How To Tell If Your Sewer Line Is Broken in Franklin, TN

Does your house suddenly and inexplicably smell like the public toilet on Broadway during CMA Fest? Does water linger in drains throughout your Franklin home? These are telltale signs of an issue with your sewer line.

If you’re having problems like these, it’s time to call a trusted plumber in Franklin, TN. Learn how to tell if your sewer line is broken so you can call a plumber before it’s too late.

Seven Signs Your Franklin Home Has a Broken Sewer Line

Sewage pipes are buried underground, so it can be tough to know when something is amiss with yours without a professional camera inspection, but here are the warning signs to watch out for.

1. A Foul Sewer Odor

Do you smell a foul stench every time you flush the toilet or use the kitchen sink? If the smell lingers or worsens, there’s a possibility that your underground pipe has broken.

The odor might smell like human waste, sulfur, or rotting trash. Whatever the case, it makes your whole home smell downright awful.

Prolonged exposure or high concentrations of sewer gas can pose health risks. If you’ve got a nauseating odor wafting from your drains, call wastewater specialists.

2. Clogged and Slow Drains

Maybe you’ve got a sink or shower that takes forever to drain. You plunge the drain, and that fixes the problem, at least for a little while. But not long after, your drain is as slow as molasses yet again, indicating a major clog somewhere in your plumbing.

If you have slow drains throughout your house, it indicates that the clog is in the main line. You won’t be able to reach the blockage without professional help.

3. Sewage Backups

Are you wondering how to tell if your sewer line is broken? If you find sewage backing up in your home, you won’t wonder for long. Sewage backups are one of the most obvious signs that you’ve got a big problem with your main sewer line.

Sewage is full of bacteria that can seriously sicken you, so don’t try to solve this issue yourself. Call plumbers in Franklin, Tennessee, for assistance instead.

4. Gurgling Toilets

Gurgling can indicate airflow issues or blockages, and in some cases, may signal a problem in the sewer line. It’s normal for toilets to gurgle a bit after you flush them, but if the sound is loud and persistent, you probably have a blockage in the pipe. The sound occurs when water flows over an obstruction, such as tree roots or mud.

If you’re hearing gurgling noises, don’t ignore them. Contact a plumber to inspect your system ASAP.

5. Sinkholes or Foundation Cracks

One day, you notice a strange hole in your yard or a crack snaking along your driveway. You think it may just be the foundation shifting, but the hole or crack steadily gets worse. This is a major sign of breakage in your sewage connection.

Significant leaks from a broken sewer line can contribute to soil erosion beneath your foundation, which may worsen existing structural issues. The longer you wait to contact a plumber, the worse the damage will get. Stop wondering how to tell if your sewer line is broken and call now.

6. Lush Patches in the Lawn

Have you noticed a particular patch of your lawn that’s greener than the rest? Although Franklin homeowners appreciate a healthy green lawn, unusually lush patches indicate a serious issue with their wastewater system.

The grass turns greener because busted pipes leak waste that’s high in nitrogen, which acts as fertilizer for your lawn. Waste also contains moisture that causes your lawn’s growth to skyrocket.

7. Insects and Rodents in Your Home

Have cockroaches, flies, gnats, and rodents made their way into your home? To pests like these, a broken sewer line is like a flashing neon sign that says, “Come on in.” Pests are often attracted to the moisture and organic waste from leaking sewer lines, which can worsen infestations.

Some pests can breed and reproduce in as little as a few days, so call us ASAP before the infestation gets worse.