How do I keep my sewer line from becoming clogged?

Sharon Douglas
by Sharon Douglas

I have to call a plumber out at least every other year.

  8 answers
  • William William on Mar 21, 2019

    Do you know what is clogging it? Did the plumber tell you anything? If roots....you may have a crack or the roots are getting in through the connecting joints. A large tree or several can cause the root problem. Dropped pipe somewhere in the line can prevent sewage from flowing and building up. Water is needed for sewage to flow. Too much toilet paper, Improper stuff being put down drains. Especially grease down kitchen drain can cool, harden, and block sewer line down the line. Not enough water flow to flush through the pipe. You may need a plumber with a sewer camera to actually view what is going on.

  • Janet Janet on Mar 21, 2019

    Did they check the pipes to see if the water flies straight or is there a bend close to p trap. Had a place in OG had that problem. After three calls back and snaking every line, removing toilets..found the line going down from toilet to sewer had an S shaped pipe instead of an easy flow line. No clue why..toilet paper got stuck fir how long in the curve thus major back up. They said after line cleared (and I know this is wasting water) to minimize the toilet paper, watch the water drain..if slow you will have an issue.. but to flush again with no paper in it. Made a big difference at that house. Good luck..

  • Pamela Pamela on Mar 22, 2019

    Only flush body waste and toilet paper down the toilet !!! Nothing else !!!

    No feminine products !!! No flushable wipes !!! No paper towels , no q tips !!!

  • Em Em on Mar 22, 2019

    I'm thumbs up with Pamela's answer. This would be the first thing to look at. If doing all of this and you still get issues, you can get the drain snaked with a camera to see if there is a broken line or tree roots. It doesn't cost that much extra if you are already paying a plumber once a year.

  • Mar Mar on Mar 22, 2019

    We had a problem with water backing up about every 6 months. Finally found a sewer service that knew what they were doing. The lines from the septic tank to the leach field had collapsed, just from age...the system had been in for 20 years! After we had the lines and junction box replaced, we haven't had any problems. Sounds expensive but it really wasn't....a lot less than having a whole new system put in!

  • Sharon Howard Sharon Howard on Mar 22, 2019

    We had a house in IN that did that alot, come to find out the pipes were cast iron and they were corridoring and making it clog. When house sold the new people Jack hammered the concrete floor and redid the drains.

  • Oliva Oliva on Mar 22, 2019

    Even something as simple as the type of toilet tissue used in your home could be the problem. Quilted/thicker toilet papers can be particularly troublesome, but have your pipes checked. If your home was built between 1940 and 1960, you may have cast iron piping and copper lines. These two metals have a negative effect over the years, leading to corrosion and miniscule leaks which eventually cause crumbling. In this case, you'll need to rip up the floor, remove the cast iron piping and replace with PVC or similar approved piping, then replace flooring.

  • Pat Pat on Mar 22, 2019

    Is it inside plumbing? Our washer drain kept plugging up and we had to rent a snake every year. Rent guy said to dump a 1\2 gallon of bleach down the drain once a month...we did and had no more trouble.