A Drainage Minute: The Reid & Pederson Drainage Blog

Slow drains tend to show up more often once summer heat settles in, and it’s rarely a coincidence.

At Reid & Pederson Drainage, we hear from homeowners across Crete, the South Suburbs, and Northwest Indiana every summer with the same complaint: drains that used to work fine are suddenly sluggish.

In most cases, something changed underground, not just in the kitchen sink or bathtub.

Why Heat Affects Your Sewer Line

Summer weather does more to your underground sewer line than most people realize.

• Ground movement: Hot, dry conditions cause soil to contract and shift. If your yard has gone through a dry spell, that shifting soil can put pressure on sewer pipes, especially older ones, and cause them to settle out of alignment.
• Tree root activity: Roots grow more aggressively in summer as trees search for moisture. Sewer lines are an easy target since they carry both water and nutrients, and tiny cracks or joints in the pipe give roots an entry point.
• Increased water usage: Showers, sprinklers, laundry, and guests all add up during summer months. Higher water usage puts more strain on a sewer line that may already be dealing with partial blockages.
• Grease and buildup: Warmer temperatures can cause grease that’s clung to pipe walls to soften and shift, sometimes making an existing partial clog worse.

Any one of these factors on its own might not cause a problem. Combined, they’re a common reason drains that seemed fine in spring start backing up by July.

Signs Your Slow Drain Is a Sewer Line Issue

A slow drain in one sink is often simple. A slow drain in multiple fixtures, especially the lowest ones in the house, points to something bigger. Watch for:

• Multiple drains slowing down around the same time, not just one fixture
• Gurgling sounds coming from drains or toilets after water runs elsewhere in the house
• Water backing up into a shower or basement floor drain when you run the washing machine
• A persistent sewage odor near a drain or in the yard
• Standing water in a floor drain that never fully clears

If you’re noticing any of these, especially more than one, the issue is likely further down the line than a simple clog you can plunge away.

Why Ignoring It Gets Expensive

A slow drain rarely stays a minor inconvenience. Left alone, a partial blockage or a small root intrusion tends to get worse, not better, especially with heavy summer usage pushing against it. What starts as an occasional slow drain can turn into a full backup, and a backup that reaches your basement floor drain can mean real cleanup and repair costs.

Catching the issue early, before it becomes a full blockage or a pipe failure, is almost always less disruptive and less expensive than waiting for a bigger problem to force the issue.

What a Professional Inspection Reveals

The most reliable way to find out what’s really going on is a sewer video inspection. A camera run through the line shows exactly where a blockage, root intrusion, or misalignment is happening, without any guesswork.

From there, the right fix depends on what’s found:

• Minor clogs or debris are often cleared without any digging involved.
• Root intrusion or a damaged section may call for sewer lining, which repairs the pipe from the inside without a full excavation.
• Severely damaged or collapsed pipe may require sewer replacement to fully resolve the issue.

An inspection first means you’re not paying for a bigger repair than the problem actually calls for.

Preventing Summer Drain Backups

A little attention before peak summer heat can prevent most of these headaches:

• Watch your water usage during heavy use periods, particularly if your household usage jumps during summer visits or yard work.
• Keep an eye on trees near your sewer line and have roots checked if you know mature trees are close to the pipe path.
• Schedule regular maintenance through a sewer maintenance program to catch small issues before they become backups.
• Check your sump pump if your basement relies on one, since a struggling sump pump combined with a slow sewer line can make summer storm backups worse. Reid & Pederson also services sump and ejector pumps.

Don’t Wait Until It’s an Emergency

Slow drains in summer heat are worth taking seriously, especially if more than one fixture in your home is affected. Reid & Pederson serves Crete and the surrounding South Suburbs and Northwest Indiana communities, and we can find out exactly what’s causing the slowdown before it turns into a bigger repair. 

If things have already backed up, our emergency services team is available to help right away.

Contact us to schedule an inspection and get your drains moving properly again.

Call (708) 757-9040