The first step a homeowner usually takes when experiencing a sewer backup, is hiring a local drain cleaner to clear the blockage. Many times it is as easy as utilizing a sewer snake and clearing a backed up pipe after thirty minutes of work. In other scenarios, the drain cleaner may spend hours trying to clear the sewer, while pulling roots out of the pipe with no success in clearing the pipe. The most common reason is a broken sewer pipe.
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Roots pulled from sewer |
Roots blocking sewer flow |
One of the most common locations for a broken sewer line is at the foundation wall of the building, sometimes it is inside the wall and in other cases it is a few feet out towards the street. The most cost effective way to repair this type of sewer break is from the inside of the building. You can avoid all of the cost associated with excavating on the outside, with no disturbance to your yard or sidewalk. The sewer contractor will start breaking the foundation wall to remove the broken pipe and begin tunneling a hole, while following the pipe towards the street. In many cases the contractor will also replace the sewer trap if it is in the same age and condition of the pipe being repaired.
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Corroded sewer trap |
New trap |
If the broken pipe exceeds the point of being repaired from the inside of building, the contractor must excavate on the outside of the building. The external excavation usually requires a backhoe, proper shoring of the hole and hand digging in the hole for the pipe repair.
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Excavating for sewer repair |
Repairing broken pipe |
There are many different scenarios and variables that may dictate where your sewer line needs to be repaired. Many drain cleaners will provide inaccurate information to the homeowner, which will result in wasted money on excavating in an area where the pipe is not broken. It is important to get a professional opinion on where your pipe is broken and exactly what it will take to resolve your sewer backups.
