Service category
Sewer Services
Repair, replacement, cleaning and camera inspection of the sewer lateral that carries everything from your house to the public main.
- Licensed and insured
- Price agreed before work
- A plumber who works your area
The sewer lateral fails expensively and gives very little warning. Everything below starts from the same first step: putting a camera in the line, because roots, an offset joint, a belly and a collapse all produce the same backup and need four different repairs.
What a camera run actually tells you
Four defects produce the same symptom and need different repairs, which is why guessing is expensive here.
Roots grow in through a joint that ground movement has opened. Clearing them restores flow, but the opening is still there and they return, usually within a season or two. Lining the pipe removes the joint they were entering through.
An offset is where two sections no longer line up, leaving a lip inside the pipe that catches everything passing. It is structural, and cleaning does not change it.
A belly is a settled section holding standing water. Solids drop out there and build up. This is the one defect that rules out lining, because a liner conforms to the pipe it is inside and would preserve the sag.
A collapse has lost its shape entirely and has to be dug out.
Ask to see the recording. A plumber recommending full replacement should be able to show you why lining will not do, and one recommending lining should be able to show you the pipe holds its shape and fall.
Choosing the repair
A single broken spot in an otherwise sound line gets a spot repair through a small excavation. A line that is cracked or root-damaged along its length but still holds shape and fall is a candidate for lining. A lateral failing along its whole length can be pipe-burst, pulling new pipe along the same route from two small pits.
The trenchless options matter more than the per-foot rate suggests, because in older neighbourhoods the lateral usually runs under a driveway, a patio or mature planting. The cost of a trench is not only the trench.
In this category
Sewer Services jobs we handle
Sewer Line Repair
Camera-verified repair and replacement of cracked, collapsed, root-damaged or bellied sewer laterals, including trenchless lining and pipe bursting.
See what this coversSewer Cleaning
Clearing main sewer line blockages and root intrusions with heavy-duty cabling and hydro jetting, with camera inspection to confirm the line is clear.
See what this coversSewer Line Replacement
Full replacement of a sewer lateral that has collapsed, bellied or corroded past the point where lining or spot repair can work.
See what this coversSewer Camera Inspection
Putting a camera down the sewer lateral to find out what is actually wrong, because roots, offsets, bellies and collapses all cause the same backup.
See what this coversSewer Scope Inspection
A sewer scope for property purchases, checking the condition of the lateral before you buy, since it is rarely covered by a standard home inspection.
See what this coversTrenchless Sewer Repair
Repairing or replacing a sewer lateral without a full trench, using lining or pipe bursting from small access points, where the line allows it.
See what this coversSewer Pipe Relining
Curing a resin-saturated liner inside an existing sewer pipe to create a jointless new pipe, which removes the openings roots grow through.
See what this coversSewer Backup Repair
Dealing with sewage backing up into a property, including telling apart a blockage in your own lateral and the public sewer pushing back.
See what this coversMain Sewer Line Repair
Repairing the main run of the sewer lateral between the house and the public connection, where a single defect affects every fixture in the property.
See what this covers
Does this sound familiar?
Problems this covers
- Sewage backing up into the lowest drains in the house
- Drains that block again within weeks of being cleared
- Sewer odour in the yard, or a patch of grass greener than the rest
- Gurgling from a toilet when the washing machine drains
- Repeat blockages in the same spot on the line
- Sunken ground following the route of the lateral
Questions
Sewer Services questions
Who owns the sewer lateral, me or the city?
In most places the lateral from your house to the connection at the public main is private property and yours to maintain, including the part under the sidewalk. The city maintains the main itself. Some cities differ: San Francisco is a notable case where the utility covers structural repair on the section beyond the curb. A camera run shows exactly where the defect sits relative to that boundary, which is what settles who pays.
Can a sewer line be repaired without digging up the yard?
Often, yes. Cured-in-place lining pulls a resin-saturated liner through the existing pipe and hardens it into a new pipe inside the old one, with no trench. Pipe bursting replaces the whole run from two small access pits. Both need the existing pipe to hold enough shape and fall, which the camera inspection determines. A collapsed section or a belly still needs excavation at that point, because a liner would follow the sag.
How do I know it is the sewer line and not just a clog?
A clog affects one fixture or one branch. A sewer problem affects the lowest drains first, often several at once, makes other fixtures gurgle, and returns after cleaning. Sewer odour outside, unusually green or sunken ground along the line's route, and backups that coincide with heavy rain all point the same way. A camera settles it.
How long does sewer work take?
A spot repair or a lining job is usually finished within a day. Pipe bursting or a full replacement of a long lateral runs one to three days depending on depth, soil and the inspection schedule. The plumber should tell you in advance whether you can use your drains during the work.
Get it fixed
Sewer Services, handled locally
Call with your ZIP code and what you are seeing. We route you to a licensed plumber in your area who does this work every week.
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- Price before work