In NYC most sewer repairs are challenging however, some are certainly easier than others. Recently we repaired a sewer that was extremely shallow at a depth of less than four feet which is less than half of the depth for the average sewer line in NYC.
The job started like all others with excavating from the sidewalk which was directly above the location where the broken pipe had been identified. The initial issue included three sewer backups over a two month period which is not how a sewer is supposed to function. The property owner had a camera inspection completed which quickly determined that the sewer was separated and back-pitched.
The repair included three lengths of new 6″ extra heavy cast iron sewer pipe which was replaced from the foundation wall of the building, to the curb line before the roadway.
The excavation process was completed within 2 hours when the crew finally reached the old and corroded pipe which was removed in preparation for the new cast iron. In addition to removing the old pipe the grounds had to be prepared for the new pipe to avoid another back-pitch of the pipe. The crew made sure that the pipe had proper pitch as well as a final DEP inspection which checks the pitch. In most cases we would have to shore the excavation however, the hole was less than 3.5′ deep which does not require shoring per city standards.
Once the new pipe was installed and checked for pitch the excavation was back-filled and compacted to make sure that the hole stays up and we do not experience any future issues with a sinking hole.
The property owner had tested their sewer several times before the crew left and confirmed that they now had a fully functional sewer.
