The holiday season is a time for celebration, family, and friends—but it’s also one of the most common times for sewer backups. With more guests in your home and increased cooking, your plumbing system works overtime, especially the sewer line. A backup can lead to unpleasant, unsanitary messes and disrupt your holiday plans.
To avoid sewer line trouble during the holidays, follow these practical tips to keep everything flowing smoothly.
Schedule a Pre-Holiday Sewer Inspection
One of the reasons it’s challenging to prevent sewer backups is that you can’t easily judge the condition of your sewer line. A partially obstructed sewer line may seem to work fine until a high-demand period proves it doesn’t.
The only way to know for sure is to have a plumber perform a camera inspection of your sewer line. They’ll send a camera into the pipe for a visual end-to-end inspection. That will let them identify clogs, obstructions, and tree root incursions before they cause a backup. Then, you can take appropriate action before the holidays arrive.
Have a Sewer Cleanout Installed
If your home doesn’t have a sewer cleanout installed, you should remedy that as soon as possible. A sewer cleanout is a capped pipe that allows direct access to your sewer line for cleaning. Many new homes feature two sewer cleanouts, one inside and one outside. That makes it simpler for a plumber to clear a clogged part of your sewer line. It will also make it easier for your plumber to inspect your sewer line for problems periodically.
Schedule Preventative Rooter or Hydro-Jetting Services
If you haven’t had your home’s sewer line cleaned out for some time, it’s a good idea to do it before the holidays. Scheduling a preventative rooter or hydro-jetting service is an excellent way to guarantee your holiday stays backup-free. A rooter service involves the insertion of a rotating line with a cutting head on the end. It gets its name from its original purpose: removing roots from sewer lines.
Alternatively, you can have hydro-jetting performed instead. It uses high-pressure water, much like a pressure washer would. It’s a fast, safe way to keep your sewer line clear. Experts say you should have your sewer line cleaned at least once every two years. If you stick to that schedule, you’ll avoid a backed-up sewer at any time of the year, holidays included.
Keep Trash Cans in Every Bathroom
One of the most common causes of clogged sewer lines is people flushing inappropriate items down toilets. While you can avoid doing that yourself, you can’t necessarily guarantee your guests will follow suit.
Keep a trash can available in every bathroom to help give them a gentle nudge toward the proper behavior. The best types of trash cans for this purpose are pedal-operated models. That way, guests won’t hesitate to throw anything out for fear that another guest will see their trash.
Keep Flushable Wipes Out of Your Home
It’s also a good idea to avoid using flushable wipes in any of your home’s toilets. Despite their name, such products often contribute to clogged sewer lines. A flushable wipe gets its name from its ability to break down faster than an ordinary wipe in water. That starkly contrasts with toilet paper, which immediately breaks down in water.
A flushable wipe will stay intact in your plumbing for some time. It can snag inside pipes and catch other solids there, accelerating clog formation. So, resist the urge to leave flushable wipes in your bathrooms for holiday guests to use. You’ll thank us for it later.
Practice Safe Garbage Disposal Use
If your home has a garbage disposal, never use it to dispose of things that don’t belong in it. The list of things that don’t belong in garbage disposals is longer than you may realize. It includes:
- Grease, oils, and fats
- Coffee grounds
- Pits and seeds
- Corn husks and celery
- Egg shells
- Starchy foods
Many items on the above list will cause clogs in the drain near your disposal. However, they can also lodge in your sewer line and cause much bigger problems for your home.
Install and Use Sink Strainers
Your garbage disposal isn’t the only place where clog-creating materials enter your plumbing. Your home’s other sink drains can also contribute to sewer problems. To help prevent that, install and use sink strainers wherever possible. In your kitchen, they can keep food scraps and other waste out of your drains. In your bathrooms, they can catch hair and other detritus before it goes down the drain. You can even install strainers in your showers to further protect your sewer line.
Don’t Ignore Slow Drains
Most of the time, your home will show signs of drain issues before your sewer line backs up. The most common symptom is multiple slow-running drains in your home. That indicates a clog somewhere in your home’s main drain lines. Often, it’s the result of a clogged sewer line. The longer you ignore slow-running drains, the worse your problem will get.
Additionally, you should listen for any gurgling sounds coming from your home’s drains. That happens when trapped air moves through partially obstructed pipes. It’s one of the most common warning signs of a clogged sewer line.
Have a Backflow Valve Installed
Installing a backflow valve is an excellent way to protect your home from sewer backups. It’s a one-way valve between your home and the outside sewer line. It remains open as long as water flows from your home and into the sewer.
The valve automatically closes when the flow switches direction to keep sewage out of your home. It’s a relatively expensive thing to add to your home’s plumbing. However, if the valve prevents even a single sewer backup, it more than pays for itself. The costs of cleanup after such an incident can be exorbitant.
Affordable Sewer Maintenance Services
Plumbing & Cooling Nerds is your trusted partner for sewer maintenance services in Bonita Springs, FL. We’ve served local homeowners for over 17 years, offering affordable plumbing services. Our team of expert plumbers can help you keep your sewer lines clear. They can also handle all of your home’s other water infrastructure needs. We also offer complete HVAC, indoor air quality, and ductwork services.
We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on our work, too. If you’re unhappy with anything we do for you, let us know, and we’ll do whatever it takes to fix it. We’ll always treat you and your home with respect and care. We often get five-star reviews from our happy customers. So, if you need help getting your sewer line ready for the holiday season in Bonita Springs, call Plumbing & Cooling Nerds today!
