Sewer or Septic drain line replacement procedure: beginning here, this article series describes in detail all of the steps in diagnosing & repairing or replacing a broken or damaged main drain between building and public sewer or building and septic tank, including when, where, how, and why a sewer pipe or "drain line" is replaced.

• How to determine that a sewer or septic system drain pipe needs replacement
• Step by step main drain piping repair or replacement, between the house and septic tank or sewer connectionHow to document the location of buried plumbing & septic components
• Final site restoration guide after sewer or septic pipe replacement

Diagnosing the Cause of a Blocked Building Drain or Sewer Line

Replacing a house to septic or sewer system with piping that runs from the building exterior to a septic tank located downhill from the home.

We present an actual case study, illustrated with photos of each step in the diagnosis and replacement of a blocked sewer line.

The waste line in this case was found to be blocked, damaged, old, and needing replacement in the course of an attempt to clear a blocked drain between the house and septic tank. Technical reviewers are welcome and are listed at "References."

Also see CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

and see diagnosing septic backups and septic system failures versus clogged drains.

The first signs of a main building drain clog or breakage & leak problem

How to diagnose slow drains & toilet backups: 

The first signs of a drain problem was the report by our tenant that the toilet was slow to flush in the home.

Is the slow drain problem at a fixture, the whole building, or main drain?

 Following our own advice on diagnosing clogged drains and how to distinguish a clogged drain from a failed septic system

(online at CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR we asked if all the drains in the home were slow or just the toilet.

The answer: all of the building plumbing fixture drains were slow. That tells us that the blockage is somewhere in the main building drain.

The toilet would show the most dramatic blockage

 because it sends a large sudden discharge volume of water and waste into the sewer line. We flushed the toilet and watched the water rise right up to the bowl brim.

(If the toilet had begun to overflow we'd have reached inside the tank to manually close the tank flapper valve to stop the flush.)

Though not optimistic that it would make any difference, we tried plunging the toilet aggressively with a manual toilet plunger. It didn't help. Plunging the toilet made no difference. W

e already suspected a main drain or system problem (all drains were slow). So we needed a plumber to help with further diagnosis of the drain blockage.

[Continue this article using the links shown below.]

The details of this sewer line replacement article series are divided as shown at RECOMMENDED ARTICLES at the end of this page.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

How long will my new sewer line last?

How long should a replacement last? On 2016-05-16 by Camille J

Answer by (mod) -

Properly installed perhaps 30 to 50 years.

Thank you to our readers for their generous comments

I'm working as a sort of handyman I never done anything like this so all this information is very helpful to me. On 2016-07-21 by Jose Tinoco

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Continue reading  at WHEN to CALL a PLUMBER or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
• SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTION & MAINTENANCE COURSE - free online book on septic systems.
• 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
• SEWER / SEPTIC PIPE CAMERAS - find the point where digging is needed to repair a specific blockage or broken sewer line
• TRENCHLESS SEPTIC / SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT

 

Suggested citation for this web page

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

Or see this

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

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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