Wastewater backing up into your basement, crawl space, or yard is a clear sign of trouble in your wastewater system. But how do you know when it’s time to replace your sewer line rather than paying for another repair?
In this blog, we take a closer look at a complete main sewer line replacement cost vs the typical expense involved in a one-time fix on a sewer line. Read on for the lowdown on when to repair or when to replace your sewer line.
Sewer Line Repairs
Bad smells, unpleasant spills, and unusable facilities are all symptoms of sewer line trouble, but what are the main problems that can lead to your sewer line requiring professional attention?
Main Causes for Sewer Line Repair
Damage to sewer lines tends to take place gradually over a long time. It’s only when sewage backs up that you’ll become aware that you have a problem. Typical damage to sewer lines includes:
Sewer Line Bends
A bend or dip in a sewer pipe allows water to accumulate rather than flow quickly through the section. Also known as a belly, this situation typically occurs when the soil under the pipe settles, allowing a section of pipe to sink lower than the rest of the pipe. Repairs can temporarily clear this section or remediate it by replacing the bellied section of pipe.
Sewer Line Clogs
Clogs are the most common type of obstruction in a sewer pipe. In many cases, these can be removed by snaking or augering out the section of pipe by using a flexible steel coil. Clogs caused by tree roots that have broken into pipes are more serious. Sometimes these can be removed using cables or a jetter.
Sewer Line Breaks
Sewer line breaks have several different causes. One of the most common is careless digging to install landscaping or utilities. Tree roots growing into a sewer line looking for water or vehicles driving over sewer lines can cause breaks too. Even earthquakes can lead to a broken sewer line!
Diagnosing Sewer Line Repair Problems
There are several telltale signs that there are problems in your sewer line. The most common include:
- Bad smells in your yard can indicate the presence of sewage or sewer gas escaping a broken pipe.
- Bubbling or gurgling noises caused by air escaping from a toilet are a sign that your drain line is blocked.
- Blocked toilets and backed-up drains are the result of a completely clogged sewer line. Stop using the toilets or sinks as soon as you realize your sewer line is blocked.
- Puddles or stains around pipes in your basement or soggy or unusually green areas in your yard are also danger signs pointing to a blocked or leaking sewer line.
More serious problems will require inspection with a sewer camera and radio transmitter mounted on the end of a cable. The camera records images from the inside of the pipes, while the radio transmitter provides a camera’s location for each image.
While camera inspection can be expensive, it can identify the problem and pinpoint the location to minimize the amount of digging required to fix the problem. Most plumbers charge an hourly rate for video inspection, but here at Robinson’s, we charge a flat rate for residential camera inspection.
Clearing Clogs
A qualified plumber can often fix simple clogs with tools such as a powered drain snake or auger.
While prices vary widely, experts say you should expect to pay anywhere from just the basic callout fee to up to $700 to have a clogged drain cleared, depending on your location.
In some cases, they can use a technique called hydrojetting that clears clogs and small tree root fibers using high-pressure water. Hydrojetting can cost anywhere between $400 to $1,100 depending on the length and complexity of the cleaning job.
Sewer Line Repair Costs
What about the actual cost to fix a sewer line belly or blockage?
You’ll need a licensed and insured sewer repair contractor to provide the options for sewer line repair. Primary factors that go into determining the cost of a sewer line repair include:
- The amount of pipe that needs to be repaired
- The method used to repair the pipe
- The depth of the sewer line and any obstacles like utilities, trees, and pavement
Traditional Sewer Line Repair
The traditional procedure for repairing a sewer line involves digging up a portion of the line, either manually or with an excavator. Your contractor must exercise great care to avoid damaging the connected sewer pipes or other underground utility lines. The excavated trenches must then be backfilled once repairs are complete.
The cost of excavating, repairing, and backfilling sewer pipes can range from $75 to $500 per foot depending on depth and materials. As a result, a major sewer line repair requiring about 10 feet of pipe to be excavated could cost anywhere between $750 and $5,000.
Sewer Line Replacements
While sewer line repair should always be your first consideration when dealing with wastewater issues, sometimes the problem requires a complete replacement of your outbound sewer line.
Your sewer line includes the entire length of piping from where your drains exit your house to where it enters your city sewer system, septic system, or private septic tank. In practice, the cost will depend on how easily accessible your drain lines are from your house to the sewer system.
Main Causes of Sewer Line Replacement
When does a complete replacement of your sewer line make sense? Switching out all or most of the piping in your sewer line can be a good solution when:
- Your entire system is in poor shape, with multiple root ingresses or collapsed sections due to old or outdated pipe materials.
- Your system has developed one or more bellies where water is collecting rather than draining, requiring replacement and realignment of a substantial length of pipe.
- You’ve carried out repeated repairs on the same sewer line that it’s simply easier and more cost-effective to replace the entire sewer line.
Factors That Affect Sewer Line Replacement Costs
How much will it cost to replace your entire sewer line? Again, costs vary widely and depend on several factors including:
- The length of the sewer line to be replaced
- How deep your line is buried
- Pipe materials
- How many connections need to be replaced
- How much regrading of your pipe is required
- The obstacles such as utilities, trees, and pavement
- The terrain that your sewer line goes through
Typical Sewer Line Replacement Costs
Each of these factors will add to both the materials and labor involved in replacing your sewer line. A key driver of cost is the length and depth of the sewer line.
A total replacement of the sewer pipes may be necessary if the whole system is in poor condition or made of outdated materials. Full replacement is relatively easy if much of your line is in crawl spaces, but any buried sections will need to be excavated, removed, regraded, replaced with new pipe, and backfilled. This can cost $3,000 to $25,000 depending on the total length and depth of the system.
In general, experts suggest you will pay between $50 and $250 per linear foot of sewer pipe replaced—depending on the amount of digging involved, the pipe material you select, and complications such as having to pass a line under a concrete slab without breaking it.
Sewer Line Repair or Replacement?
Most of the time, deciding between a sewer line repair or replacement comes down to how much of your sewer line needs to be overhauled or upgraded to fix a particular problem, or how much you are prepared to invest to prevent a repeat of a recurring problem. It’s also worth checking to see if sewer line replacement is covered by your home insurance policy.
Factors like the distance to the street and whether replacing your line will involve digging up or passing under a concrete slab such as a driveway are also significant considerations.
Sewer belly repair costs also vary widely, depending on the length of pipe affected and the depth of the pipe. Small sections of pipe near the surface can be hand dug, but larger sections and deeper lines will require an excavator.
Ready to Get Your Sewer Line Running Right?
If you’re experiencing repeated clogging, leaks, backups, or swampy areas in your yard—your sewer line is likely not working as it should. It’s important to talk to an experienced, knowledgeable plumber who is familiar with conditions in your neighborhood to identify the exact problem so that you can understand the options—and costs—involved in fixing it.
At Robinson’s Plumbing Service, we have licensed, bonded plumbers ready to help you get your sewer line running right. Call us at 804-794-0918 to make an appointment or click the button below to learn more about our sewer line repair services.