If you have sewage water coming up the bathtub drain, your problem is not as uncommon as you would initially think. This issue often results from blockages in the sewer line that can be stopped with a plunger or toilet snake.
The most common symptoms of this happening are increased water pressure and sewage odors at the sink. If you notice these symptoms within 48 hours and they don’t go away on their own, call an emergency plumber right away to avoid any further damage.
Why does this happen?
When your sewer line is working efficiently, the bathtub drains water directly into the sewer. When there’s a problem with the sewer, the pipes draining into it may be affected as well. Sewer water can come up through the bathtub drain when there’s a blockage that cannot be cleared by just plugging or snaking it. Sewage odors at your bathtub are common symptoms of this happening, as is increased pressure in your faucets.
When there’s an obstruction on the sewer line, waste that is not draining may come up the drain causing it to clog and overflow. Sewer water is usually the main symptom of this happening and can cause a lot of damage to your home if you don’t fix it immediately.
What may be obstructing your sewer?
The most common things that obstruct a sewer line are grease, hair, food, and other objects. Sewer odors near the bathtub may signify an obstruction in your sewer line or some damage to it, causing sewage water to leak up into your tub while you use it.
What other sewer issues should I know?
When a sewer line has been obstructed with grease, roots or fat, you may have sewage problems requiring professional attention from an emergency plumber.
Sewage odors at your sink or bathroom drain usually mean that there’s a block somewhere along the length of your house, so you will need to fix it as soon as possible because waste isn’t draining efficiently anymore.
How do I stall the sewage water?
If the sewer line is obstructed, you may be unable to clear it on your own. However, here are a few tips to stall the water before your plumber arrives:
Turn Off the House's Water Supply
It is important that you do this step accordingly to try and mitigate the flow of water throughout your house. In some cases, doing so can stop the sewage water entry thoroughly while in other circumstances, turning off the water supply will simply decrease the amount of water from the sewers that’s coming through the bathtub drain.
Open the Bathtub Drain
Flush the toilet after you have let all of your bathtub’s contents drain away, which will prevent further clogging until professional plumbing equipment is used to clear the piping system. If possible, turn off or direct each faucet, including sinks, showers, etc., around the house when they begin draining into this one main sewer line before turning off your home’s overall supply of running water.
This way, when you’re ready to use them again, there won’t be mounds of sewage building up behind walls already causing potential damage within your home’s systems. If too much pressure builds up, these pipes could burst, causing sewage water to overflow throughout your entire house.
Snake the Bathtub Drain if You Can
Using a snake or plunger if it can fit in the pipe without any obstruction is another way to dislodge whatever might be clogging your bathtub’s drain and cause it to unclog. However, this method usually only works for smaller debris that has made its way into the main sewer line, such as hair, food particles, etc.
This type of fix should allow some time while you wait on an emergency plumber with professional equipment/tools who will have no problem clearing out deeper blockages so Sewage Water won’t continue coming up anytime soon.
Why should you call the plumber to fix it?
If you have checked for blockages around where your sewer line comes out from under the house and cannot find one, your tub drain likely needs to be snaked or plunged. Sewage water coming up from the tub may also mean that the pipes in your wall have been damaged and need replacing. To fix this issue after you’ve tried plunging or snaking the bathtub drain, call for plumbing services for help replacing any broken pipes inside of walls so sewage won’t come up through them again anytime soon.
Furthermore, if you’ve tried snaking/plunging the drain and there’s still Sewage Water Coming Up, call an emergency plumber to fix it immediately because it likely means there’s damage being done behind walls that needs professional attention as soon as possible.
