Sewer Line Query

12 years ago

I own a c1925 house and I'm experiencing back up coming into the basement from the floor drain. It is from showers and washing machine use. Four years ago I had a repair done that included a slip liner in the main line to the street plus a dig and replacement of about 6 feet or more of broken up pipe near the house. It has backed up a couple of times and the plumber put a camera down the line and he tells me there is a "hump" about 15 feet outside the house. The line is about 40 feet house to street and 7 feet down, 8 feet at the street.

I'm getting estimates and they are high: one is $8,000 another $4,600 for replacing the line from the house to street, 40 feet. There is a walk way they say needs to be cut away and replaced and a brick-lined flower bed that will require some work to put back right. The line is deep, 7 to 8 feet and therefore has to be wide. It will tear up the yard and while they will put it back, it will be a mess to make right again and the walk way will never look the same.

I'm wondering why a hump would develop. Roots? There are very large threes about 30 feet away from the line.

I'm also wondering if there is a less expensive and less destructive way to go about the repair.

I'm going to begin by getting a second opinion. The guy making the lower bid graciously offered to scope the line for free before doing any repair. I think I'll wait to see what he says.

I welcome your theories and suggestions.

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Comments (2)

brickeyee
12 years ago
"I'm also wondering if there is a less expensive and less destructive way to go about the repair. "

you already tried that with relining.

You have discovered one of the problems with that technique.

Any bellies or humps in the line are simply followed by the relining process and not corrected.

Whatever pitch (and pitch defects) where there remain.
doyledh
Original Author
12 years ago
yes, I learned the hard way on this one and I wish I had given more thought and research to the question the first time through. I let a plumber talk me into doing the relining and was persuaded that this would save the yard from getting torn up. Now 5 years later I find that I can get a new sewer line put in for much less than I thought. I got a bid of about $2k for 42 feet of sewer, house to street, 7 to 8 feet down. That's a lot of digging. I found a good company, though Angie's list. They have done the work and cleaned up very thoroughly. I am going to have my own mason come in and do the concrete work on the walkway; he knows how to match what he did earlier. I'm poorer but wiser. I think the lesson here is to avoid doing the lining. I just don't see any good reason to do it that way.
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