If the sewer pipes under your home are working properly, you shouldn’t have to think about them at all. But if they aren’t working properly, or even worse, if they backup and start leaking or stinking up your property, they will probably be all you can think about. And all anyone in your neighborhood can think about.

So if you want to avoid costly, and messy, sewer pipe repairs, then here are three common hazards to think about before your sewer goes haywire.

1. Tree Roots

Trees can help add beauty to your landscaping, and if done properly, even increase the value of your home. Unfortunately, tree roots are also the bane of sewer pipes the world over.

Before your DIY gardening project, find out where the sewer lines on your property run. And remember, a tree’s roots can grow three times the width of the tree’s branches. To spare yourself costly sewer line repairs, trees should be planted at least 10 feet from sewer lines, otherwise root intrusion could causes property damage and leaks.

2. Clogs, Debris, and Fatbergs

In London, the city’s unfortunate sewer workers found an 11-ton mound of congealed fat and debris, which the British tabloids dubbed “fatberg,” clogging up the city’s centuries-old pipe system. The photos from the camera drain inspections were so disgusting, they went viral the world over.

Stateside, most sewer lines aren’t quite so old, and it takes much more than paper or other common debris to clog up a residential pipe. However, not all children receive that memo early enough.

Many a plumber has been called to fix an emergency blockage only to discover that an unsupervised toddler has been flushing everything in sight. Make sure you teach any children in your house that the toilet is not a toy.

3. Ashes to Ashes, Rust to Rust

Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can do to prevent the last hazard on our list. Time destroys all things, and an aging sewer system will eventually need to be replaced. Fortunately, trenchless sewer pipe repair allows plumbers to replace old pipes without digging ugly trenches across your landscaping.

And if you are worried about aging pipes on your property, remember what consumer advocate Angie Hicks (yes, that Angie, of Angie’s List) says about sewer pipes: You should schedule an inspection of your pipes if your house is more than 40 years old.

You might not like to think about what happens after you hit the toilet flush, but a little bit of proactive thinking could spare you sewer pipe repair down the line down the pipe. Read more. Read more articles like this.