Sewer Line Replacement Procedure

Use sand around buried sewer or water pipes:

Sand is bedded beneath and around buried plumbing lines to avoid damage.

This article describes the use of sand around a sewer pipe during backfill when a sewer pipe or "drain line" is replaced.

Use of sand to bed the new drain piping: why & how - specifications for bedding sewer piping in sand in trenches

Sand under and around a plastic sewer line protects it from breakage or penetration by sharp objects that may be nearby after backfill.

We were particularly concerned for the durability of the new piping in this installation because there was not much backfill available to cover the piping where it had to pass over shallow bedrock.

Not only to be in compliance with building codes but also because these pipes pass over shallow bedrock and could be damaged by future settlement or traffic, the excavator brought in a truckload of sand which was used to bed the new sewer line before final backfill over the piping.

A worker standing in the trench lifted each pipe section to assure that sand would be beneath the pipe to cushion it from rocks below.

Just covering the pipe on top with sand would be a poor practice.

What is the Proper Material for Bedding Buried Sewer or Water Pipes?

Sewer lines in sand, possibly in pea gravel: 

Our contractor for the sewer line replacement project documented in this article used clean sand for bedding the new sewer piping. Sand was specified by our local building department.

Some local codes permit and some contractors like to use pea gravel for plastic sewer line protection, asserting that pea gravel settles less than sand in the pipe trench.

However water supply piping must be bedded in clean sand.

Where copper water supply pipes have been buried in gravel contractors find that over time the gravel, perhaps moving by frost or water passage through the soil, actually works against the metal water piping to create multiple holes and leaks in the water main.

One of our consultants, George from Jeneral Sewer Service reported that on excavating a water supply line with poor water pressure, he found that the entire length of the copper water pipe had multiple perforations - "When we dug it up and turned on water pressure at the curb box the water line looked like a sprinkler hose!" he said.

Where plastic water supply piping is used the risk of gravel perforation from the backfill material is little or none unless the excavator permits a large or sharp stone to become buried close to the piping. .

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Continue reading at FINAL BACKFILL SEWER LINE TRENCH or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• SANDY SOIL SEPTIC DESIGNS
• SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT
  • DIAGNOSE a BLOCKED DRAIN
  • WHEN to CALL a PLUMBER
  • FIND the MAIN BUILDING DRAIN
  • USE a POWER SNAKE to CLEAR a BLOCKED DRAIN
  • FIND DISTANCE to DRAIN BLOCKAGE
  • DETERMINE NEED for DRAIN LINE REPLACEMENT
  • REPLACE SEWER LINE, STEP BY STEP
  • MAKE OTHER SEPTIC REPAIRS
  • INSTALLING the NEW SEWER LINE
  • BED the SEWER LINE in SAND
  • FINAL BACKFILL SEWER LINE TRENCH
  • DOCUMENT BURIED COMPONENT LOCATION
  • FINAL SEEDING & RESTORATION
  • SEWER / SEPTIC LINES at STEEP SITES

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BED the SEWER LINE in SAND at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to DRAIN SEPTIC SEWER PIPES

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