Your sewer lines carry wastewater, including untreated sewage, from your home to the municipal sewer. A broken sewer line provides an avenue for this wastewater to seep to the surface. In addition, it can seep deep into the soil and contaminate the groundwater. In either event, it poses a health hazard and potentially expose you to legal liability.
If you suspect a broken or leaking sewer line, have it checked out by a sewer septic professional today. This is not a problem that the homeowner can handle themselves. Sewer line repairs require special equipment and expertise and are best handled by a professional with experience in sewer line repair services.
If your sewer line is broken, there are a couple different types of repairs to consider. The traditional method involves digging up the old line using a backhoe, then replacing the damaged section or the entire line if necessary. This method really tears up your yard, shrubs, driveways, patios, and sidewalks.
There are “trenchless” methods that involve less digging. In one such method, a section of flexible pipe is dragged through the area where the old pipe was laid. The old pipe is destroyed and the pieces are removed in the process. This method has the advantage of requiring less digging. Usually, only two medium sized holes are needed, one at each end of the pipe section to be replaced. One potential downside is that this method is not allowed by some local building codes.
In the other trenchless method, a coating is sprayed on the inside of the old pipe creating a new pipe “liner” like the inside of some tin cans. This method minimizes the necessary digging, but it is only effective on pipes that are essentially structurally sound but have a few cracks.
