How To Identify a Broken Drain Pipe in Ridgewood, NJ

The last thing any homeowner in Ridgewood wants to deal with is a broken drain pipe. Busted drain pipes are smelly, messy, and an all-around major headache that you’ll want to have fixed ASAP.

Drain pipes can crack because of tree root intrusion, joint displacement, a shifting foundation, corrosion, and simple old age. Learn how to ID a broken drain pipe below, then call us for expert plumbing services in Ridgewood, NJ.

Nasty Odors

Take a good sniff as you walk around your home. If it smells like a porta potty but 10 times worse, chances are good that you’re dealing with a broken drain pipe.

Busted drain pipes give off an unmistakable sewage smell that many describe as the odor of rotten eggs. You might notice this odor anywhere in your home, but it’s easiest to detect in low-lying areas, such as the basement.

Sewage Backflow

There’s probably nothing more disgusting than raw sewage backing up in your shower or bathtub. If you spot sewage in the tub or waste comes back up when you flush the toilet, you probably have a broken drain pipe. Serious clogs can cause sewage backflow, too.

It goes without saying, but sewage is a serious health hazard, so don’t try to clean it up yourself. Call the pros at Gladiator Services instead.

Clogged Plumbing Fixtures

One clogged fixture isn’t necessarily a big deal, but if you’ve got multiple clogs throughout your home, that’s a telltale sign of a cracking drain pipe. Typically, several clogged fixtures point to a problem with your main drain line.

If all of your sinks, toilets, and showers are clogged, it’s wise to call a plumber right away. The longer you ignore clogs, the worse the cracks in your drain pipe are going to get.

Saggy Pavement

If you step outside and notice that a portion of your sidewalk or patio is caving in, there may be a broken drain pipe lurking beneath the pavement. When a drain pipe breaks, it saturates the soil with wastewater, causing the concrete above to sag and shift.

Sagging pavement can be a dangerous tripping hazard, so call us to get your drain pipe fixed now.

Sudden Grass or Weed Growth

You’ve always wanted a lush green lawn, so maybe it doesn’t bother you too much when yours seems to grow a couple of inches overnight. “Must be that new fertilizer,” you may think.

We’re sorry to rain on your parade, but sudden grass or weed growth is a big sign of a broken drain pipe. If a certain patch of grass looks taller and lusher than the rest of your yard, a busted pipe is the likely cause (unless you’ve been watering that spot a lot lately).

Rodents in Your Ridgewood Home

Got mice or rats and you’re not sure where they could possibly be coming from? If you’re certain that you sealed up all entry points, those critters may be infiltrating your home through a broken drain pipe. You’ll need to call a plumber as well as a good exterminator.

A Cracking Foundation

Cracked drain pipes can leak hundreds of gallons of water into the soil in just days. Left unaddressed, that moisture can seep into your foundation, causing it to crack. You might see large cracks snaking across your driveway, sidewalk, or patio.

Stop the Leakage, Call for Broken Drain Pipe Repair in Ridgewood Now

If you suspect a broken drain pipe, don’t wait until the problem gets worse. Our experts at Gladiator Services can detect leakage, find the break, and repair or replace the broken section of pipe. Call us today for plumbing repair, furnace repair, and other HVAC solutions in Ridgewood.