Sewer repair questions
Hi All, I don’t know how to bump up a post, so I am starting a new topic. A bunch of you have helped me out with my basement water questions (thanks again!), and now we know it’s a broken sewer line, based on a dye test. We have had 3 estimates, all in the…
Hi All, I don’t know how to bump up a post, so I am starting a new topic. A bunch of you have helped me out with my basement water questions (thanks again!), and now we know it’s a broken sewer line, based on a dye test.
We have had 3 estimates, all in the $10K-$12K range.
1. Is it still worth running a video camera in to see how far in the break is? We really need to keep costs down, and they’ve implied it could be a lot cheaper if they don’t need to go all the way out under the street.
2. One place said we will have to change the trap inside the house as well, which would involve cutting into the foundation. Do we?
3. Is there any good reason to replace the water main at the same time, if it’s not broken? This was also mentioned.
4. Anybody have any experiences with United Plumbing? They seemed cool, but I haven’t seen them mentioned a lot here.
Thanks for any info. What a headache.
Doug, you are correct and the liner is Illegal!! As for the main house trap, it’s probably a good idea to change it for better access to the sewer in the future. This would be even more important if you’re only changing a small section. If you have a problem in the future with a blockage, a new house trap will give you good access to the sewer main. The cost of a new trap shouldn’t add too much to the overall job.
Thanks, guys
We are having Figliola do the camera today. The trenchless liner certainly sounds like a good idea, but I have seen a few posts that say it’s illegal in Brooklyn.
Our water main is a new copper one. I don’t care what they say, the recession is hitting us hard, I don’t want to do any work we don’t absolutely have to. We are crossing our fingers that we don’t have to replace the whole line.
Most of the companies that fix the lines also do the camera inspection, and usually don’t charge for the camera inspection if you are using them for the job. I don’t remember the camera inspection costing that much. The guy from Econo Sewer is reasonable and honest. He does the camera inspection. You should at least know where the break is so you don’t have to dig up the entire line. It could be close to the beginning near the house. Did you find out about the trenchless liner? It’s a lot less expensive, and no digging. If the break is not that bad, you may be able to do the trenchless, which will cost a lot less. We used Root tech for the liner.
I’m not sure why the trap needs to be changed. I would leave the trap alone if there is no need to replace it. Get another opinion.
Pullini Water mains also does that type of work. You may want to check with them.
We used Alex Figliolia for our water main and sewer line, a few years apart. FWIW, we saved thousands by only replacing the broken/blocked section of sewer pipe. This may not be the most prudent way to repair a sewer line, but it’s been at least 15 years and we’ve had no problems, other than needing Roto-Rooter a few times for tree roots.
As to replacing both the water main and sewer pipe, IIRC the latter is much deeper than the former, so you might save a good deal on excavation costs. That wasn’t a factor for us, because our water main had to be replaced years before our sewer line. Also, although our water main and sewer lines enter the house close together, they originate remarkably far apart. On my block the water mains tap into the City main in front of the house to the east and run at a 45% angle. I have no idea if this cockeyed arrangement is common but I doubt that we’d have saved much labor by having them replaced simultaneously. Another consideration is the age of your water main. Is it the original lead main, or a newer copper one?