Camera inspection and locating
The line is run with a camera so you can see the actual defect, and the position and depth are marked so the scope of any digging is known in advance.
Sewer Line Repair
Several fixtures backing up at once, sewage at the lowest drain in the house, or a patch of yard that stays wet in a dry week. An independent plumber can inspect the line between the house and the city connection and explain what it will take to put right.
- Plumbing Referral Service
- Independent Pros
- Availability Varies
Signs That Need Attention
- More than one fixture backing up at the same time
- A toilet that gurgles when the washing machine or shower drains
- Sewage appearing at the lowest shower, tub or floor drain
- A sewage smell outdoors, or one patch of lawn greener and wetter than the rest
- Drains that clear briefly after a cleaning and block again soon after
Two things work against buried drain lines here. Pre-1980s neighborhoods in central Austin still have cast-iron and clay sewer pipe with joints that roots find, and the big live oaks and pecans those streets are known for are looking for exactly that water. On the clay soils east of the city, seasonal ground movement pulls at those same joints until the line loses its fall or separates.
What the Service Includes
Nobody should be quoting a sewer replacement without having looked inside the pipe.
Getting flow back first
Where the line can be cleared, that is done before anything else, so the property is usable while the longer repair is being decided.
Spot repair or full replacement
A single broken section is not the same job as a line that has lost its fall along its length. The inspection should show which one you have.
Your Repair Options
If a defect is confined to one section, that section can usually be replaced without disturbing the rest of the run. When the line is old cast iron that is failing generally, or the fall is wrong along its length, replacing or lining the whole run is the honest answer. Ask to see the camera footage either way.
Access changes the work as much as the defect does. A line running under a driveway, a mature tree or a hillside lot is a different proposition from one under open lawn, and where the city connection sits decides how far the work has to reach. If the property is on septic rather than city sewer, say so when you call, because the investigation differs.
If only one fixture is affected, start with drain cleaning. To work out which you have, read clogged drain or sewer line. Ground movement also affects supply lines under the concrete, covered on slab leak repair, and you can describe the backup to get a visit planned.
Sewer Line Questions
How do I know it is the sewer line and not a blocked drain?
A single slow fixture is a drain problem. Several fixtures backing up together, or a toilet gurgling when another appliance drains, points at the main line. Stop running water and call Austin Emergency Plumbing Pros rather than plunging, because more water makes the backup worse.
Is sewage in the house a health risk?
Treat it as one. Keep people and pets out of the affected rooms, do not run more water into the system and do not try to clear it with chemical products. Wash thoroughly if you have had contact. Cleanup of contaminated flooring is usually a restoration job once the plumbing is fixed.
Do tree roots mean the pipe has to be replaced?
Not automatically. Roots enter at a joint or a crack, so the pipe can sometimes be cleared and the defect repaired locally. If the camera shows roots at several points in an old line, replacement becomes the more reasonable option. See the footage before deciding.
Can you inspect the line before I buy a house?
A camera inspection of the sewer line is a reasonable thing to ask for on an older Austin property, especially one with mature trees. An independent plumber can usually do it as a scheduled visit rather than an emergency call. Call the number on the call details page to set it up.
Get the sewer line inspected
Call and say which fixtures are backing up and whether anything is showing outdoors.