A broken or damage sewer line is a serious matter that requires immediate attention. Your sewer line collects and routes all of the waste water from your home into the municipal sewer main line, including untreated sewage.
A broken or damaged sewer line allows raw sewage to escape into the ground where it may leach to the surface or deeper into the soil where it can contaminate groundwater. In either case, the raw sewage is not only imposes a health and environmental hazard, but also exposes you to legal liability.
A sewer line repair is one of those jobs best left to a sewer-septic professional who has experience in sewer line service and repair. Although replacing a broken pipe that’s buried in your yard sound simple, sewer lines have complicating factors that weigh in favor of hiring a professional. The contaminated soil must be disposed of properly, and no matter what repair method is used, it will involve specialized tools and equipment.
Locating the line, avoiding cutting any utilities while digging, and sizing, connecting, and installing the repair section so that it works properly, lasts for years, and complies with local building codes all add to the challenge.
The traditional method of repairing a sewer line is to dig a large deep trench to expose the old sewer line, remove the damaged section, then splice in a new section of pipe Unfortunately, this method destroys your yard, driveway, sidewalks. Also, this method is only effective if the undamaged sections of pipe are still structurally sound.
Trenchless sewer line repairs include dragging a new section of pipe through the old pipe, and spraying a hard liner inside the old pipe to create a new inner surface. Check with your sewer-septic professional to see if either of these methods are appropriate for your situation.
