When you own your home, you know that repairs are inevitable. Houses get older and wear and tear takes its toll, causing the need for upgrades, replacements, and various fixes over the years. The one thing that every homeowner worries about from time to time is bad plumbing, or more specifically, collapsed drains.

Knowing the cost and time commitment involved in correcting collapsed drains is enough to make even the most steel-faced homeowner cringe. Thankfully, you can offset the damage done by being proactive, which means knowing the signs of issues before they get out of control. Here are 3 major signs that mean it’s time to check your drains:

You Have Frequent Sewage Backups

Having your bathroom floor covered in toilet water is not a fun experience and can be due to more than just a blockage. If your toilet backs up more frequently than usual — especially in the lower levels of your home — you might be dealing with a collapsed drain.

The reason this might happen in the lower levels of the home first is because they are the closest to the main sewer line. The collapsed drain causes the water to find other outlets, meaning it goes wherever it can — despite the inconvenience this causes you! If you’re having frequent backups, having your drains surveyed is a good idea.

Your Grass is Wet When it Shouldn’t Be

A collapsed drain can also cause changes to your lawn, depending on where the collapse has occurred. Damage to outside drains can cause dirt to enter the sewer line, soaking up the drain water like a sponge. This allows the water to saturate the ground, giving you a wet lawn around the area of the collapse.

If you’re seeing areas of wet lawn that shouldn’t be there or are even noticing puddles in certain places, it might be time to call in a plumber to assess your drains. They’ll dig down where the collapse has occurred and fix the line, giving you your lawn back as you like it: with no puddles!

Your Plumbing Makes Strange Sounds

Many people know the strange sounds that old plumbing makes, they vary from something that’s easy to tune out to downright disturbing! If you’re noticing new noises coming from your pipes that sound particularly odd, it’s possible that you have a collapsed drain.

Other signs that go along with the strange sounds include foul odours, gurgling sounds coming from the drains, or bubbling toilets. All of these indicate something out of the ordinary is going on with your plumbing and warrant a visit from a professional plumber.

Conclusion

Catching collapsed drains early on is your best bet for getting the situation resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible. If you’re noticing any of these signs or something about your plumbing just doesn’t quite seem right, call a licensed plumber to help repair your collapsed drains. They can help find the root of the problem and resolve it to ensure that all of your drains are working properly.