There are a few greater emergency situations in your home than when raw sewage is flowing into it. This usually occurs when the main sewer line out in the street has become blocked and faecal matter that should usually pass through it can no longer do so. Depending on where your home sits in line with access to this sewer, waste may back up to such a degree that it starts to come out of your toilet bowl. In such cases, you should contact an emergency plumber, like those at Sam's Local Plumbing, immediately to help you deal with the problem. If you try to manage the situation yourself, then matters could only get worse. Remember that untreated sewage constitutes a severe public health problem, so you really need a professional plumber to resolve the issue. What are the signs to look out for that this problem may be occurring?
Slow-Draining Toilets
The time to deal with a blocked sewer is long before the sewage that is in it backs up to the degree that it may flow into your home. Therefore, you should make sure that you call an emergency plumber as soon as you notice that your toilet is not draining properly or there is a foul smell. Of course, a poorly draining toilet in your home could occur simply because your own drains are partially blocked. Therefore, you should check whether the issue occurs with just one toilet in your home or with them all. If all of them have the same problem, then it is likely the blockage has occurred in the main sewer, especially if your neighbours have the same problem. If not, then you can attempt to clear a local blockage by using a toilet plunger.
Inspect Your Drains
If you find that you cannot clear a local clogging up of your drains with a plunger, then you should have a look into the inspection pits of your home's drains. Most of these have manhole covers, which you need to lift up. More often than not, you will need specialist tools to do so. If you do not have these, then it is highly advisable to call out a plumber to help you. However, if you can lift them, then do so, and look into the drain below. A blocked one will have plenty of water inside which is not able to flow through to the main sewer. Be careful not to get foul water splashed on you. As such, it is advisable to wear old clothes and rubber gloves before even attempting this sort of inspection.
Rod Your Drains
If you have looked into your drains from more than one inspection pit and realised that the blockage must lay between the two, then it could be possible to clear the problem by using drainage rods. However, these require a great deal of physical strength to use, especially if you need to push them around corners. Again, this is a dirty job that is best left to a professional unless you are already experienced in carrying it out. Remember that emergency plumbers will have specialist equipment to do this job under high pressure if needed.
