Why does my main drain keep backing up?

Your frequent backups are a sign that you have a clog somewhere in your sewer line. Cleaning out part of your system isn’t enough to remove sewer clogs. To fix the issue, you need to access the sewer lines. This isn’t a DIY project, and some plumbers may not even be qualified to remove your blockage.

What causes a backed up drain?

Sewer Backup Caused by Clogs The most common type of sewer backup is from clogged pipes. The combination of toilet paper, hair, soap scum and grease (as well as a two-year-old’s fascination with what will and will not flush) are common causes of sewer backups.

Where is the main drain located?

In a Bathroom or Utility Area In other homes with slab foundations, the main drain may be located in a bathroom, usually on the floor near the toilet, or in a garage or utility area, usually near a floor drain.

Why is my toilet and shower backing up?

If your toilets, kitchen sink and tub or shower are all backed up, you probably have a clogged sewer line. When you flush the toilet, water backs up into or comes up in the tub or shower. When your sewer line is clogged, the water can’t go down the drain.

What is the main drain line?

Simply put, your mainline is your sewer line. It’s the line that goes from your house to the city connection or your septic tank. Before leaving your home, all of your drains dump into your mainline. It’s usually inside your home in the lowest portion of the home or outside of your house.

Why does my floor drain keep backing up?

That’s because, as the lowest drain in your home, the floor drain will be the first place that wastewater can go when it can’t flow to the main drain and sewer line. So, with the main drain backing up, wastewater will continue to build up in the line until it overflows and backs up out of the floor drain.

Why does my sewer line keep backing up?

Similar to drain line clogs, sewer line clogs will stop the flow of wastewater. With nowhere to go, wastewater will back up until it finds the nearest release point, which will be a floor drain or the lowest drain in a home. Sometimes, clogs have nothing to do with floor drain backups. That can happen when: A sewer line has cracks or holes.

What do you need if your basement drain is backing up?

The best are automated solutions called “Backwater Valves”or “Backflow Preventers” A Backwater Valve automatically senses a reverse flow (water flowing the wrong direction and back into your home) in your main line and completely closes it off from the sewer system outside. This prevents your basement drain backing up.

What causes water to back up into drain pipe?

In other situations, the accumulated junk that washes into the drain line builds up, coats the inside of the pipe, and starts to restrict the water flow. When the restriction gets bad enough, water will back up into the building fixtures.

That’s because, as the lowest drain in your home, the floor drain will be the first place that wastewater can go when it can’t flow to the main drain and sewer line. So, with the main drain backing up, wastewater will continue to build up in the line until it overflows and backs up out of the floor drain.

Similar to drain line clogs, sewer line clogs will stop the flow of wastewater. With nowhere to go, wastewater will back up until it finds the nearest release point, which will be a floor drain or the lowest drain in a home. Sometimes, clogs have nothing to do with floor drain backups. That can happen when: A sewer line has cracks or holes.

The best are automated solutions called “Backwater Valves”or “Backflow Preventers” A Backwater Valve automatically senses a reverse flow (water flowing the wrong direction and back into your home) in your main line and completely closes it off from the sewer system outside. This prevents your basement drain backing up.

Why is my shower drain backing up in my basement?

In this case, usually due to high levels of rainfall temporarily raising the overall water table, the system will be overwhelmed. If the lowest drain in your basement (or other shower drain or toilet) is lower than this temporarily raised water level, you will find your basement drain backing up.