Protect Your Plumbing & Property with No-Dig Broken Sewer Pipe Repairs
Homeowners in the Ohio Valley, Kansas City Metro and surrounding areas are susceptible to issues with broken sewer pipes due to the pipelines aging, their constant use and exposure to freezing temperatures. Sewer pipes often become broken, cracked or corroded without property owners knowing about it. In fact, you may have a problematic pipeline underfoot right now without realizing it. A crack in your sewer pipe may slow down your plumbing and cause minor annoyances initially, but the problems will inevitably escalate if ignored. When it does, your pipes and bank account are in for an unpleasant surprise as more costly, destructive damage occurs.
How To Tell If A Sewer Pipe Is Broken
You don’t need X-ray vision or psychic powers to figure out if you have a cracked pipe—you just need to know the signs that a problem is brewing so you can address it before it gets worse. It’s always a good idea to have a professional sewer inspection performed to confirm the cause of any plumbing issues, but it’s smart to have the warning signs in your back pocket so you can seek help right away. The most common red flags to look for include:
1. Cracked Concrete Flooring
A cracked sewer line is one problem, but cracks in your home’s foundation are a whole other beast. If a crack in your sewer pipes is leaking wastewater into the ground, the soil will absorb it and shift to accommodate it. When the ground beneath your home becomes less stable, so do the floors and walls protecting your home. If concrete flooring within your home has inexplicably cracked, broken sewer pipes may be the cause.
2. Multiple Plumbing Fixtures Are Slow to Drain
It’s not uncommon for a frequently used toilet or shower to clog from time to time after repeated use, but if multiple fixtures in your home are simultaneously slow to drain, your home’s main sewer line is likely to blame. A cracked sewer line prohibits wastewater flow from your home and is susceptible to tree root intrusion or other invasive debris that can block your pipelines altogether.
3. Noxious Sewer Odors
Sewers are meant to work silently behind the scenes. Anytime sewer odors start to overwhelm your home, it’s safe to assume you have a plumbing problem. You should seek a professional sewer inspection to see what the issue is and identify a solution for broken sewer pipe repair.
4. Gurgling Noises When Water is Trying to Drain
Similarly, noisy drains are not normal. Gurgling sounds coming from your drains after flushing or rinsing indicate your pipelines are having difficulty with wastewater flow. Cracks in a sewer pipe are one potential cause known to limit flow and prevent your drains from working appropriately.
5. An Insect or Rodent Infestation
While a cracked sewer line is certainly an unwelcome addition to your home, it serves as a beacon to pests like insects and rodents who thrive in the dark, damp environment. If these unwanted guests have found their way into your home, there may be a crack in your sewer pipe allowing them free access.
6. Mold Within Your Home
Much like you’d expect to find with any leak in your home, a broken sewer pipe leak introduces mold-attracting moisture into your home. If you’re unsure what’s leading to mold growth along your home’s ceilings and walls, don’t rule out your sewer line as a potential culprit.
7. Sinkholes in Your Lawn
Leaky sewer pipes cause just as many issues outside your home as inside your home. Most homes have sewer lines running from their property to the municipal sewer main that carries wastewater to a community’s treatment plant. This means sewer pipes are likely buried beneath your front yard or even your driveway. A cracked sewer line leaking into your lawn loosens the surrounding soil and leads to sinkholes dotting your grass. Sinkholes are unsightly, sure, but they also pose a risk to you, your family and any unsuspecting visitors who step on an unstable spot.
8. Uncharacteristic Growth or Greenery in Your Yard
Along with sinkholes, another sign pointing to a crack in your sewer pipes is unusually lush plant growth or greenery surrounding your home. Waste and water are both nutrients to plant life, so wastewater leaks can cause unnatural plant growth in your yard.
Why would a sewer line crack?
Common culprits behind a cracked sewer line are old age, lack of preventative maintenance and tree root invasion. Depending on when your home was built, you may be dealing with underperforming, broken sewer pipes.
If your home was built decades ago and you haven’t had a sewer inspection or plumbing work done recently, it’s safe to assume your pipelines are the same pipelines installed back when many homes were built during the mid-20th century. Since then, they’ve survived tumultuous temperatures, exposure to the elements and many, many years of usage. Old pipe materials weren’t meant to last forever, and those still active today are susceptible to cracks, erosion or a complete structural collapse. Here’s a closer look at the factors and conditions that have the largest impact on your pipelines over time:
- Age – Sewer lines are designed to last several decades, but if your property is in a long-established area with an aging infrastructure, it’s probably only a matter of time before your pipes develop significant cracks and/or corrosion.
- Failure to maintain pipes – One of the first rules of property ownership is that routine maintenance is the best way to save yourself time and money in the long run. This is particularly true of plumbing. If you have neglected preventive maintenance for several years, a tiny problem could easily spiral out of control until your pipes develop major breaks.
- Root invasion – Tree roots are one of the most common causes of separation and cracks in sewer pipes, especially if you have a lot of mature trees surrounding your home. Roots grow into sewer lines in pursuit of nutrition and moisture, both of which are plentiful inside your pipes.
How serious is a crack in a sewer pipe?
Like any problem that’s ignored, issues from broken sewer pipes only escalate over time. Cracked pipes are exposed to tree roots and other debris that may cause severe issues like sewer backups in your home. Cracked sewer lines continue to damage plumbing over time.
Some homeowners may choose to live with the annoyances of a cracked pipe, rather than seeking broken sewer pipe repair solutions, because they fear huge costs, destruction of their property and even more of a hassle. While lengthy, messy and disruptive underground pipe repairs were a fact of life in the past, innovative technology has enabled forward-thinking sewer specialists to offer the most cutting-edge and least destructive methods to fix cracked and damaged pipes.
How to Fix a Cracked Sewer Pipe
Trenchless technology enables sewer professionals to access damaged pipelines without digging a trench typically required in traditional sewer repair solutions. Instead, pipe relining technology allows trained experts to insert a custom-sized pipe liner into the broken sewer pipe to seal and strengthen the existing pipeline. This is achieved through a minimally invasive access point that inflicts little to no damage to your yard.
Before hiring a plumbing professional, ask if they provide trenchless sewer repair services to minimize costs and damage. CME Sewer Repair’s team of trusted pipe lining professionals offers free sewer inspections to assess your pipelines. This ensures we deliver an informed recommendation for cracked sewer pipe repair utilizing the most cost-effective, efficient approach.
Why Homeowners Prefer CME’s Trenchless Pipe Lining Solution for Reliable Cracked Sewer Pipe Repair
At CME Sewer Repair, our broken sewer pipe repair professionals are trained to identify current and potential issues so we can service your pipes with speed and efficiency before more destructive and costly issues arise.
Our proven trenchless pipe lining process is based on the simple concept of rehabilitating pipes from the inside out. We apply a specially designed pipe liner to the inside surface of the cracked sewer line using existing access points. The liner molds itself to the existing pipe, sealing off any cracks, and then hardens in place, providing a brand-new and seamless inner pipe surface.
Our customers across the Ohio Valley, Kansas City and surrounding regions prefer trenchless cracked sewer pipe repairs over traditional dig-and-replace methods because they don’t require excavation. The elimination of the excavation alone saves you time as well as the cost of having to repair any damage to your property that was disturbed to access the underground pipe (e.g. porches, cement floors, driveways, etc.).
Trenchless pipe lining is a dependable way to get your cracked sewer pipes repaired with a much shorter turnaround time and far less hassle. Best of all, the lining is seamless and has a life cycle of at least 50 years, meaning you’ll have peace of mind throughout your homeownership or when it comes time to sell your home to a buyer seeking a reliable plumbing contingency.
Concerned About a Cracked Sewer Line? Contact CME Sewer Repair to Restore Your Home Plumbing Today
As a Cincinnati-based trenchless sewer repair specialist serving Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Kansas City, MO, CME Sewer Repair has the ability to rehabilitate any number of pipeline concerns, including cost-effective and long-lasting cracked sewer pipe repair. Contact our team of experts today to put an end to your cracked and broken sewer pipe headaches and restore flow to your home plumbing.
Get Started with a Free Sewer Inspection