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Sewer Line Repair.
Every
home has an outdoor, underground drainage system
in order to dispose of the waste water and sewage
created by simply occupying a home and using its
plumbing fixtures. This drainage system is known
as a home's sewer line. The sewer line exits the
home underground and dumps into either a septic
tank (in some older homes), or in most cases the
city or county's main sewer system.
Homes are built one of three ways: on a slab, over
a basement (full or half), or over a crawlspace.
In homes built over a basements, the inside portion
of the sewer line is generally visible inside the
basement where it exits the foundation wall. In |
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crawlspace homes, the interior
portion of the sewer line is underneath the home, and
is only accessible if you enter beneath the home. Slab
homes feature sewer lines that are hidden in their entirety,
and can only be accessed inside the home by cutting or
jack hammering the concrete slab and exposing the piping.
In all of these cases, the sewer line exits the home underground,
runs through the yard and empties into the city or county's
main line (see the manhole covers in your street?) via
a tap. This tap is the point where the homeowner's property
and city or county property meet, and is a common location
for sewer line problems...more on that later. While generally
shallow upon exiting the home (around 3-5 feet), sewer
lines, due to the nature of some yards, can be as deep
as 25 feet at the point where they meet the tap. This
extreme depth is rare, however, usually resting at a 7-10
foot depth.
Residential sewer lines are generally 4 inches in diameter,
more than adequate to handle the average waste load of
a typical home. Depending on the age of the home, the
sewer line may be constructed of different materials.
Much older homes often featured lines made of a hardened
clay. While this material had very smooth interior walls
and allowed for easy flow of waste, it was obviously flawed
in that the clay would frequently break with underground
settling or root growth, and was particularly susceptible
to root penetration at the joints. In most cases with
older homes (30-50 years old), cast iron was the material
of choice for sewer line installations. Cast iron was
superior to clay pipe in many ways: far greater strength,
better sealed joints, and longer life span. As with any
metal buried in the ground however, cast iron eventually
revealed it's weakness after many years: tree roots. Cast
iron sewer lines were joined in sections by inserting
one end of the pipe into the next via a hub (a flared
end of the pipe). Then oakum (a hemp-like material) was
pounded into the space around the inside pipe. Then molten
lead was poured over the oakum to seal everything up.
This method was durable, but over time the lead separated
from the oakum and the sewer line joints began to weaken.
This allowed roots to penetrate the line. Also, cast iron
is weak against rust, and many years use would often rot
out the bottom of the pipes, allowing for all sorts of
problems. This rusting would also weaken the walls of
the pipe, and crushed cast iron sewer lines are now a
common problem. When cast iron is used today, which is
rare, bands of rubber and steel are used to connect pieces
together.
When it comes time to replace or repair a home's sewer
line, we cut NO corners whatsoever. During replacements
we extract the entire sewer line, from its exit at your
home all the way to the street. We then replace the line
with high-grade, schedule 40 (pressure-treated) PVC pipe,
grade and slope the pipe properly, and all joints are
solvent-welded. We also install two cleanouts (access
points for any future maintenance); one at the home and
one at the street. If necessary, we also install a backwater
valve near the home to protect it in case the city's sewer
overflows. Before testing and covering the new line we
properly bed-in the sewer line. Bedding-in is a process
that places a firm material (usually gravel or hard earth)
under the pipe to eliminate the chances of the pipe's
shape or flow being altered by: someone driving over it,
ground settling, erosion, etc. Before covering up the
new sewer line, we thoroughly test it to ensure that it
flows smoothly and freely, as well to make sure that there
are no leaks. After testing, we cover up the ditch made
during the installation, grading the area in the process,
and often seeding and laying out straw to aid in the re-growth
of grass or other plants. Our sewer lines carry a 10-year
warranty on parts, labor, and functionality.
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Great Financing Available!
Ask us about financing for your next plumbing repair, replacement, installation or renovation. We can help!
Send Us Any
Written Estimate.
We can usually match or beat any written estimate. Send an estimate from any other plumbing services company and let us see what we can do for you.
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