Foul Smell Coming From Your Front Yard? It Could Be A Sewer Line Problem

When homeowners think about their home's plumbing, their minds often go to the indoor pipes that allow water to come in and leave the house. But there's more to it than that. There's also the sewer line, which resides outdoors. If you've been noticing a foul odor, like excrement or decay, coming from your front yard, it's a fairly strong sign that something is wrong with your sewer line. Here's what you need to know about this problem.

What The Sewer Line Is

The sewer line is a pipe with one job: to take the waste water from your home and channel it to the sewer. In most cases, the sewer line will exit from your house through the front yard and will head straight to the sewer entrance in the street in front of your home. Sewer lines typically do their job without any maintenance or care needed from the homeowner, but when something goes wrong with it, sewage can start to leak out and can lead to foul odors rising from the dirt.

How It Can Be Damaged

Sewer lines are strong and resilient, but that doesn't mean that they're invulnerable. There are a few distinct ways that they can become damaged.

• They're Old: Old sewer lines can start to corrode and crumble just from constant exposure to moisture over the decades. If you've never had the sewer line replaced in your home and your home is on the older side, this could be your problem.

• Earth Movement: The simple shifting of the earth over time can potentially cause a sewer line junction to crack, allowing waste to seep out.

• Tree Damage: Tree roots are notorious for digging into sewer lines in search of nutrients. When this happens, they can dig a hole straight into the side of a sewer line.

What to Do

If there's a problem with your sewer line, there's no two ways about it — you need to contact a plumber in your area. They'll be able to scope your sewer line with a camera and can then tell you which of the above problems is going on with your sewer line. Depending on their answer, your sewer line may need as little as a simple repair, or it could be a full-blown replacement. Only your plumber will be able to tell you for sure.

Sewer line problems are a nuisance, but ignoring them is a bad idea. Don't let your sewer line problem get worse. Get help today.