Sewer Lines and Your Foundation

An acquaintance of ours is currently in the process of selling their home and, as is par for the course in such matters, an inspection was performed. One of the items that came out of the inspection was a suspected leak in the sewer lines leaving the guest bathroom. Of course, they called a licensed professional plumber who performed the requisite tests and did, indeed, discover there was at least one leak in the sewer system. Ultimately, the plumber had to drill through the foundation, find the exact placement of the leak, and fix it. In the end, the plumber found three (!) leaks, all of which were fixed without much drama.

In this particular case, the leaking sewer line had started to cause a slight upheaval in the soil. Had the leaks gone unaddressed for much longer, though, damage was almost certain to happen. Luckily for both the buyer and the seller, the sewer problem was discovered and fixed.

What makes sewer line problems so frustrating is that they're very hard to detect directly. Were the problem with a fresh water line, you'd see an increase in your water bill and you'd be curious. A sewer line leak isn't going to show up on your water bill or any other utility -- it just sits there under your foundation causing trouble.

So, what can you do? You can keep an eye for the typical signs of foundation problems and, if you think something is up (or down!), call a reputable foundation repair company (like Ace Foundation Repair>) and have them look at the situation. Odds are, they will be able to figure out why your foundation has problems. If it's related to the plumbing, then they'll recommend you contact a licensed plumber, who will fix the plumbing problem. Once that's done, the foundation can be fixed and then your home will be in good shape.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.