Your home’s sewer line can start to clog for any number of reasons, from tree roots growing into it to old toilet paper blocking it up. When this happens, you’ll need to prepare your home so that the plumber can come in and make the necessary repairs.
Follow these 5 tips to prepare your home for sewer repair.
1) Protect your Home for Sewer Repair
When it comes time to repair a sewer line, home and business owners are often concerned about how their flooring will hold up. Water damage is a real concern, but you can reduce its impact by taking simple precautions. First of all, if you don’t have a basement or crawl space under your house, consider renting storage units to put large furniture in so that they don’t get damaged while contractors are working on repairs. You may also want to have an alarm system installed temporarily until repairs are complete; water damage in crawl spaces can affect wiring without much warning.
2) Close Off Bathrooms
When planning sewer repair, it’s a good idea to close off any room that has access to plumbing. This includes kitchens and bathrooms, as well as areas under sinks. If you’re not sure what kind of repair you’ll be getting done, it’s best to assume there will be some disturbance of your plumbing lines during the job.
3) Keep Pets Away from the Work Area
When you’re in a rush, it can be tempting to set up shop right outside or inside of your home. However, working on a project while there are pets in and around can lead to confusion. Pets often end up on job sites and many of them don’t know their own strength. Be sure that you keep all pets away from work areas so as not to distract from important work or have any accidents occur.
4) Remove Personal Items from the Area
First and foremost, it’s important to remove any personal items from where repairs will be taking place. This includes furniture, decorations and valuables. Repairs are an inherently messy process that can cause damage if they aren’t properly handled. Leaving items in a repair area is also an unnecessary safety risk. Once you have removed these items, make sure they are kept somewhere safe while your sewer repair takes place.
5) Wear Protective Gear
Although sewer repair is often a messy business, it’s important that you take precautions so that you don’t expose yourself or others to harm. Wear protective gear such as rubber gloves and boots when you enter a sewer line so that contaminants don’t seep into your skin or lungs. Even if you wear special clothing, be sure to wash yourself off afterwards.
Conclusion
If you suspect that you have a clog in your sewer line, it’s important to act quickly. Not only can a clog cause significant damage to your home, but it can be downright dangerous.
