4 Signs of a Broken Sewer Line

Your home’s main sewer line is underground, making it challenging to identify a possible broken sewer line. As a result, minor damage can go unnoticed until it becomes a serious issue: What might start as a cracked sewer line can worsen into a collapsed line. Knowing how to detect a broken sewer line can save your property — and your wallet — from severe damage. 

What Is a Broken Sewer Line?

A broken sewer line describes damage to any portion of the pipe that carries wastewater from your home to the municipal sewer system. Age, corrosion, tree root intrusion, and other common sewer issues can all lead to a busted sewer line, resulting in foul odors and drain backups. In severe cases, a broken sewer line can cause wastewater to flood your property or back up into showers, tubs, and other fixtures, resulting in significant property damage and posing a risk to your health. Below are four signs of a broken sewer line:

1. Foul Odors Coming From Drains or Yard

You might not be able to see a sewer line problem, but there's a good chance you’ll smell it. The tell-tale smell of foul Sewer gas inside the home is a sign you may have a damaged sewer line, or at the very least, a sewer line clog that’s forcing gas back up through your drains. If you can smell sewage in your yard, you likely have a cracked sewer or otherwise damaged sewer line that’s leaking into the surrounding soil. 

2. Slow Drains or Frequent Backups in Multiple Fixtures

Occasionally, your toilet, kitchen sink, or shower may become slightly clogged. If slow drains or backups happen in isolation, the problem is usually a clog in the fixture’s drain line. When clogs happen frequently, especially in multiple drains, or if water is draining slowly throughout your home, you may be dealing with a main sewer line blockage. 

3. Unusual Lush, Sunken, or Soggy Patches in Your Yard

Do you have a lush green area in your yard, no matter how dry the weather gets? You may have a broken sewer line. Plants view sewage as a rich source of nutrients and quickly take advantage of a cracked sewer line by forcing their roots into the crack. Tree root infiltration is especially damaging, as the roots grow in the nutrient-rich wastewater, filling the pipe and causing clogs or further damage. 

4. Rodent or Insect Infestations

Animals in your pipelines? It’s quite a common occurrence. Rats, snakes, and insects can seek shelter in broken sewer pipes. Once inside the pipes, pests can cause further damage or enter the home by following the line back to your drains. People have had rats and snakes swim up through toilet drains, and cockroaches and sewer flies can enter homes through cracked sewer lines or separated pipe sections. Animals can also die and clog sewer pipes. If you see any signs of animals in your sewer lines, contact a plumber. In addition to damaging pipes, the pests also carry disease. 

How to Tell If Your Sewer Line Is Broken

The best way to tell if you have a broken sewer line is to have a plumber perform a camera sewer inspection. The plumber threads a waterproof video camera snake down the sewer line to identify the location of cracks, tree root infiltration, and other damage. Pipe inspection cameras are equipped with bright lights to illuminate the inside of the pipe and help reveal all types of damage. Monitoring your drains for frequent clogs, foul odors, and slow drainage also helps you determine if you have a damaged sewer line. 

Is a Broken Sewer Line Dangerous?

A broken sewer line is a danger to your property, your health, and the environment. Sewage spills contaminate groundwater and expose you to bacterial and viral infections. Direct contact with sewage can cause skin irritation and respiratory disease. Sewage gas can cause headaches, nausea, and, at high concentrations, respiratory distress and even death. 

How to Find Your Sewer Line in the Yard

• Look for cleanout access points (capped pipes or boxes) at the property line or close to your foundation. 
• Use pipe locators and devices that use electromagnetic fields to locate underground utilities. 
• Check with your city’s public works department or contact 811 for assistance.
• Consult with a plumber. Plumbers possess the necessary skills and resources to locate and trace sewer lines. 

What to Expect from Sewer Line Repair

Knowing what to expect from sewer line repairs helps you plan for the project. The location and extent of the damage determine whether you’ll need a complete line replacement or spot repairs to the sewer line. Generally speaking, here’s how a sewer line repair project goes: 

• A professional plumber inspects the line, using a video camera to identify damage and diagnose problems.
• Based on the assessment, the plumber will recommend either excavation to access the line or the use of less invasive pipe-relining or pipe-bursting repair methods. Pipe relining inserts a flexible, resin-soaked sleeve into the existing pipe. Once in place, air pressure inflates the sleeve until it cures in place to become a hardened new pipe to replace the old one. Pipe bursting involves using hydraulic pressure to pull a new pipe through the path of the old one, essentially destroying the old pipe as it is replaced with a new one. This process can be completed without requiring significant excavation. 
• If excavation is recommended, the sewer line is exposed either manually or using machinery. The trench is shored up for safety. Damaged pipes are then replaced or patched and repaired, depending on the extent of the damage. 
• Once repairs are complete, the trench is backfilled and cleaned up.

FAQs about Broken Sewer Lines

What happens if your sewer line breaks?

Busted sewer lines can result in flooding, mold growth, and exposure to harmful pathogens and sewer gas. A broken sewer pipe can damage landscaping or foundations and may attract pests.

How do you fix a broken sewer line?

Plumbers repair broken sewer pipes in two ways. Traditional excavation digs a trench to access the line. Trenchless repair techniques, such as pipe bursting or pipe relining, repair or replace the line with minimal excavation.

Does insurance cover a broken sewer line?

Review your policy to determine whether your homeowners insurance covers broken sewer lines, and if so, what types of damage are specifically covered. Damage due to age, wear and tear, corrosion, or tree roots is not always covered. Coverage for accidental damage is more common.

How much does it cost to fix a sewer break?

The cost to fix a sewer line depends on several factors: your location, the extent of the damage, and the type of repair methods used. Depth and length are also factors. Contact your local plumber to get a quote that’s accurate for your area. 

When to Call a Professional for Sewer Line Problems

Contact Roto-Rooter if you see any signs of a broken sewer line. Damaged lines worsen over time. By taking steps to repair a damaged sewer line now, you avoid more extensive and expensive repairs in the future. Give us a call, and we’ll provide an accurate assessment of your sewer line.