Sewage in the bathtub? Here’s what you can do about it.
Are you getting a foul odor from your bathtub accompanied by murky water? Since it’s not a very common occurrence, you might not pay too much attention to this. However, if sewage comes up through your bathtub, it could indicate a very serious underlying problem. Not only does it create a foul stink all over your house, it renders your bathtub useless and could disrupt activities such as bath time with children. It’s important to solve and nip this issue in the bud before it crops up again.
The main fault of this occurrence lies in your sewer line. Your bathtub is not the culprit. It all boils down to the pipes underneath your tub. When everything in your plumbing is functioning properly, it’s your bathtub’s job to completely drain your shower and tub out, and the wastewater goes into your sewage system. Each plumbing element in your house has individual pipes until they meet in the main sewer line, and this line takes the waste outside, to your city’s sewage system.
You can see how important the main sewer line is in the grand scheme of things. In case it malfunctions, this affects all your other pipes as well. If there is some blockage in the main sewer line, and things don’t drain as they should, the line starts working backward and you’ll see murky water in your bathtub.
Ways to fix or get your sewer line fixed
With raw waste and other forms of wastewater going through your pipes every day, the debris could build up and cause an obstruction in your main sewer line. There are some DIY methods that you could attempt at home, but we highly suggest calling in professional plumbers such as Octopus to take care of this for you. You don’t want to make a mistake and cause issues in your entire plumbing system.
Turn the water off
When you see the murky water in your bathtub, the first thing you need to do is turn your main water supply off. It’s already probably smelling quite badly, and this will ensure that more water doesn’t leak into your tub. Always keep the location of your main valve for water shut-off in mind, so that you don’t have to keep looking for it during times of crisis.
If you can empty the sewer waste right outside your house, remove the cap of the sewer cleanout line, and ensure that you dissolve any clogs or blockages outside the drain.
Checking the vent pipe
In some situations, your vent pipes get blocked, causing clogs, and your sewer line can’t drain properly. If you’re staying in a villa, you might find your vent pipe in the roof, right above your bathroom. Try to make the lighting as bright as possible and investigate for blockage reasons. Using a retrieval tool, you can force back obstacles or clogs.
If you don’t know where your vent pipe is, then leave it to the professionals. This whole process requires an expert’s touch to complete and you shouldn’t do it on your own if you aren’t confident.
Drain snake
Drain snakes are lifesavers when it comes to clearing out sewer lines. For it to work on the main sewer line, you must push it down the toilet. Make sure to do it carefully, as you don’t want any scars or marks on your toilet. When you’ve reached the maximum limit, pull it out completely while twisting it. This is the first step of the clearing process.
Up next is your shower drain. Take off the cover and then use the drain snake to push it all the way through the drain. Then twist it off for the debris to come along with it. If all goes well, the clog will go away, removing any blockages and ensuring a smooth drainage process.
Call in professionals
If you’ve tried the above methods and nothing works, you will need to call in professionals. As mentioned, we also suggest calling in experts in the first place as they would know exactly how to solve the problem at hand. Experts at Octopus will diagnose why you’re having drain problems or murky water in your bathroom, and get rid of the blockage or clog. You can place your trust in us!
Wait! So what causes blockages in the first place?
While we’ve given you ways to tackle sewage in the bathtub, what causes these clogs to begin with? There are several common elements that cause blockages in most plumbing pipes.
These include:
- Hair is one of the biggest reasons for blockage. To solve this, make sure to wear a shower cap on days when you aren’t washing your hair. Drain stoppers are very effective solutions as well, keeping out long hair from entering your drains.
- Food that isn’t disposed of properly can find its way into your sewer line, especially from your kitchen’s washbasin or dishwasher, leading to clogs.
- Grease from your cooking dishes and other fatty elements can cause drain clogs and aren’t easy to remove either.
- In your outdoor pipes, rocks, dirt, twigs, and more can go past the sewage line and cause a blockage.
- Smaller objects can miraculously come into your sewer line and cause blockages. This includes pieces of bar soap, toys, jewelry, and more.
What are the early signs of a sewer line blockage?
- If water is draining super slowly from the drains, it’s a sign that your main sewer line is blocked. Drains that are lower in the house get hit the most, and floor drains might show signs of leakage.
- Excessive gurgling is another symptom. Any noise emanating from the drains or toilets are signs that there is a blockage in your sewer line.
- Too much clogging in various pipes is another sign that your sewer line is in trouble.
- Your sewer cleanout pipe is usually located in your home’s exterior, and when you open that, the waste should clear out. However, if there are already leakages or wastewater surrounding this, it’s a sign that your main sewer is clogged too.
- If water crops up from one appliance to the next, for example, a kitchen sink bringing back soapy laundry water, or dirty toilet water coming up from another source, this means that there are blockage problems.
We’ve told you all there is to know about sewage in the bathtub!
It’s so important to get your pipes checked at least twice a year so that small problems don’t pile up and mount into big ones, such as your main sewer pipe getting blocked. In some situations when the problem is left for the last minute, it leads to high long-term repair costs or complete replacement costs too.
What you need is experts such as Octopus who can maintain your home’s plumbing system annually. Apart from plumbing, we also offer maintenance services such as solving electrical issues, AC checks, and repainting. Including all of these into your annual maintenance contract keeps your home safe, sound,, and protected.
Call our toll-free number 800 3993 for more information and our representative will get back to you.
