“Sewer line repair”. These three words are dreaded by homeowners – and for good reason. Sewer line repair can be costly, and homeowners are typically responsible for the portion of the sewer line running from the house to the street.

Tree roots that grow through pipes, built-up gunk that clogs pipes, and older steel or clay pipes that are beginning to disintegrate are all common things that happen to sewer pipes over time.

Fortunately, if you can spot the following early indications of a failing sewer line, you can usually save yourself lots of money and headaches!

1. Slow Draining Tubs, Sinks, and Showers

Slowly draining sinks, tubs and showers are an annoying situation where you may be tempted to respond by dumping harmful chemicals like Drano or Liquid Plumber down the drain. But these agents could be causing more harm than good, especially if your home has older steel or clay pipes, as these products can easily eat them away. Furthermore, a slow draining pipe can be the first indicator of a larger problem. Call a professional sewer and drain expert when you discover a slow-draining fixture – they can effectively diagnose and recommend the best way to maintain your sewer system.

2.Odd Sounds and Bad Smells

Strange, strong smells and unusual sounds could also indicate a sewer problem. If your toilet is making strange gurgling noises, if you notice a sinkhole in your yard or if you smell that unmistakable (and very unpleasant!) sewer smell throughout your home, it’s probably time to call a professional in to take a closer look.

3. Foundation-Level Water Damage

Sewer damage can cause extra moisture to leak through your home’s foundation. If you notice cracking around the foundation or moisture on your basement walls, call a professional into double check that the wetness isn’t caused by a broken sewer pipe.

4. Changing Water Levels in the Toilet Bowl

Have you ever noticed a very low water level in your toilet in the morning, only to see that it’s almost full by the evening? Such shifting water levels are often a sign of a deteriorating sewer system, so call a professional if you start to notice this phenomenon.

5. Staining Around Basement Drains

Water ring stains around basement drains are another indication that the sewer line should be checked out by a professional.

6. Booming Pest Populations

Malfunctioning sewer lines are like magnets to mice, rats, and insects. If you’re noticing sewer flies, increased droppings in and around your home or other signs of a pest infestation, a thorough look at your sewer line through a camera is your best bet.

Getting Help from Drain & Sewer Pros

Knowing the signs of a broken sewer line could potentially end up saving you hundreds to thousands of dollars. If you’re frequently experiencing one or more of these problems, your absolute best bet is to call a professional sewer and drain expert for a complete assessment of your sewer line. This usually begins with a sewer camera inspection that uncovers and pinpoints all problems in your sewer line. From there, a recommended plan for remedying the problems discovered is created and shared with you.

Finding sewer line issues early on, before they become larger issues, is the best way to ensure that your sewer line will remain in optimal shape. You can help accomplish this by following our “Sewer & Drain Maintenance Tips for Fall” or by learning the right way to manage sewer problems.

Reach out to us at Reid & Pederson Drainage if you’re experiencing any of the issues mentioned above or if you have any questions!

Home ownership definitely has its ups and downs. The upside being that your home is your source of pride and the place you feel most comfortable. The downside? Being told you need an unexpected repair. Sometimes a repair is a simple, cheap DIY but other times, home repairs can be costly, especially if the repair is being done on a major system in your home, such as your sewer line.

You probably don’t think too much about your sewer and assume that it’s always doing its job. Only when it starts giving you problems do you begin to take notice. Bubbling toilets, gurgling sinks, slow to drain bathtubs…these are all signs that your sewer is screaming “Help!”

DIY Sewer Fixes (The Wrong Way)

Like many homeowners, you may try to first remedy the problem yourself – snaking drains, using chemicals or even rodding your line. If these methods fail (and unfortunately, many times they do) your next call is usually to a trained professional who is equipped with the latest equipment to battle your clog.

Getting Professional Sewer Help (The Right Way)

So, you’ve called in the “big guns” for help. A good sewer and drain technician will first analyze your situation and determine the problem. Is it simply a clogged fixture or is it indeed your sewer line backing up? Next, the only thing left for him to do is work his magic to clear your problem up. Sounds pretty simple, right? 

Sometimes technicians run into problems while sewer rodding, such as cables getting stuck or them not being able to get the cables through the line. These can be signs of a break in your sewer line. In these instances, the next logical step is to put a camera down the line to visibly pinpoint the location of the break(s) and note their exact location. At Reid & Pederson, this is exactly what we do and is what should be done by any reputable drainage company.

Things to Watch Out for When You Hire a Drainage Company (The Not-Quite-Right Way)

If you hire a company to rod your sewer and they tell you your sewer line is broken without performing a televising, or sewer camera inspection, be aware. How can someone know if a sewer line repair is needed if they don’t even bother to take a look at the line? Another thing to look out for is if a company tells you your sewer is backed up and it’s broken, yet, they want to televise your line when it is still backed up. A sewer cannot be rodded when it is backed up, otherwise, you’re putting a camera underwater! Your best bet at that point is to call another company for a second opinion.

Here at Reid & Pederson, we get a lot of customers who tell us another company told them they need a repair because their line is broken. Many times, our technicians discover that the line is not broken at all and it simply needs to be rodded. 

Help From Your Local Drain & Sewer Experts

When you need sewer and drain help from a local company you can trust, call us at Reid & Pederson Drainage first to take a look at your problem. And if you’re told you need thousands of dollars worth of sewer work, we’ll be standing by then, too. We will not only solve your drainage problems, but we promise to treat you like family and charge you fair and honest prices for only the work that needs to be done.

Having a basement is a great thing as it provides extra living and storage space in your home. Being the lowest point in your home, basements are usually entirely or partially underground though, meaning they’re prone to flooding or other water damage. How does water enter your basement? And what are some things you can do to prevent a costly disaster in your home? Read on or reach out to the pros at Reid & Pederson Drainage today!

Broken or Clogged Sewer Line

Since we are sewer and drain experts, let’s talk about your main sewer line. Your sewer carries all household biological solid and liquid waste out of your home and to your city main by way of gravity. If you experience a basement flood with wastewater, it’s probably because of a break in your main sewer line. Large clogs caused by tree roots, items that should never be flushed down the toilet, or wear and age on your sewer pipes are main reasons why you experience a flooded basement. Any of these situations means a sewer line repair is necessary.

Nobody wants to head downstairs to find their basement covered in their own waste. But fear not! Your sewer usually gives you signs that you’re facing a backup before a backup actually occurs, such as:

• Bubbles, bubbles everywhere. Seeing bubbles and hearing gurgling sounds when sinks, tubs or toilets are draining or flushed is a telltale sign of a sewer issue.
• The unmistakable smell of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide). This is caused by sewer gas escaping from cracks or breaks in your line and finding a way into your home.
• Many slow drains all at once in your home. One slow drain usually indicates a problem with only that fixture. But if you have several drains that are clogged, slow to drain or cause issues with other drains when used, a backup is likely in your near future.

Ejector Pump Failure

Another reason your basement can flood with wastewater is if your ejector pump fails. If you have a bathroom in your basement, you also have an ejector pump that pumps the waste out to the city main. Your ejector pump fails due to several causes, such as a power outage, a problem with the float switch or a clog caused by items that shouldn’t be flushed, like feminine hygiene products, wipes or paper towels. Any of these issues cause ejector pumps to stop pumping the waste out of your home. Leaving the waste with nowhere to go, except on the floor of your basement!

How to Prevent a Sewer Backup

Sometimes, a sewer backup is inevitable. In those situations, Reid & Pederson is just a phone call away! But as a homeowner, there are also some simple things you can do to prevent sewage from flooding your basement.

1) Preventative Sewer Maintenance

Annual preventive sewer rodding ensures that your sewer is always clear and free flowing. One of the best ways you can prevent a messy backup in your basement, annual rodding finds sewer problems before they become large, costly ones. Some companies even give discounts for participating in annual preventive sewer maintenance and provide a full year guarantee to ensure your sewer line is always clear! (cough, cough)

2) Check Your Pumps

Periodically check your ejector pump to make sure it is operating how it should be and to ensure there are no clogs in the impeller of the pump. Debris that is caught in the impeller (feminine hygiene products, wipes, paper towels and anything else that shouldn’t be flushed) doesn’t allow solid wastes to flow from the ejector pit to your city main. A problem with the float switch can prevent the sensor on the pump to activate, allowing sewage to rise above ground level and flood your basement. If you also have sump pump(s) in your basement, it’s a good idea to check those too, to prevent excessive groundwater or rainwater from flooding your basement.

Local Drain & Sewer Experts

These simple preventive measures help prevent sewer backups. But rest assured – should you experience a backup in your home, the Crete sewer repair experts Reid & Pederson will get to you fast to clear your problem! Book your appointment today!

When it comes to the plumbing system in your home, there are a number of new and great innovations in the field that can help to make sure your plumbing work is carried out more accurately and more efficiently. One of these great new methods is professional video drain inspections. With so much of your home’s plumbing system hidden from view, it can often be extremely difficult to reach without significant modification and troubleshooting. With video drain inspections, our waterproof video camera can go almost anywhere, giving your home an incredibly thorough plumbing video inspection without having to take apart your fixtures and pipes. Our drain cleaning company has put together a shortlist of some of the benefits of taking advantage of this excellent service.

1) Speed

When you are looking for solutions to your plumbing issues fast, a video drain inspection is the way to go. Before these kinds of cameras were readily available, the go-to approach among plumber was the wait-and-see approach, where you would have to wait and see if the repairs that were performed were actually effective. If those repairs didn’t work, then the plumber would move on to the next solution in line and see if that would solve the problem. By utilizing a camera, a plumber is able to directly identify any issues with certainty so you can get the repairs that you actually need.

2) Accuracy

If you ever have any questions about the condition of your home’s plumbing system or a home you are looking to purchase, a video drain inspection can be a great way to get an accurate snapshot of exactly what kind of condition the system is in without the need for major modifications. Not only is this method of inspection incredibly accurate, but as stated above, it can also be done extremely quickly, so no more waiting around.

3) Safety

With video drain inspections, there is no need to cut into your walls, take apart your fixtures, or dig around to examine your indoor plumbing. Utilizing a camera is actually one of the most non-invasive methods that exists on the market today. With video drain inspections, you can get absolute certainty in your diagnosis without having to destroy your bathroom or kitchen to do so.

4) Prevention

When it comes to identifying problems with your plumbing, it is far better to catch problems early as opposed to waiting for a leak, flood, or other plumbing catastrophe to occur. With a video drain inspection, you can effectively identify issues before they are able to spiral out of control and devolve into something worse. This is especially true for your indoor piping system which can be extremely difficult to see and examine without the use of a camera.

5) Savings

When you think about the cost of your monthly water bill, you can easily imagine how much that bill has the potential to go up if your system were to spring a leak of some kind. A video drain inspection can help you avoid this kind of situation by identifying these kinds of problems before they have a chance to leak hundreds of gallons of water into the foundation of your property.

Professional Sewer Line Inspections in Crete, IL & the Surrounding Area

If you’re ready to have your sewer line inspected in Crete, IL or the surrounding area, reach out to the drain and sewer experts at Reid & Pederson Drainage today!

When your sewer backs up, you need a quick and effective fix. Not only is a sewer backup unsanitary but it’s also pretty messy and can cause some pretty massive destruction, too. One of the best ways to prevent sewer backups in your home is by having your sewer rodded every year. Annual sewer rodding in Crete ensures a free flowing sewer by cutting out roots and other blockages in your line. But do you know how a sewer rodding machine actually works and why the size of the blade used is so important to achieving an effective rodding? 

How Does a Sewer Rodding Machine Work?

Powered by electricity, a rodding machine consists of a long cable with very sharp cutter teeth at the end of it. When the flexible cable is inserted into your sewer line and the machine is turned on, these sharp blades spin rapidly. As the cable moves through your line, the blades cut through all blockages and debris in your line, breaking them up into small pieces and flushing them away to your city main. 

Why Blade Size Matters When Rodding a Sewer

Most home sewer pipes are a certain size until they meet the city main whose pipes are usually larger in diameter. Roots that have grown in pipes will take up the entire diameter of the pipe. So using a two or three inch cutter blade on a four inch pipe, for example, will not guarantee an effective rodding. Using correctly-sized cutter blades that are appropriate for specific sized pipes will most always ensure an effective sewer rodding. 

Your Local Sewer Rodding Pros

At Reid & Pederson, we use the largest, professional-grade blades whenever possible. Our technicians are trained to assess any drain or sewer problem and to use the best sized cutter blades to rod your sewer or unclog your drain pipes. Give us a call today!

Learn More About Sewer Rodding in Crete

Check out more of our blog posts below for some helpful info, expert tips & more!

• How Sewer Rodding Works
• What to Do About Tree Roots in Your Sewer Line