sewer line repairs, should we do it ourselves or should we speed dial an expert? Let’s get some answers!

What Is a Sewer Line?

The sewer line installed on your property is a network of drainage pipes that carries out all the toxic and hazardous waste from your sinks, toilets, and showers to the town’s, village, or city’s sewage system. 

The main sewer line of the house is usually located in the yard.

As a property owner, you must learn all the telltale signs that indicate a sewer line is in need of repair and the most common causes of how they can be damaged.

Most importantly, you must know exactly what to do when you are faced with a sewer line repair situation.

The Most Common Causes of Sewer Line Damage

A sewer line needs repair when it is broken, cracked, or collapsed. 

An old sewer line that has been corroded to the point of collapsing would also need to be fixed immediately. Leaking joints or root infiltration in the sewer line cannot be delayed for long or it can lead to further deterioration.

Some of the main causes behind a blocked sewer line are tree roots, cooking oil, grease, hair, baby wipes, personal hygiene products, cotton swabs, dental floss, and debris accumulated over the years.

If the sewer line is not located deep enough, especially in a cold region, ice forming within the pipes can also cause them to burst or leak.

Top Signs That You Need a Sewer Line Repair

Ignoring a damaged sewer line doesn’t make the problem go away, it makes it worse! This can lead to higher repair costs as the issue worsens.

As a property owner, make sure you learn to recognize all the signs that hint at a damaged sewer line, so you can take swift action and save yourself from spending a fortune.

Below are some key indicators that suggest the need for sewer line repair:

  •  Flooded Yard

The main sewer lines are buried outside our homes, underneath the yards. When the sewer lines are broken, the yard is the first place that starts flooding with dirty water.

However, this sign will only surface if you live in a warm country and the sewer pipelines are placed only a few feet below the ground.

  • Lush Growth

When certain areas of your lawn appear excessively green, it’s not due to your watering efforts but rather an additional water supply from another source, namely, the sewer line.

  •  Foul Smell

Some people might not see a flooded yard, but they will not be able to ignore the foul odor seeping through the walls of their basement and utility rooms.  

This foul smell of rotten eggs is a clear giveaway that the toxic waste is leaking out of the airtight sewer line, and it needs to be fixed immediately.

  • Cracks in the Foundation

When a sewer line has been left unrepaired for a long time, all that water and waste seeps into the walls and the floors of the property, leading to huge cracks in the foundation.

This has happened over several years and is a clear indication of a serious sewer line repair issue.

  •   Poor Drainage

If more than one sink, shower, or toilet is giving you drainage problems, with the water draining excruciatingly slowly, it means there’s a blockage in the main sewer line.

  • Multiple Clogs

If more than one toilet and bathtub is clogged up in the house and doesn’t clear up no matter how many times you’ve used the plunger, it means there’s a bigger blockage in the main sewer line.

  • Gurgling Sounds

When the toilets in your house make this strange gurgling sound every time you flush down, it means there’s a clog down the line and the air is being pushed back.

Sometimes, the toilets will gurgle even when they aren’t being used because of all the trapped air in the line.

  • Mold on the Walls

Mold on the walls and the floors points straight towards water leakage in the pipes. These pipes often belong to the network of sewer lines within the house.

  • Bug and Rodent Infestation

Cockroaches, insects, rats, and many other rodents and insects live in sewers. If the sealed pack sewer line has been broken from anywhere, it creates a pathway for bugs and rodents to enter your home.

Sewer Line Repair: Should I Do It Myself or Hire Experts?

Every property owner develops a knack for fixing things around the house and the more they learn from their experience, the better they get.

We can only imagine how much money homeowners have saved from all the DIY projects they have undertaken. 

The readily available DIY tools and online tutorials at our fingertips have also played a huge part in making homeowners more confident in taking on different repair and replacement jobs.

As great as that is, some things are better left to the professionals, and sewer line repairs are one of those things. 

The complexity and nuances of a plumbing system can only be tackled by a professional plumber from a certified company.

Not only do they fix the sewer line, but they do so efficiently, guaranteeing results, and not damaging anything else in the process.

Unfortunately, we can’t say the same when a complicated sewer line repair is conducted by homeowners. 

Identifying the exact location of the damage alone will take a long time, whereas a professional will know exactly where to look.  

Top Reasons Why It’s Better to Hire an Expert for Sewer Line Repair

Let’s look at the top reasons why a professional is better suited for a sewer line repair job compared to a homeowner:

  •  For Safety

Sewer line repair is one of the riskiest plumbing jobs, exposing workers to various waterborne and airborne diseases.

The waste in sewer lines contains harmful toxins, and working on them may lead to exposure to rodents and bugs carrying diseases like leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and hantavirus.

The complexity of sewer line repair also demands specialized skills, including soldering and thorough knowledge of plumbing regulations.

Hiring a professional plumber ensures expertise and the use of proper safety gear, prioritizing the well-being of everyone involved.

  •  For Efficiency

Plumbers know what they are doing when they are fixing your sewer lines. They know where to look for problems, how to shut off the main supply, and the most time and cost-efficient way to solve the issue.

They don’t need to learn anything on the go, their hands-on experience allows them to assess the issue and solve it efficiently using their advanced tools and methods.

There’s no fumbling, no pauses between jobs, and no scratching their heads moments with professional plumbers.

  •  For Staying out of Trouble

Taking care of sewer line repairs on your means you may or may not break the law and end up in trouble with the local authorities. A professional plumber, however, takes responsibility for any collateral damage.

  •   For Experience

A certified company will never send over a trainee on the job, but always an expert plumber with years of experience.

The more experience a plumber has, the cleaner and better the job. By entrusting a professional plumber with your sewer line repair, you can rest easy so that you won’t be facing this issue again for years to come.

  •  For Peace of Mind

Trying to tackle a sewer line repair job with no prior experience, no tools, no gear, and no knowledge can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety.

Call a plumber and relax in the house as the professionals do what they do best.

Top Reasons that DIY Sewer Repairs Go Wrong

One of the main reasons why homeowners try to tackle jobs themselves is to save costs. However, in the case of sewer line repairs, doing it yourself can prove to be even more costly than hiring a plumber.

The reason is that DIY sewer repairs can go wrong in numerous ways. Let’s have a look at some of the most common reasons why DIY plumbing repairs go wrong:

  • Poor Methods and Wrong Diagnosis

Professional plumbers use cameras and experience to pinpoint the issue. Most homeowners start digging their yards to get the diagnosis of causing unnecessary damage to their property.

Many times, homeowners make the wrong diagnosis but have already lost a lot of their precious time and effort along the way. This only leads to frustration.

  • Lack of Experience

Lack of experience leads to numerous mistakes, but in the case of plumbing, even one can result in grave consequences.

One wrong move and the entire sewer can back up inside the house, a wrong pipeline can burst open, or the whole yard can end up flooding.  

This can add up to a lot of expenses, not to mention stress, anxiety, and exposure to chemicals hazardous to health.

  • No Insurance

Professional plumbers are insured, which means if they end up making a mistake, you won’t be paying for any accidental damage.

However, if you end up making a mistake, you can end up in a lot of debt trying to fix all the accidental damages caused on your property.

  • Costs Add Up

Unless you do plumbing jobs in your free time, you’d have to invest a lot of cash in buying all the equipment.

Initially, they won’t seem like much, but every trip to the hardware store will make you realize that the costs are adding up and the DIY project of sewer line repair isn’t that cost-effective after all.

Frequently Ask Questions

Q) How To Repair PVC Sewer Line?

A PVC line can be repaired by first identifying the damaged area, cutting it out, and replacing it with a new PVC pipe. It must be properly fitted and tested for leakage.

Q) How Do You Fix a Hole in A Sewer Pipe?

A hole in a sewer pipe can be repaired using a patch or epoxy. However, the pipe must be clean and completely dry before attaching the patch.

Q) How Do You Fix Sewage?

Some temporary measures can be taken as quick fixes for sewage such as plunging or pouring boiling water, chemical drain cleaners, or a concoction of baking soda and vinegar down the line to clear the blockage.

Stay Hassle-Free with All Service Plumbers and Leave Sewer Line Repair to the Pros  

Are you searching for plumbing experts in Los Alamitos, CA who can put your worries to rest and fix your sewer lines with remarkable efficiency and expertise? We know just the team that matches the profile.

At All Service Plumbers, we have a decade of plumbing experience, and while we are renowned for our drain cleaning services, we specialize in sewer repair. If you think a corroded cast iron sewer line is beyond repair, watch us make it as good as new!

We do it trenchless too! That means, no digging and no ruining your landscape while we fix your sewer lines. It would be as if we were never there!

Avail of our amazing discount coupon and get $240 off on sewer line burst or lining services.

Here is a list of all the areas we operate in!

  • Orange
  • Newport Beach
  • Cerritos
  • Anaheim
  • Long Beach
  • Bellflower
  • Tustin
  • Santa Fe Springs
  • West Covina
  • San Marino
  • El Monte
  • Aliso Viejo
  • Brea
  • Buena Park
  • Capistrano Beach
  • Corona Del Mar
  • Costa Mesa
  • Cypress
  • Dana Point
  • Foothill Ranch
  • Fountain Valley
  • Fullerton
  • Garden Grove
  • Huntington Beach
  • Irvine
  • La Habra
  • La Palma
  • Ladera Ranch
  • Laguna Beach
  • Laguna Hills
  • Laguna Niguel
  • Laguna Woods
  • Lake Forest
  • Los Alamitos
  • Midway City
  • Mission Viejo
  • Placentia
  • Rancho Santa Margarita
  • San Clemente
  • San Juan Capistrano
  • Santa Ana
  • Seal Beach
  • Silverado
  • Stanton
  • Sunset Beach
  • Surfside
  • Trabuco Canyon
  • Villa Park
  • Westminster
  • Yorba Linda
  • Alhambra
  • Altadena
  • Arcadia
  • Artesia
  • Azusa
  • Baldwin Park
  • Bell Gardens
  • Beverly Hills
  • Burbank
  • Calabasas
  • Canoga Park
  • Canyon Country
  • Carson
  • Chatsworth
  • Claremont
  • Compton
  • Culver City
  • Diamond Bar
  • Downey
  • Duarte
  • El Segundo
  • Encino
  • Gardena
  • Glendale
  • Glendora
  • Granada Hills
  • Hacienda Heights
  • Harbor City
  • Hawaiian Gardens
  • Hawthorne
  • Hermosa Beach
  • Huntington Park
  • Inglewood
  • La Canada Flintridge
  • La Crescenta
  • La Mirada
  • La Puente
  • La Verne
  • Lakewood
  • Lancaster
  • Lawndale
  • Lomita
  • Los Angeles
  • Lynwood
  • Malibu
  • Manhattan Beach
  • Marina Del Rey
  • Maywood
  • Mission Hills
  • Monrovia
  • Montebello
  • Monterey Park
  • Montrose
  • Newhall
  • North Hills
  • North Hollywood
  • Northridge
  • Norwalk
  • Pacific Palisades
  • Pacoima
  • Palos Verdes Peninsula
  • Panorama City
  • Paramount
  • Pasadena
  • Pico Rivera
  • Playa Del Rey
  • Playa Vista
  • Pomona
  • Porter Ranch
  • Rancho Palos Verdes
  • Redondo Beach
  • Reseda
  • Rosemead
  • Rowland Heights
  • San Dimas
  • San Fernando
  • San Gabriel
  • San Pedro
  • Santa Clarita
  • Santa Monica
  • Sherman Oaks
  • Sierra Madre
  • Signal Hill
  • South El Monte