Sewer Camera Inspection
Run a camera through the sewer to see its condition before a home purchase or a repair decision.
Drains and sewers
Emergency Sewer Line Repair in Louisville, CO
Sewage in a tub, a toilet that will not stop gurgling, or a wet spot in the yard that smells. Each can mean the pipe between your house and the city main is damaged. If waste is rising into the house, stop using water and phone the round-the-clock line at once.
Tell the dispatcher which fixtures are backing up and whether you can find a cleanout.
Signs of a damaged sewer line
- Several drains slow togetherThe main line is restricted or broken.
- A sewer smell outdoorsWaste is leaking into soil near the pipe.
- Soft or sunken groundA bad joint or crack is washing soil away.
What goes wrong with a sewer pipe
Old clay pipe cracks and shifts at its joints. Orangeburg, a tar and fiber pipe used in mid-century homes, softens and deforms. Cast iron rusts through. Newer PVC can still be crushed by heavy equipment or pushed out of line by settling ground.
Roots turn small gaps into large ones. A hairline opening admits fine roots, which thicken into a mass that catches paper and waste. Over time the pipe can split lengthwise.
Ground that moves
The Colorado Geological Survey calls expansive soil Colorado's most significant geologic hazard and lists the disruption of pipelines and sewer lines among its effects. Clay swells when it takes on water and shrinks as it dries, and a rigid pipe in that ground flexes, then cracks or pulls apart at the joints.
That is one reason a sag, called a belly, can form even in a pipe that was laid correctly. Waste collects in the low spot, solids settle, and the clog returns however many times the line is cleared.
In Louisville
Lateral problems in older Louisville blocks
Louisville's older blocks were built when sewer laterals were laid in clay or early composite pipe. Many of those lines are decades past their expected life and are only now showing their age. Newer neighborhoods in nearby towns tend to have PVC, which fails for different reasons, usually settling or a crushed section.
Responsibility for the lateral usually falls on the property owner from the house to the main, but details vary by utility. Call the city utility to confirm where its responsibility ends, then get a camera look before paying for a dig.
Cost
Cost factors for sewer line repair
Sewer jobs vary widely because every pipe is buried differently. These factors move the price.
Ask for the camera video, a written scope, and the warranty terms before work begins.
Repair options
A short crack or a single bad joint can be fixed with a spot repair. The contractor excavates at the defect, cuts out the damaged piece and installs new pipe with proper bedding. When the damage is spread along the pipe, relining with a resin-saturated liner or a longer section replacement can be better.
Lining is not suitable for every pipe. A badly collapsed or offset section needs to be dug. The camera footage should drive the decision, and you should see it before you agree to the work.
Permits and who does the work
Sewer work typically needs a permit and an inspection, and in Colorado plumbing work is done by licensed plumbers. The Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations lists residential, journeyworker and master plumbers, and you can check a license in its online lookup before the work starts.
Ask whether the contractor will pull the permit, how deep the trench will be, how the yard will be restored and what the warranty covers.
What follows a damaged lateral
Sewer Line Replacement
Put in a new lateral from the house to the street main once patching is no longer enough.
Drain Cleaning & Unclogging
Open a blocked sink, tub, laundry drain or main line, and find what keeps causing the stoppage.
Quick answers
What people ask about sewer line repair
A single slow fixture points to its own drain. When several fixtures back up together, or the lowest fixture fills when you run water upstairs, the main line is the likely culprit.
Sometimes. Relining and pipe bursting reduce excavation, but they need a pipe that is not collapsed or badly offset. Camera footage tells you whether they apply.
In most places the owner pays for the lateral from the house to the main, and the utility handles the main itself. Some homeowner policies offer optional line coverage. Check with your utility and your insurer.
A spot repair can finish in a day. Longer replacements take several days with restoration afterward. Your water use will be limited while the line is open.
Quit running water in sinks, tubs, toilets and the washer, because each gallon worsens the overflow. Move people and pets away from the wet area and phone in. A contractor can open the line and then inspect it for damage.
Sewage coming up?
Stop adding water and call. Tell the dispatcher which fixtures are affected, and a local contractor will be lined up.