How Climate Change Impacts Sewer Line Maintenance Needs

Climate change is something that not only impacts the visible world but also the subterranean environment. This change is brought about by human activity and impacts various industries across the world, like the oil and gas industry, plumbing industry, and mining industry.

For instance, as per a news report, overflowing sewers caused an increase in gastrointestinal illnesses in the USA in 2024. These overflowing sewers were caused by various weather-related disasters that year. Naturally, such incidents severely affected the sewer lines and led to other issues apart from overflowing.

That’s why you should consider adapting your sewer line and sewer system maintenance strategies as per the relevant climate changes. Doing this will help you use your sewer lines for a long time.

Let us understand the effect of climate change on your sewers in detail below before we discuss how to adapt your strategies for maintaining your sewer line accordingly.

How Does Climate Change Impact Sewer Infrastructure? 

Climate change in the form of extreme rainfall impacts sewer infrastructure in many ways. It causes flooding, soil erosion, and pipe displacement. It also damages existing pipes and causes cracks.

Let’s explore how below.

Extreme Rainfall and Erosion

The USA has sanitary, combined, and municipal storm sewer systems. Let’s explore their differences briefly in the table below. 

Table: Types of Different Sewer Systems in the USA

Climate change in the form of extreme rainfall impacts them by leading to an overflow of wastewater into the soil surrounding the area, which leads to erosion and contamination. The contamination of the soil causes skin diseases if plumbers come into contact with it. They also cause cracks.

But extreme rainfall is not the only sign of climate change that affects sewer pipes. Let’s explore the other factors below. 

Heatwaves and Pipe Degradation

A rise in extreme heat is also responsible for damage to your sewer pipes. That’s because heat makes PVC or PEX pipes soft and lose their shape over time. For instance, PVC pipes warp and melt at temperatures higher than 158 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Alternatively, PEX pipes cannot withstand temperatures higher than 90 degrees Celsius or 203 degrees Fahrenheit. Metallic pipes corrode and warp due to extreme heat. This corrosion can lead to a weakening of the structural strength of the pipes, which can lead to leaks. Metal pipes are also prone to degradation from exposure to sunlight.

Freeze-Thaw Cycles and Root Intrusions

The transitions between winter and spring also have an impact on sewer health. During winter, the cold temperature freezes the pipes completely. This freezing causes the water inside to freeze as well, which leads to blockages.

Apart from that, when the pipes freeze, they also cause shifts in the ground to shift, which can lead to a pipe misalignment. During the transition period between winter and spring, the frozen pipes begin to thaw. Some pipes may crack due to the thawing because of the temperature difference.

The cracks in the pipes can lead to leaks or overflowing of wastewater and/or stormwater, depending on the sewer type. Another impact of the change in weather is the growth of tree roots. They grow due to the influence of warm moisture and water.

So, how do you update your sewer pipe and sewer line maintenance strategies to tackle these changes? Let’s explore below.

How Sewer Line Maintenance Strategies Are Evolving in Response to Climate Change?

Modern plumbers are using various strategies to combat climate change. Let’s understand them below.

Strategies To Prevent Flooding

Plumbers are using devices like video inspection cameras and leak locators to tackle the flooding caused by extreme rainfall. They use these cameras as part of their septic tank, line, pipe, and septic sewer system maintenance plans.

Using Video Inspection Cameras

They use video inspection cameras to inspect the sewer lines for possible blockages and clogs, tree root intrusions, and pipe damage. There could be various reasons for blockages and clogs inside the sewers.

Blockages are caused by grease, soap spuds, hair, blood, sanitary hygiene products, chewing gum, or other objects. These objects restrict the water flow inside the sewers, which causes water to back up.

Tree roots are another reason that can affect sewers by blocking the water flow and causing cracks. They can cause cracks when they grow during the transition between winter and spring. These cracks can cause the water to overflow or flood the sewers when it rains heavily. Plumbers also use video inspection cameras to detect possible signs of corrosion in pipes.

Using Leak Detection Systems

Plumbers use leak detection systems to combat and prevent leaks, which can worsen during flooding. They use different leak detection systems, like spot leak, cable-based, wireless, and ultrasonic detectors.

Spot leak detectors are placed at places prone to leaks, like pipes or sewers near growing trees, or near sump pumps. These detectors can be combined with a Wi-Fi-enabled network to send either basic buzzer alarms or direct messages.

Cable-based leak detectors are placed around the sewer systems. They are useful for monitoring large areas. They place these detectors in the foundations near the buildings. That’s because extreme rainfall can cause the foundations to crack or soil erosion.

Wireless detectors use Radio Frequency signals to send messages in case they detect leaks. They can also detect the exact location of the leaks. Ultrasonic detectors use ultrasonic waves to map the flow of water inside the sewers and send alerts when they detect water. 

Strategies To Prevent Drought 

Plumbers use soil moisture sensors to map the amount of water present in the soil. In case the plumbers find that the soil is dry or does not have enough water, they alert the relevant authorities. These authorities irrigate the area accordingly to prevent extreme dryness and heat from cracking the pipes. They also use eco-friendly trenchless techniques like CIPP to replace broken pipes.

CIPP refers to Cured In Place Pipes, wherein plumbers use a textile liner and liquid resin combination to seal any leaks. This combination hardens to create the seal and prevent pipes from cracking again. Another technique is trenchless pipe bursting. It involves plumbers pushing a bursting head through the old pipe. This bursting head expands and causes the old pipe to crack. After that, the new pipe is inserted in its place. 

Using these sensors and trenchless techniques helps plumbers prevent costly sewer pipe maintenance requirements in the future.

Strategies To Prevent Cold Climate-Based Changes

Plumbers use heated jetting systems to clear stubborn blockages and clogs in sewers, which solidify over time. The heated water also helps the pipes thaw gradually over time and prevents them from freezing.

Another benefit of hydro jetting is that it removes the presence of tree roots from the sewer lines. Apart from hydro jetting, plumbers also use heated cables as part of sewer drain maintenance. These heated cables prevent the sewer lines or pipes from freezing. They are easy to install and quite flexible, making them useful for large sewer systems.

Wrapping Up

Climate change is a serious issue that can lead to further damage to the plumbing industry if not tackled in time. For your part, you must thoroughly understand the issues with your current sewer line, pipe, drain, or septic tank is facing.

You can understand this by using the detection mechanisms or devices we’ve mentioned above. Once you understand that, you can use the right sewer pipe, drain, or sewer line maintenance plan to tackle them. 

Ready To Stay Ahead of Climate-Driven Plumbing Challenges?

Contact us today to learn how our tools and systems to keep your sewer lines, drains, pipes, and septic tanks healthy. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why Is It Important to Maintain a Sewer Line?

Ans. A sewer line carries sanitary wastewater and stormwater, or just sanitary wastewater. The wastewater is often rich in organic materials, bacteria, and contaminants. So, if not maintained properly, then it can contaminate the environment. 

Q2. Which Type of Climate Change Affects Sewer Pipes the Most?

Ans. Climate change, like extreme heat due to heatwaves and heavy rainfall, causes sewer pipes to crack and overflow, respectively. That’s why you should have an effective sewer pipe maintenance program in place to tackle these conditions.

Q.3 Which Diseases Does Climate Change Due to Extreme Rainfall Cause When It Impacts Sewer Lines?

Ans. It causes a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, skin infections, and diseases like cholera or dysentery.

Q4. Is It Better to Use Cable Leak Detectors or Wireless Leak Detectors to Detect Leaks and Prevent Flooding?

Ans. It is better to use wireless leak detectors to detect flooding since you can avoid the logistics of installing the wires and placing them in a specific area.