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

On 2016-07-21 - by (mod) -

Glad to hear it Jose. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

On 2016-07-21 by Jose Tinoco

I'm working as a sort of handyman I never done anything like this so all this information is very helpful to me.

On 2016-06-01 - by (mod) -

Be sure there are accessible cleanouts and that lines are bedded in sand.

On 2016-06-01 by Anonymous

Hi, The house faces north, the street is in front of the house running east to west. I asked the foreman about the 2 pipes, one is sewer pipe, and the other is for cleaning out sink pipes, that were at the bottom of the stairs and in the middle of the stairs. We asked about the pipes as there is going to be a cement sidewalk put in at the bottom of the stairs running west to the drive way.

The foreman said the pipes would need to be moved north close to the street as you want to have a direct line from the house to the street.

But when I want by yesterday the pipes were moved east at a 90 degree, this would indicate that a second 90 degree is going to be needed to head north to the street. I am waiting for someone to call be back but I want to insure I am correct is telling them to correct this before the cement is put down as I don't want to have problems later on.

As the house is in a multiple housing project ( all new homes being build ) and I am sure that the majority of the worker are not supervised that close and are told to move something and move it not thinking what will happen later down the road.

On 2016-06-01 - by (mod) -

Connie I'd like to help but don't have enough information; you need an onsite expert answer; I can suggest that you probably don't really mean a 90 degree angle- as 90's tend to clog; a good plumber uses a pair of 45's if she needs to make a 90 degree turn.

On 2016-06-01 by connie w

we are having a new home built, the sewer lines were in front of the steps and had to be moved. The builder moved the pipes to the side at a 90 degree angle is this correct or should they have been moved in line 2 to 3 feet closed to the street?

On 2016-05-17 - by (mod) -

Properly installed perhaps 30 to 50 years.

On 2016-05-16 by Camille J

How long should a replacement last?

On 2012-12-08 by tanya b

what can we do to fix this problem?

On 2012-12-08 by Anonymous

what can we do to fix this problem?

On 2012-12-08 by tanya b

toilet overflows when you flush ..so we snaked the line then it flushed. however when we plung it everything comes up the tub drain. shower fills with water when we shower and doesnt drain properly. all pipeing except one section was replaced 2 yrs ago and totally redone. we are hooked up to the city. we did find some small roots when we snaked the line outside. but looks clear now.

On 2012-06-14 - by (mod) -

S. Young,

You don't indicate if your drain is connected to a public sewer or to a private septic system. If it's to a public sewer, I'd ask a plumber to snake the line and if necessary scope it to see if you've got a blockage or perhaps a damaged drain line. I don't assume the problem is right and only at the trap.

If you are connected to a sewer you could be seeing the results of a flooded septic tank and perhaps a drainfield no longer working.

On 2012-06-13 by S. Young

Main floor drain in basement had no water when we moved into our home. We had no problems for years with any plumbing drains. Years later, the basement drain would back up and sewage would cover the floor. We have had no backups but now water stands in the drain and their is an odor. Was the trap ruined in this basement drain?

On 2011-07-08 - by (mod) -

Don your building department may have an "as planned" or even an "as built" layout on file. If not you'll need to do some exploratory digging and/or hire a plumber who has equipment that can track pipe locations.

On 2011-06-17 by don smith

wanting to get a layout diagram of my proertiy where do i go

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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 SEWER 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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