Another major problem is a clogged soil line, which can prevent sewage from traveling uninterrupted to the sewer or the septic tank. The reasons for the blockage are virtually endless. Tree roots can wrap themselves around the buried pipe and crack it.
Age can take its toll. Of course, homeowners can dump things into the drains that don’t belong in them. These can include tree branches (a homeowner once used the garbage disposal to chop one up), clumps of paper towels (they aren’t as biodegradable as toilet paper or tissues and tend to wad into a ball), and feminine napkins.
The warning on the box says that these sanitary products should not be flushed down toilets in houses with septic systems, but it says nothing about older houses with sewer lines. You may not do it, but if the last two homeowners did, you’ll end up paying for the problem.
Well, maybe not. We paid for previous owners’ abuse of our soil pipe, and the sewer service repairman showed us the clumps of san itary napkins that caused it. Our plumber, Marcel Paillard, who had recommended the sewer cleaner, suggested that I write to the maker of the sanitary napkins and see if I could get the cost of the cleanout reimbursed. I sent a letter and a copy of the invoice. I received a check for the full amount.
Clearing the soil line of any blockage can be costly, depending on how long it takes to find and clear the obstruction. The sewer cleaning company often will not guarantee the work after the line has been cleared, if it suspects that abuses that created the problem will continue.
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