“Hurry up, young man! We’re late,” you yell to your son who’s getting ready for school. “Get your butt in that shower, NOW!”

You don’t hear anything. A moment later he screams: “HELP!”

You rush to see what’s wrong.

The smell assaults your senses. Raw sewage sludge lurches up from the drains in your toilet, sink, and shower— you gag.

“I just flushed the toilet. I didn’t do it, I swear!” he sounds frightened.

You just fell victim to a sewer line backup caused by a blocked sewer line.

Watch a sewer backup in action.

Bad Habits, Big Consequences

In the hustle of modern life, we know your plumbing doesn’t take center stage. So here’s the on-the-go version of what you need to know to prevent disasters like a sewer line backup.

Learn about the three plumbing-related habits you need to stop NOW! How many do YOU do?

RULE 1: Never Use Liquid Drain Cleaner

But wait, drain cleaner is sold in every grocery store nationwide (and on Amazon.) How bad can it be?

Very bad. Liquid drain cleaner can damage your pipes and injure your lungs.

Made of a strong acid or base, drain cleaner often destroys your pipes — as well as the clog it was meant to target. Every year, homeowners turn a small problem like a clog into a HUGE problem like a burst pipe.

a picture of a burst pipe

Plus, if you use the caustic chemical without proper ventilation, you can end up in the hospital.

Meet BIO BEN

Introducing our exclusive Bio Ben pipe clearing solution. Bio Ben uses natural microorganisms to destroy clogs—without endangering your health or the health of your pipes.

RULE 2: Never Flush Garbage down the Toilet

a picture of garbage in the toilet

Is this something you do? If so, you might be thinking: I flush toilet paper, why not something else?

Because toilet paper is meant to dissolve rapidly. Diapers or tampons? Not so much.

When flushed, those products often linger in your sewer pipe. If enough of them get stuck, it causes a blocked sewer line.

With the sewer line blocked, your waste has nowhere to go except…back from whence it came. Flushing trash is a major catalyst for the gag-inducing horror of a sewer line backup.

Think about raw sewage pooling in the sink where you wash your hands for dinner. Could you ever feel clean in a bathroom that you know was covered in inches of liquid feces?

”Flushable” products

Manufacturers love to market products as “flushable.” Unfortunately, the majority of those products are about as flushable as a cinder block.

Bottom line: Even if the packaging says otherwise, toss it in the garbage and be safe.

Rule 3: Never Pour Grease Down the Sink

an image of grease. something you should put down the sink

Many homeowners do this. Have you?

Hot grease may be a liquid when you pour it down the drain. It doesn’t stay that way. As it cools, grease turns into a solid — a tenacious one, at that.

Just like trash, that solid mass creates a sewer line blockage.

What to do instead?

Let excess grease cool-off in a coffee can and toss it in the trash.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Pleasantville to the Rescue

Do you have some bad habits? It’s A-Okay. You didn’t know.

Worried

Even if you’re guilty of all three, it’s never too late

The first step: contact us to perform a camera inspection on your sewer line.

If the line is clear, you lucked out. But you’ll feel relieved to have peace-of-mind.

If a blockage IS forming, we’ll clear it on the spot—you can’t beat that.

Follow these simple rules, and call us if you need back-up.

Need convincing?

Think about the cost and mess of a pipe bursting open.

OR

Taking your first shower after sewer line backup. Could you do it?

Let’s Recap

Now you know three sure-fire plumbing habits to avoid.

Never, ever:

  • Use Liquid Drain Cleaner
  • Flush Your Garbage
  • Pour grease down the sink

One more thing to remember: Contact us at (609) 604-8364 to schedule a sewer line inspection and to discuss all of your plumbing needs.