What's Blocking Your Sewer Line?
Clogs seem like a minor problem in a functioning septic system. However, there are times when clogs can be more serious. When snakes, commercial draining products, and regular measures aren't successful in clearing out a home sewer line, more drastic measures might be needed.
What Could Be Blocking the Line to Create Such Issues?
The reason more serious sewer line issues are unlikely to be solved by you alone is that you could be attempting to fix the wrong problem. If you're pouring different chemical products into the home drains to clear something thinking that it's an organic blockage from food or fats, that won't work if the trouble is that someone has dropped physical objects into the drain. For example, plastic cutlery may fall through the slots in the kitchen drain, only to block the line from allowing anything else through.
Tree roots could also be pressing into the line or may have already gotten into it. This will typically happen if the sewer lines are rather old; if you've purchased an old home or a fixer-upper, this could very well be what's blocking a sewer line. Trees, small bushes, or other plants planted near the house could have extensive root systems that are now affecting the sewer lines underneath the soil.
Of course, fats or oils that have built up in one spot of the line could be the problem too. If the fats have solidified and collected far down in a sewer line and cannot be reached by an auger, further action must be taken because such clumps won't dissipate on their own.
What Could Be Done to Clear the Line?
First, a septic repair expert or a plumber will employ a sewer camera which should illuminate the problem. Sewer cameras are attached to thin cords that can be pushed through a line until they meet the obstruction. A video feed will then help the professional see what is blocking the line so appropriate action is possible.
Once the camera has made the blockage clearer, different measures could be used. If the blockage is a clump of oils or fats, a strong jet of warm water can be pushed through the line, for instance. If physical objects or roots are causing the trouble, the area may need to be excavated to allow the line to be repaired. Chemicals will likely be used to keep roots from infiltrating the repaired line.
Call a sewer line repair service like Jarrach Cesspools for more information.