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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAIN LINE CLOGS

Main line clogs can cause serious disruption in your home, and spotting them early can stop a moderate inconvenience from becoming a major problem. We’re going to show you a few warning signs to look out for, and walk you through some of the possible causes, and how they’re fixed.

Warning Signs

While it’s often pretty obvious that you have a clog in your sewer lines, it helps to know what signs to look out for so that you can get it checked out earlier, before it becomes a bigger problem.

Be on the lookout for symptoms like:

  • Gurgling noises from your toilet
  • Drains backing up in the sink or bathtub
  • Water around the floor drain in the basement

Keep in mind that you can have a single clogged line that only affects that one plumbing fixture. You might not be able to get the sink to drain, but you can still flush the toilet, or run the dishwasher without a problem.

That doesn’t mean the main line is affected.

When there is a clog in the main line, any plumbing fixture you use in the home will affect the others; i.e., if you turn on the washer, water or sewage might come up from the bathtub drain.

Possible Causes of Main Line Clogs

Here in Cincinnati, there are two causes that we see most often for main line clogs.

A lot of homes in our area have combination sewers, meaning that storm drains and your home’s sewer lines run off to the same sewage system. During heavy rain, these systems tend to back up quite a bit, causing issues for homeowners who are trying to carry on with their normal lives by bathing, washing clothes or doing dishes. But the single biggest reason we see for main line clogs is tree roots. Over time, as roots detect moisture, they keep burrowing through the ground, searching for water. They eventually make their way to the sewer line, and are amazingly strong. These roots can find a way into the pipes, and actually grow in the lines, causing backups and clogs. Thick toilet paper and feminine products can also lead to clogs in the sewer line, but believe it or not, our licensed plumbers don’t see that nearly as much as the above culprits.

How to Unclog Your Main Line

If it really is your main line that is clogged, there is unfortunately not really anything that can be done about it short of drain cleaning with professional equipment. In most cases, we will cable or hydro jet to cut through the roots and clear out your sewer lines. In rare cases, excavation of the main line may be necessary, but this is very rare. Clogs can be avoided with regular sewer line cleanings, so be sure to call the licensed plumbers here at BEST Plumbing Service of Cincinnati if it’s been a while, or if you suspect a clog is forming.

Plus, you can download the coupon on our website for a free camera inspection with any sewer line cleaning to make sure you are protected against any future problems, too!

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