Blocked drains are smelly, messy and unsightly. But even worse than that, they can cause your house to sink into the ground, albeit slowly. This phenomenon is called subsidence. Although subsidence progresses slowly, the gradual damage, such as cracks and warped windows and doors, can lead to costly repairs.

Subsidence Occurs When the Soil is Disturbed

Some common causes of subsidence are tree roots growing too close to a house, heavy rain, and, of course, blocked or leaking drains. Under normal conditions, the soil under a building is compact. This allows buildings to remain flat and stable. But if that soil is disturbed in some way, either through movement caused by tree roots or water saturation caused by a blocked drain, buildings begin to sink.

A Blocked Drain Causes Water Buildup on Your Property

Whether your bathroom drain is blocked or your stormwater drain is blocked, the result will eventually be the same — water saturation under your building. Blocked drains eventually begin to leak water into the space under your home. A buildup of water under your home could wash the soil away from your foundation or saturate the soil so much that it softens.

Drains should wash water away from a building, but when they can't, subsidence will eventually occur. This is why you should always hire a plumber to clear your blocked drains as soon as possible. The longer you leave a blocked drain, the higher the chance of subsidence occurring. Subsidence can cause catastrophic damage to a building.

A Blocked Drain Can Create a Termite Paradise

Subsidence can open the door to termites. And termites are abundant throughout Australia. A blocked drain will also attract termites because it creates the ideal conditions for termites to thrive in. Termites love moisture and warmth. The humid and wet conditions under a blocked and leaky drain could attract termites to your home. But that's not all.

Subsidence can crack your home's foundation. All a roving termite needs to gain entry to your home, from the soil, is a tiny crack. Once they have that, they can summon the rest of the nest, and your home could then suffer termite damage as well as subsidence damage.

Blocked drains can cause massive damage to a building if left untreated for too long. If your drains are slow or one of them is blocked, take action today. Call a plumber to unblock your drains and save your building from the ravages of subsidence.