Here’s Why Water Backs Up Into Your Tub

When you are using your tub you want a relaxing experience that is pleasant to both your eyes and nose.  Unfortunately, there are occasions when water and other liquids rise into your tub.  There are many reasons why this occurs and it is important to properly understand and learn how to prevent this from happening. 

Some kitchens and bathrooms are high-traffic areas in most homes, therefore people depend on their plumbing to function properly every day.  When your bathroom is out of commission it causes a large disruption to your daily routine.  

Dirty water coming back up through your drain is never a good thing.  It is even worse if there is sewage with dirty water.  The most common reason this happens is due to a clogged drain.  When you have a clogged drain it indicates there is a sewer issue that causes sewage backup through your bathtub drain.

If you’re having problems with your bathtub or shower, you can reach out contact American Home Water & Air today top-notch bathtub and shower repair services.

Warning Signs for a Clogged Drain

There are many warning signs you can be aware of when draining your bathtub.  The initial moment you should start to be concerned is when the water drains slowly after taking a bath or shower.  This is not normally a sign for an emergency, but it could indicate there may be a clogging issue.

Some common warning signs you should be aware of include:

 

• • Bubbling toilet water

• • Sewage smell from drains

• • Using washing machine

     

    • • Water appears in shower or tub

• • Flushing your toilet

     

    • • Water appears in tub or shower

All of these water occurrences can indicate either a minor or major plumbing or sewage line issue.  You should not waste time with your plumbing.  There are many reasons as to why your pipes are having issues.  

Reasons for Plumbing Issues

Backed up sewers can create large amounts of damage to your home.  Your walls, furniture, electrical systems, floors, and belongings are all impacted with plumbing issues.  Some possible reasons for your issues include:

 

• • Aging System

• • Tree Roots

• • Main Blockage

• • Multipurpose pipes

The age of your pipe increases the likelihood of sewer backups.  The older your sewer lines are the increased likelihood of pressure and blockages.

Along with the age of the system, you also need to be aware of the purpose of your pipes.  When the pipes are multipurpose they handle excessive stormwater and raw sewage from rainstorms.  Both can result in poor drainage and sewage backup in your basement.

Other considerations are understanding if your city’s sanitation system is backed up.  This is rare but can occur.   

How to Fix a Clogged Drain

You can fix your clogged drain through many differing ways.  You can provide a video inspection that determines the problem and analyzes the location of your pipes.  This inspection determines how bad the pipes have deteriorated and corroded over time.  Plumbing cameras are state of the art technology that offers a great way to determine how serious the problem is and fix it safely and efficiently.  

Fixing a clogged drain is serious and often a messy business.  You can investigate the problem and its seriousness through video inspection.  You can also perform a hydro jetting.  Hydro jetting effectively drains your clogged system.  When your pipes are draining water slowly, this shows there is an issue with buildup within the pipes.

You can purchase enzyme plumbing cleaner to help unclog your pipes, but these chemicals often cause more harm than good. The harm these chemicals can cause is damaging your septic tank system.  By using a hydro-jetting system you can clear your pipes without the use of harsh chemicals.

Pipe replacement is time-consuming and costly. Having a hydro jet clean the buildup in your pipes is more cost-effective that saves you excessive time and money buying cleaning supplies.

Detailed Clog Cleaning Techniques

You can also use a snake to clean your drains.  A snake drain cleaning tool is a long metal cable. This metal cable is twisted into spirals at the end that performs with more flexibility.  It is a low tech tool that does not require advanced training or understanding to use correctly. 

To use this tool you must put it down your drain to help break up any blockages within your pipes. This helps with small clogs that are found in your drain, these can be toys or shaving items.

If these are not working to clear up your bathtub drain you can also invest in the mainline replacement.  This involves a clog within the root of your mainline.  The most common causes are tree roots or debris that twisted in the line that leads to your septic tank.

To help ease this issue you must use trained professionals that can dig out your mainline and replace it with one that is not filled with tree roots that clog up your pipes. Proper plumbing function is essential to healthy living that provides peace of mind.  

What is Dirty Water?

Dirty water refers to any water that was used previously and is not clean.  The many types of dirty water include:

 

• • Blackwater

• • Brown Water

• • Greywater

All of the listed types of dirty water can be found when water runs back up through your pipes.  The pipes in your sink, toilet, and bathtub all feed into your sewer line.  When the water comes back up, sewage may also accompany the water and create many sanitation problems.

Problems relating to water coming back up through your pipes are both a sanitation and health issue.  It must be addressed and solved promptly.  Your dirty water issues are in direct relation to your sewer line.  

What is a Sewer Line Problem?

When there is a sewer line problem it is directly related to your toilet, sink, bathtub, or shower.  Sewer line clogs are considered plumbing emergencies that require immediate attention.  There is often the result of wastewater or raw sewage backing up into the household plumbing.  

When this happens you should not use any of the plumbing in your home due to possible contaminations that pose significant health risks.   Some reasons for a sewer line clog include:

 

• • Tree roots

• • Flushed items

     

    • • Toys

• • Grease buildup

If a blockage in the main sewer line is the cause of water backing up into the bathtub you should call a bathtub shower plumbing professional to assess your issues.

You should be aware that when dirty water occurs, you cannot solve it by using a plunger.  Plungers do not solve the problem and can aggravate the situation more.  When there is a sewer line contamination it requires assistance from a professional.

Only a professional plumber can fix a tree root that has collided with your pipes and repair the issue.  Having a clogged sewer line requires immediate assistance that you cannot fix on your own.  

When Bathroom Water Backs Up into the Tub

If your bathroom sink produces dirty water in your bathtub, your sewage line is compromised.  This occurs because all of your household drains are directly connected to your main sewer line.  This means that every drain is tied directly to a central drain pipe that runs from your home.  This central drain pipe connects to your city’s sewer system or your septic tank.

If there is a problem, then all of your drains from your kitchen, bathroom, sinks, showers, and tubs are connected.  This increases the seriousness of the issue because there is a clogged pipe it might not necessarily be an isolated incident.

If it is an isolated incident it makes the problem easier to fix, but if it is not, then you could have multiple clogged pipes.  When you have a clogged sewer line, this underground line is blocked and can be costly and timely to fix.  

How to Improve the Quality of Household Pipes

When you wash your hands, use the toilet, or wash your clothes you often do not examine the process of each task.  If you are trying to improve the health and sustainability of your pipes you need to create a few habits.  You need to always remember to:

 

• • Only flush toilet paper

• • Do not put dump grease into your kitchen drain

• • Do not put too much waste in your garbage disposal

The listed suggestions are helpful tips in preventing any unnecessary pipe build up.  When you are using your toilet you should never flush any feminine products, wet wipes, cotton balls, or swabs.  They will clog your pipes and reduce the functionality of your pipes.

Along with only using toilet paper, you should never dump fatty substances down your kitchen drain.  When cooled these substances build up over time and clog your drains.  Also, make sure you are not overstuffing your garbage disposal.  You should only put small amounts of food at a time.

Along with small amounts of food, you should also make sure none of the food turns to a gummy texture when ground up.  This increases the odds of having pipe and health issues.