Renting or owning a mobile home can be much more affordable than living in a built house, but it does come with unique challenges. Because the properties in mobile home parks are so close together, issues like sewer line backups can affect multiple homes.
If you live in a mobile home, you should know what to do if you have a sewage backup on your property so you can keep your family and your neighbors safe. In this post, we’ll explain the common causes of sewer line backups in mobile homes and the best way to handle a backup.
Who Is Responsible for the Mobile Home’s Sewer Line?
First, you should know who is responsible for your mobile home’s sewer line: you or the park owner? This depends on who owns the home itself, who owns the plot of land, and what is in your lease agreement with the mobile home park. In most cases, the park owner should be responsible for the proper maintenance and repair of utilities to each lot; but you should carefully read your lease agreement to find out if that is the case for your home.
When it comes to a sewer line backup, it’s much more important to get it handled fast than to worry about whose responsibility it is, especially since you are the one who will have to live in the home until it’s repaired.
What Causes Sewer Line Backups in Mobile Homes?
There are three main reasons that a mobile home’s sewer line might back up:
- Poorly installed drain lines
If the sewage line connected to your mobile home flows uphill, it can create a “belly” in the line. This is when waste and water pool in the low point of the pipe because they cannot flow uphill, which can eventually cause the sewage to take the path of least resistance back toward your home. Proper installation of the drain lines at the right angle will prevent this problem from happening.
2. Freezing temperatures
Mobile home sewer lines can freeze during cold weather, which can cause the sewage inside to freeze as well and back up. Proper insulation of your drain lines can prevent them from freezing in cold weather and keep your home safe in the winter. Also, if you have a belly in your line, that belly can freeze up and then cause a backup.
3. Abuse of your drain lines
If mobile home residents flush things down their drains that they shouldn’t, it can cause a backup. This can include items and materials such as: paint, grease, tampons, pads, and non-flushable toilet wipes. Make sure you do not wash or flush these items down your drains because they can clog your sewage line and cost a lot of time and money to repair.
How to Handle a Sewer Line Backup in Your Mobile Home
If you have a sewage backup on your property, it is important to seek professional help immediately. Sewage backups can cause serious property damage and pose a health hazard to you, your family, and your neighbors, so fast action is vital for your protection.
The first step is to call your mobile home park’s maintenance to alert them of the problem. They may have a dedicated plumber who can come inspect the line and clear out the backup. While this is a good temporary solution, they may not find the exact cause of your sewer line backup—which means it could become a recurring problem for you and your family. If this is the case, you need to call an expert plumber to take care of the problem for good.
Call Rocketman Plumbing for Fast Sewer Line Repairs
If you’re dealing with a backed-up sewer line in your mobile home, you should call our technicians at Rocketman Plumbing. We offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas, and we have experience working with the unique plumbing systems in manufactured homes. Not only will our technicians clean out your sewer line, but we’ll also use a video scope to inspect the inside of your sewer line and diagnose the cause of the backup.
Call us at (505) 393-3498 at the first sign of a sewer line backup, and we’ll be there in a flash to take care of it for you and your family.