6 Tips for Keeping Your Sewer Lines Clean and Clear

Most homeowners do not spend a lot of time thinking about their sewer lines. Unfortunately, every year many homeowners have to deal with backed up sewer lines that make their homes uninhabitable. Many insurance carriers even offer policies to deal with backups and to help homeowners with sewer line repairs.

There are some things that homeowners can do to keep their lines running smoothly that can prevent the need for expensive sewer line repairs. Some things homeowners can do are:

1. Take care of grease the right way. Never pour grease or cooking oil down the drain. That is one of the main reasons drains will need a rooter service to be performed. Some people assume that they can pour their grease and oil down the drain if they follow that with hot water. The problem with that is that the water will cool down and when that happens, the grease or oil can harden and cause a nasty clog. When you have grease and oil, you should pour them into a container that can deal with heated products and then throw it away.
2. Use enzymatic cleaners every month. One of the easiest ways to handle drain cleaning is to use enzymes every month in your sewer lines. Some people recommend using chemical cleaners, which will get the job done but they are not good for your sewer lines the way enzymatic cleaners are. Enzymes are not chemicals, they are not at all toxic and they are actually good for your sewer lines There are few products that are as good at preventing the need for an expensive sewer line repair as enzymes. You can buy these products at home improvement stores, hardware shops, online and even at health food stores. If you use these products every month, you will keep your lines clean and clear.
3. Make sure your lines are not getting clogged with plant roots. If you have trees, shrubs or other plants that are placed too close to your lines, the roots can get in and cause a whole host of problems with your lines. Problems with roots are common reasons people need to contract with a professional to do a clogged drain service on their lines. If you let these go for too long, they can even destroy your lines and then you will be beyond the point where a sewer line repair will do the trick and a replacement may be needed.
4. Be careful with what you toss down your drains. You need to watch what you pour down your drain and what you flush in your toilet. Feminine products, paper towels and diapers can wreck havoc with your sewer lines and should never be flushed. Toilet paper has been designed to break down in water. The same cannot be said of these other paper products. They can remain intact for a long time. People do not realize it but these products can get stuck in the root system that has invaded the sewer lines and cause problems.
5. Put new lines in. If your sewer lines are old, they can be more vulnerable to invasion by the plant roots. Many of the country’s sewer lines are at least 30 years old. By replacing your sewer lines with plastic pipes, you can prevent the need for a costly flood that can happen when the sewer lines back up. If you are interested in this, there are trenchless methods to make this happen. Plastic pipes are much less vulnerable to intrusion from tree and bush roots.
6. Once a year, you should have a rooter service done. Just like it is a good idea to use enzymatic cleaners once a month to keep your sewer lines clean and clear, hiring a plumbing contractor to do a professional rooter service can help keep your system free of clogs, debris and other gunk that can get into your system and force you to have sewer line repairs done on your system. Having this done once on an annual basis will keep the system running better throughout the year.

From clogged toilets to clogged drains, a few simple steps can keep your entire system running clean and clear.