There’s nothing quite as unpleasant as going about your morning routine and suddenly noticing your bathtub is backed up with…sewage. Yuck! That foul, stomach-churning smell is enough to make anyone gag. If you’ve dealt with this disgusting situation in your Seattle home, you know just how stressful and messy it can be. But don’t panic – this nasty plumbing problem has some common causes that can be fixed once you get to the bottom of it.
In this blog, we’ll break down the possible culprits behind that sewage gurgling up through your tub drain. From clogged main sewer lines to failed ejector pumps and other usual suspects, you’ll learn how to identify what’s likely behind your backup. We’ll also cover the risks of letting sewage fester (double yuck), the first steps you should take to contain it safely, and tips for avoiding any future backups from ruining your day. No one should have to deal with that stench if they can help it! Let’s get you back to enjoying showers sans sewage.
What Causes Sewage to Back Up in Your Bathtub?
So what could be making that absolutely vile sewage come spewing up through your bathtub drain? As gross as it is, there are actually several typical reasons this nasty situation happens. Figuring out the root cause is key to getting it fixed right.
Clogged Drain Pipes
One of the most common culprits is a clogged drain pipe. Over time, things like food bits, hair, grease, and other gunky buildup can create a total blockage deep in your pipes. With nowhere else to go, the sewage has no choice but to back up through your tub or shower drain. Disgusting.
Tree Root Infiltration
You might not believe it, but those big tree roots growing under your yard can actually bore into sewer pipes and cause clogs. As they spread out, roots find tiny cracks and pipe joints to sneak into, eventually filling up the whole line.
Collapsed or Broken Sewer Line
Sewer pipes don’t last forever, especially older ones. Whether from age, ground settling, or nearby construction rattling things, these pipes can crack, break or totally collapse over the decades. When that happens, sewage has nowhere to flow out properly and your bathtub becomes an unwanted exit.
Heavy Rain or Flooding
When we get crazy heavy rain or flooding, municipal sewer systems can get overwhelmed fast. If too much water is trying to make its way through those main sewer lines at once, it can force sewage to reverse course and back up into your home’s pipes.
Main Sewer Line Blockage
Sometimes the clog isn’t even happening on your property at all. If there’s a major blockage, break or clog in your city’s main sewer line that your home’s pipes connect to, that could be what’s forcing sewage to find a way out through your bathtub.
As absolutely revolting as a sewage backup is, the silver lining is most of these typical causes are fixable once you get a professional plumber to properly diagnose and conduct the correct sewer repair. Don’t let it fester – the longer sewage sits, the worse the headache gets.
How to Identify the Source of the Problem
Alright, so you’ve got sewage backing up into your bathtub and you want to get this nasty situation fixed pronto. The first step is figuring out what is actually causing this mess. Here are some tips for identifying the likely culprit:
Check Your Drains First
Before assuming it’s some huge sewer line catastrophe, do a quick check of all the drains in your home. If it’s just your bathtub backing up and other tubs, sinks, and toilets seem all good, you might just have a clogged drain pipe isolated to that bathroom. Try snaking it or using some baking soda and vinegar to clear it out.
Look Around Outside
Next, go take a peek around the area where your home’s sewer line runs underground. If you notice any raised ground, sinkholes forming or indentations, that could mean a collapsed or broken pipe below. Patches of crazy green lush grass over the pipe’s path can also signal tree roots have infiltrated.
Listen For Gurgling
Another giveaway is keeping an ear out for any gurgling, burbling sounds coming from your tub or toilet when water’s running. That backing up into the pipes is a telltale sign of a blockage somewhere in the sewer line.
Check After Heavy Storms
Sewage backups tend to happen more often after we get absolutely drenched with heavy rain that may have overwhelmed the city’s sewer systems. If you notice it happening during or right after a major downpour, chances are that’s likely the cause.
Follow Your Nose
As unpleasant as it is, sometimes following your nose can lead you right to the source of a sewage problem. If you get whiffs of that signature rotten smell outside around your yard or near the sewer line, there’s probably a break or clog in that area.
If you’ve gone through all these steps and still can’t pinpoint the problem, it’s probably time to call in a pro plumber. They’ve got specialized camera inspection tools to get eyes directly on the pipes and find the exact location and cause of that backup.
Potential Risks and Consequences
As gross and inconvenient as a sewage backup is, ignoring it or putting off getting it fixed can lead to some seriously messed up consequences down the line. This ain’t just a little annoyance you can let linger, trust us. Here are some of the major risks of letting sewage keep on festering:
Health Hazards
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first – raw sewage has all kinds of nasty bacteria, viruses, and other bio-hazards that can make you and your family deathly ill. Exposure to that contaminated water can cause gnarly stuff like E.coli, hepatitis, stomach issues and respiratory infections. Little kids and elderly folks are especially vulnerable to this crap. Not something to mess around with at all.
Structural Damage
The more sewage just sits there, the more it’ll start corroding and eating away at structural elements in your place like floors, walls, even foundations over time. The crazy moisture also creates a perfect breeding ground for toxic black mold and mildew that’s an absolute nightmare to get professionally removed.
Environmental Pollution
If the sewage manages to get outside through cracks or drain areas, it can leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater. This spreads biohazards and chemical nasties that are super harmful to plants, animals, local ecosystems and just everything really.
Foul Odors
We don’t need to explain this one – the stench of raw sewage is absolutely putrid and unbearable. It quickly makes any living space totally unlivable and that rotten smell just gets exponentially worse the longer it lingers. Not something you want sticking around.
Decreased Property Value
Any prospective home buyers will run for the hills if there are signs of previous sewage damage or contamination on a property. Even smaller backups that weren’t properly cleaned and resolved can seriously devalue a home’s worth.
Sewage backups need to be treated as a legitimate emergency that requires immediate professional attention to avoid catastrophic headaches. Putting off repairs or trying a quick amateur fix frequently leads to way bigger costly nightmares down the road. Don’t let that nasty crap keep festering!
Immediate Steps to Take When You Notice a Sewage Backup
So you went to take a nice relaxing bath and instead got punched in the face with the absolutely rancid stench of sewage coming up from the drain. Don’t panic, but also don’t just ignore it! When you’ve got a sewage situation happening, it’s important to act quick to prevent any further nasty mess. Here’s what you’ll want to do right away:
Cut Off the Water
As soon as you realize what’s going on, stop using any water sources like sinks, showers, washing machines, toilets – the whole nine yards. Using them is only going to force more sewage backup into your home. If you can, shut off the main water supply to your house to be extra safe.
Clear Out
Get everyone out of any affected rooms immediately, including pets. Sewage water is just downright disgusting and loaded with harmful bacteria and germs. You don’t want anyone breathing in those fumes or risking contact.
Air It Out
Once the area is clear, open up all the windows and doors you can to get some fresh airflow going. The sewage reek is no joke and you’ll want to try diluting it as much as possible while you wait for help. Running fans can also help exhaust some of those foul odors.
Call a Pro
Don’t even think about trying to fix or clean up a sewage backup yourself! That’s just asking for trouble. Call an experienced plumbing professional right away to come assess and properly deal with the situation. Sewage is their thing, not yours.
Gear Up
If for some reason you absolutely must go into the sewage zone before help arrives, suit up with protective gear like rubber boots, gloves, and a respirator mask. Sewage exposure can seriously make you ill, so don’t risk it.
The name of the game is taking swift action as soon as that sewage starts backing up its nasty self. The quicker you get a plumber out to diagnose and fix the root issue, the better chance you have of limiting damage and avoiding even bigger headaches down the line. Let the pros handle this one!
A Trustworthy Partner for Sewage Backups in Seattle
When sewage comes gurgling up through your bathtub or shower drain, it’s hard not to feel a little panicked. The foul stench alone is enough to make your stomach turn. But don’t worry, you’ve got a partner you can count on in Seattle to make that nasty mess disappear – Gene Johnson.
As a locally-owned plumbing company that’s been serving locals since 1976, Gene Johnson has seen and fixed just about every kind of sewage backup situation imaginable. Whether your issue stems from a clogged main sewer line, failed ejector pump, or something else entirely, our experienced techs will get to the root of it quickly.
What sets us apart is our commitment to top-notch customer service from start to finish. Gene Johnson will take the time to fully explain what’s happening in a way you can understand, no confusing plumbing jargon. We’ll lay out all your repair options transparently, with no surprise fees to worry about. You can trust our honest recommendations on what solution is best for your home.
While we work, we will treat your property with the utmost care and respect, safely containing any sewage mess. When we’re finished, that putrid backup will be just an unpleasant memory. You’ll have peace of mind it was resolved the right way to prevent any future issues.
So if sewage ever rears its ugly head again, don’t panic. Simply give Gene Johnson a call at (206) 792-7495 to get a partner you can trust on the job quickly. We’ll make sure that nightmare is cleared away for good!
