This article describes when, where, how, and why a sewer pipe or "drain line" is replaced.

The line which was replaced in this photo-illustrated case 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.

• Examples of repairs easy to make during sewer or septic tank piping replacement
• How to repair leaks into a septic tank
• How to check and repair the septic tank during drain line excavation
• How to determine that cleaning or de-clogging a drain line is a waste of time and money - when is drain line replacement needed?

Making Other Septic Repairs During Sewer Line Replacement

Later discoveries during excavation made us glad we'd decided to replace the entire drain line.

Not only was the sewer pipe broken in several other places, also we found and were able to repair a problematic leak at the entry of the drain pipe to the septic tank.

We found that the connection of the waste line to the septic tank had been leaking ground water into the septic tank in wet weather.

The nature of this into-septic tank leak problem was quite evident when it rained during our project as water ponded at the entry to the tank.

We confirmed that the tank had been flooded by opening the tank inspection cover at the intake baffle where we saw that sewage had flowed over the baffle top.

(Flooding a septic tank can result in early clogging and failure of the drain field.)

The "fix" in this case was a simple and expedient if crude concrete "seal" at the pipe entry to the septic tank to reduce the chances of water collecting and entering the tank at that point again.

Are you Wasting Money on sewer line and drain line cleaning attempts when a new drain is what's needed?

The cost of this attempt to unblock a clogged building drain was several hundred dollars to pay the workers and for use of the power snake machine.

While it was disappointing to have spent this money only to discover that what was needed was a drain replacement, we considered it the fair cost for a confident diagnosis of what work was needed. In hindsight, we could have assumed that the drain replacement was needed based on the age of the home and gone directly to hiring the excavator, but most experts would consider that a rash step since there are plenty of instances of blocked drains that do not need to be replaced.

...

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

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• 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

Suggested citation for this web page

MAKE OTHER SEPTIC REPAIRS 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

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Citations & References

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

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---