(416) 231-3331
Sewer (drain) backup
The most common sewer backup cause is a sanitary service pipe blockage between the home and the City’s sewer main. From our master plumbers’ experience, soil settlement, misaligned joints, root infiltration, and pipe collapses are common causes of blockage. Sewer blockages can also be caused by cooking grease, tree roots, rags, or pieces of solid debris flushed down a household drain.
If you have a sewer blockage in your home or business, your floor drain will usually provide evidence that the problem is present within your sewer system. The sewage backup discharge will generally rise within the piping system, and discharge may appear around the floor drain. You can control the amount of backup by only using your plumbing fixtures once you have the sewers checked by a licensed plumber or a drain services contractor.
If your drain is blocked by debris
there are a few steps you can take to try and clear it:
1. Remove visible debris: If you can see the debris clogging the drain, try using gloved hands, tongs, or a small tool to remove it. Please be careful not to push the debris further into the drain.
2. Plunge the drain: If the debris is not easily accessible, you can use a plunger to create suction and dislodge the blockage. Please ensure enough water is in the sink or tub to cover the plunger, then place the plunger over the drain and vigorously pump it up and down several times. This can help to push or pull the debris out.
3. Use a drain snake or auger: If the plunger doesn’t work, you can try using a drain snake or auger. Could you insert the tool into the drain and rotate it to break it up or hook it onto the debris? Slowly pull it out, and the debris should come with it. Be careful not to damage the pipes while using the tool.
If none of these methods work or you need help with how to proceed, it’s best to contact a professional plumber. They have the expertise and tools to safely and effectively clear the blocked drain without causing further damage to the plumbing system.
Anta Plumbing 416-231-3331 and 905-332-1230
Blocked by roots pipe
Roots of nearby shrubs and trees, seeking moisture, will make their way into sewer lateral cracks. These roots can do a lot of damage. They may start out small, getting into a small crack in the pipe; but as the tree or shrub continues to grow, so does the root. This will eventually cause your sewer lateral to break, which in turn allows debris to become stuck in the sewer lateral, thus causing a backup. Please be careful about planting greenery around your sewer lateral.
When you have a sewer backup and suspect it may be caused by roots in pipes, you should call Anta Plumbing, which uses a range of methods to solve your problem. Video sewer inspection enables us to see exactly what is going on inside your drains lines. We can attach root cutting equipment to the CCTV drain inspection snake, which will cut off the roots as we progress through the line.
Read more information about roots in a sewer line and City Program to keep our city clean and full of trees.
How to clean after backups.
Cleaning and Sanitizing Drain Backup Overflow
Cleaning up after a drain backup overflow is critical, as drain pipes take the wastewater away from your home. This water may be from the kitchen sink, bathtub, basin, or toilet. Water that sits in the pipes before it overflows contains bacteria that may be harmful to your health and that of other people sharing the property. Anta Plumbing’s master plumber suggests these tips for cleaning up after a drain backup overflow.
- Drain all flood waters and/or sewage by natural draining or pumping.
- Remove dirt, soil, and debris from surfaces that came in contact with floodwaters.
- Wash down all walls, floors and surfaces that the flood water or sewage touched with clean, warm or hot water and a low suds detergent.
- Rinse again with warm or hot water.
- Sanitize by rinsing walls, floors, and surfaces using 1/2 tablespoons (tbs) of laundry bleach (i.e., Clorox, Roman Cleanser) in each gallon of water used.
- Air the area by opening windows or using fans.
- Prevent tracking flood debris and sewage into clean areas.
Toronto Restoration Services
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Anta Plumbing has working relationships with several Toronto-based companies. One of the companies we come into contact with is the Toronto flood sewer sewage backup cleanup company. Call Canada Restoration Services 416.649.0911 if you have experienced a sewage backup and need professional help in cleaning it up.
To find more information about R3 Toronto cleaning company visit our partner’s website at canadarestorationservices.com
Prevent backups – Master Plumbers’ Tips
Anta Plumbing’s experienced master plumbers have dealt with many blocked years over the course of their careers and offer these tips for avoiding drain backups:
- Avoid putting inappropriate objects into your plumbing system through toilets or drains.
- Make sure downspouts extend at least 1.8 meters (6 feet) from your basement wall. Also, be sure the water does not drain toward your neighbor’s basement walls. It should drain away from your house toward the street, rear yard, or back lane.
- Build up the ground around your house so that water drains away from your basement walls. Also, examine sidewalks, patios, decks, and driveways. These areas can settle over time and cause water to drain back towards your basement walls.
- Provide sewer service line maintenance from time to time. Call Anta Plumbing for video sewer inspection CCTV to check roots, blocked pipes, or misaligned joints. You will see all the details of the sewer service line condition on the color screen.
- Small blockages can be fixed by Drain Snaking. And you can prevent major damages to your basement just by snaking clogged parts.
- Keep floor drain clean and easy to reach. Don’t cover it with concrete slab or tiles, or carpet.
- Be aware of smells coming from your floor drain. If you notice a sewer smell, we suggest you please contact Anta Plumbing to check the condition of your sewer line.
- Clear water in a floor drain (in a trap) prevents any smell from the sewer line.