Ruptured Sewer Pipes The Basics
Even the best sewer line will not last forever. Roots invade, extreme seasonal changes crack pipes, and general wear and tear weakens the integrity of older materials. It's good bet that your house will stay standing longer than the fortitude of your sewer line, and that means the time will come when you will have to call a contracter.
Iron was previously the gold standard in plumbing pipelines, including the lateral sewer line, which drains from your property into the sewer main. When one breaks, often the wisest solution is to replace the iron with new polyethylene pipe that will not be destroyed so easily in the future.
Another contemporary sewer line replacement technique is known as trenchless plumbing. This technique enables a contracter to fix the sewer line without digging a trench. One kind of trenchless sewer line repair is known as the "bursting method": Plumbers will pull a new pipeline through the existing, ruptured line. This further expands the existing pipeline to make room for the new one.
Another trenchless sewer pipe repair technique is the "lining method." Using this strategy, contracters will insert a flexible tube through the existing sewer line and inflate it. This lining will then make any breaks in the existing pipe totally moot. Additionally, the lining can easily be removed and repaired (or replaced) if future problems arise.
Even with trenchless sewer line repair, it is possible for nearby roots to repeat their attack. In addition to repairing the breaks in the line, property owners may consider blocking root growth toward the sewer pipeline for any nearby trees.
The cost of sewer line repair significantly changes depending on the company doing the labor and how much labor there is to do. Some sewer pipes run underneath garages, driveways, or landscaping. Especially under such circumstances, trenchless replacement can be a worthwhile alternative. When choosing a plumber, request estimates from at least 3 different companies. Ensure that all of the estimates include exactly the same work. Plumbers often charge very different rates for the same parts. Also be sure to get in writing the expected state of your property after the work is done. In other words, if a plumber does have to dig through your property or necessitate other cleanup work, it should be clear whose responsibility it is -- yours or theirs -- to clean it up.
Any time you request a price quote for a sewer fix, have a sense of whether similar repairs will have to be have to be performed in the foreseeable future. Especially in older houses (or newer houses connecting to an older sewer pipeline), it could be worth shelling out for a total replacement project instead of band-aid-style repairs, so that you won't have to deal with this same problem two years down the road. A lot of plumbing companies such as sewer repair near bellevue wa provide a warranty on sewer line replacement, some of them for as long as you own the property.