Sewer Line Guides
Every drain in the house empties into one sewer line. When it fails, every fixture feels it. These guides explain the warning signs and the repair options.
Sewer Guides
How a Sewer Backup Alarm Warns You Before Sewage Reaches the Floor
Rising wastewater trips the float or sensor in a sewer backup alarm, which then sounds an alarm, flashes a light or both. It does a different job from a backwater valve, and four steps follow when it goes off.
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Five Signs Your Sewer Cleanout Is Clogged and What to Do Before You Open It
Slow drains in several rooms, gurgling tubs and water at a floor drain all point to the main sewer line. Check the cleanout safely first. Some clogs clear with jetting; others need repair.
Four Vent Stack Symptoms That Point to a Blocked Plumbing Vent
Slow drains, sewer odors, gurgling and toilets that won't flush right can all trace back to the vent on your roof. Finding a blocked vent stack starts with knowing what it does.
Sewer Smell in the House: Where It Comes From and When It's a Safety Problem
Where and when you smell it narrows a household sewer smell to its source: a dry trap, a failing sewer line, a hidden leak or a blocked vent stack. At some point, sewer gas stops being a nuisance and becomes a safety problem.
Bathroom Smells Like Sewage? Six Causes, From a Dry P-Trap to a Failed Wax Ring
From a dry P-trap to a failed wax ring, most bathroom sewage smells trace to one of six causes. Some you can fix yourself. The rest need a plumber.
Unshielded Sewer Line Coupling: When a Rubber Coupling Works and When It Won't
An unshielded coupling is a rubber sleeve clamped over two pipe ends. It flexes to join pipes that don't line up, such as PVC to cast iron. That same flex lets it shift where the ground moves.