A homeowner in Jamaica queens had finally reached his breaking point early Monday morning after he lost the ability to use any running water in his home. The homeowner had been experiencing sporadic sewer backups over the prior months; he assumed the sewer line could be maintained for the next few months if he continued to clear it on a bi-weekly basis. Upon waking Monday morning, he came to 
realize that his basement had been filled with sewage as his sewer line had completely failed. He had been pulling roots out of his sewer assuming that this would alleviate the issue, he was unaware that once roots begin intruding a sewer line it will only get worst.
Note to the homeowner – you should not have to clear your sewer line on a monthly basis, let alone a weekly basis. This is a strong indicator that there is a break or separation in your sewer line and must be relieved to avoid experiencing an emergency situation.
On average it can take in-between 48-72 hrs. to obtain the necessary permits and schedule the required DEP inspections when performing a drain line repair. Harris Water & Sewer was able to obtain both the DEP online permit and emergency NYC DOT permit within a few hours to begin emergency excavation within hours.
To the homeowner’s surprise, Harris Water Main & Sewer Contractors was onsite early the next morning, ready to excavate and replace his sewer line. The basement apartment had now been flooded, causing potential health problems and forcing the tenants to relocate until the sewer line had been replaced. The onsite crew had the property excavated, installed the DEP required shoring within 4.5 hours and was able replaced the sewer line from the house to the curb line all within one day.
The onsite crew found that the root infested piping on the property was responsible for 75% of the back-ups as the condition of the piping in the roadway was not nearly as bad. Although the pipe in the roadway had not been replaced as of yet, it was in such condition that the sewage would reach the city sewer without causing any major backups overnight. This allowed for the tenants to move back into their apartment after one day of the sewer pipe replacement, as long as they used the water sparingly.
The remaining drain line was replaced in the roadway the very next day, the homeowner and tenants were now back in their house with a fully functioning sewer and everyone was relieved that they no longer had to monitor the amount of water or paper towels they would be flushing on a daily basis.
Read here for additional information on Roots entering NYC residential sewer lines
