One clogged drain could mean a lot of things. There could be a wad of hair in the drain, or maybe someone mistakenly pushed an orange peel down the garbage disposal.
But when you have multiple drain clogs at the same time, something else is probably going on.
You probably have a sewer line issue.
While it's definitely possible for a couple of drains to be clogged at the same time for completely independent reasons, that would be a heck of a coincidence. In most cases, multiple drain clogs are a sign of something more serious.
There are some steps you'll need to take before things get worse.
What to do when you have multiple clogged drains
When you've got more than one slow or clogged drain, it almost always means there's an obstruction farther down the drain line. If you keep on running water and flushing toilets in spite of the clogs, all of your plumbing fixtures will eventually stop draining.
In some cases, you could end up with sewage backup inside your house. You really want to avoid that!
The first thing to do is shut off your main water supply. Running any water or flushing a toilet just increases your risk of a sewage backup, so you don't want to pour anything down a drain either.
Is it super inconvenient? Absolutely. But these steps are also necessary to avoid horrible smells and expensive damage to your home.
As soon as you've cut the water off, you'll want to see what's going on with your sewer line.
How plumbers tackle sewer line problems
Not all plumbers deal with sewer line issues. It's a niche area of plumbing that requires focused expertise, not to mention a lot of specialized equipment.
At PV Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we've assembled an experienced team of drain and sewer experts. We can identify any drain or sewer line issue and point you to the best possible solution for home-not to mention your safety and sanity.
When you call a drain and sewer specialist with a concern about two clogged drains or more, here's what happens next:
- Confirm the water supply is shut off. We don't want the problem to get any worse, so we always ensure the water is off before getting to work.
- Perform a camera inspection. Using the outdoor sewer line access point, a drain and sewer professional will perform a sewer camera inspection of the inside of your sewer line. This process helps identify whether there's a clog or if the line itself is damaged.
- Bust the clog. If the camera shows a blockage in the sewer line, your plumber will deploy specialized tools to destroy it.
Hydro jetting is one way to break up a clog in the sewer line. This process involves using a very strong jet of water to physically break apart whatever is causing the blockage.
Another method is drain cabling. With this approach, the plumber uses a large auger, or snake, designed specifically for sewer lines. The tool shreds whatever item or mass is causing the multiple drain clogs, so everything flows properly again.
What if my sewer line is damaged?
The above solutions cover what a plumber can do when you have a blockage in your sewer line. But if your sewer line is actually damaged, no amount of hydro jetting will solve the problem. You'll have to repair or replace the sewer line.
Multiple clogged drains are often the result of sewer line damage caused by:
- Tree root intrusion: If there are lots of trees on your property, the roots can damage sewer lines as they grow. This is a common problem in our area, especially on properties with older sewer lines.
- Collapsed sewer line: In some cases, old sewer lines simply collapse internally, giving wastewater nowhere to flow. Even if the line isn't totally collapsed, sometimes it can sag, preventing the continuous flow of wastewater.
- Sewer line cracks: This problem doesn't always lead to multiple clogged drains, but we figured we'd include it here since it's a related issue. If you've got a cracked sewer line, you may notice particularly lush areas of grass in your yard. In extreme cases, you may even notice standing water or sewage.
To address these problems, a plumber will need to repair or replace the sewer line. For cracked sewer lines, trenchless sewer line repair is a minimally invasive process for sealing the crack from within. However, if the sewer line is collapsed or damaged, it almost always needs to be replaced.
The best solution is to remove the damaged sewer pipe and replace it with a new PVC line. Unlike older materials, PVC is more resistant to tree root intrusion and much less likely to collapse or suffer damage. It's a long-term solution for a dependable sewer system that you don't have to worry about!
If you have multiple clogged drains at your home, address the problem ASAP
More than one blocked drain is a sign of a potential sewer line emergency. Waiting to solve it could make the problem worse!
At PV, our team provides free camera inspections for any and all drain clogs. That way, you can know exactly what kind of problem you're dealing with.
If you live in Metro Atlanta and are dealing with multiple drain clogs, give us a call today at (404) 798-9672 or schedule service online!
