WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT?
When someone thinks about their sewer line, it is often assumed that your city or municipality is responsible for the maintenance and repair of your sewer line, from home to street. Unfortunately, this is not the case in the greater Houston area (or in most areas, for that matter), and the city’s responsibility for your sewer line ends where your sewer line connects to the city sewer system. The rest of your sewer line from the city connection to the home is the homeowner’s responsibility.
WHAT CAUSES A SEWER LINE TO FAIL?
Sewer lines can fail for several reasons, but the most common causes are corrosion related to age and tree root growth. As the lead or galvanized steel sewer pipe begins to age, it becomes weaker as a result of its use over the decades.
Fittings and threads begin to rust, corrode and start to flake away and buildup from years of pouring grease down the garbage disposal will cause chronic blockages in the line. Tree roots that have grown around the pipe and squeezed the pipe until it breaks allowing the roots to penetrate your sewer pipes, creating leaks and complete sewer line stoppages.
Generally, a complete sewer line replacement calls for what we refer to as an “open yard surgery,” where the plumbing company must dig a trench along the entire length of your sewer line, remove the offending pipe, and then backfill the hole.
ARE THERE ANY ALTERNATIVES TO A SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT?
In some cases, it is possible, as well as less expensive, to repair only the affected portion of your sewer line. The repair will result in a much smaller area that needs to be dug up and will take less time than a complete sewer line replacement. The main problem with a sewer line repair is that if you’re already experiencing leaks in one portion of your sewer line, the rest of that pipe is going to be compromised and will eventually fail.
Another alternative to a complete sewer line replacement is a relatively new process called “sewer pipe-re-lining,” where a cracked or broken sewer line can be repaired from the inside of the pipe. The re-lining is done by feeding a felt tube through the length of the sewer pipe. Before the felt tube is inserted, it is treated with a two-epoxy resin and pressurized with air to create a new “pipe within a pipe.”
Sewer pipe re-lining is a great option when the majority of your home’s sewer service line is in relatively good condition. If your sewer line is more than thirty years old or is presently leaking from more than one location, it’s probably time to consider a sewer line replacement in Houston.
Sewer line replacement is not a project that can not be done by a do-it-yourselfer or your local handyman. You need experienced, licensed professionals like the technicians at Nick’s Plumbing and Air Conditioning Services. For the last four decades, Nick’s has been repairing, maintaining and installing sewer lines all over Houston.
Call Nick’s Plumbing and Air Conditioning Services for a cost evaluation or second opinion on your sewer line repair, re-lining, or replacement today. We’re on the way!
