Common Sewer Line Problems

Not including vent-pipe-related issues, the three most common reasons that a sewer line would have a problem and/or need to be repaired or replaced are breaks, bellies, and age.

Sewer Line Breaks
A sewer line break is a broad description that can refer to multiple issues, including a complete separation, a broken pipe, a cracked fitting at a pipe junction, a bad glue joint, a root infiltration issue, pipe bursting, or any other type of sewer line damage that would prevent a standard hydrostatic pressure test to hold and pass.

A break in the sewer line that goes undiagnosed and/or unrepaired can lead to significant long-term damage. When these breaks are located under the home or driveway, they can lead to structural or foundation damage.

However, sometimes the foundation causes the break and not the other way around. It is impossible to build a concrete slab home without some of the PVC pipe & fittings being encased in the concrete. We usually see this along the perimeter of the home in the concrete area that we refer to as the “footer,” but it is also common to see these pipes pass through the various concrete support beams that are strategically engineered throughout the foundation but hidden from view.

Sewer Line Bellies
The best way to describe a “belly” is that the pipe (usually PVC) has developed a low spot, a bend, or a sag. A sewer line must maintain continuous downward sloping fall from every fixture all the way to the city sewer tap or septic system. When a section of sewer pipe develops a belly, the pipe loses this proper fall causing wastewater to have to move uphill.

Sometimes this is not a problem—at least not initially. However, it creates an area where heavy solids end up creating a stoppage. We can identify bellies by using sewer cameras and line-locating equipment. A sewer pipe should, for obvious reasons, be smooth and never have any standing water inside it. Any spot in the line that has a belly will have standing water and likely some waste debris in it.

Sometimes a slight belly can be managed around with a few lifestyle changes, such as different toilet paper, no wet wipes, no feminine hygiene products, etc. But if the camera shows some standing water or worse, the camera becomes completely submerged and goes underwater, then this would indicate a significant issue that will continue until the line is replaced.

Sewer Line Age – Cast Iron Pipe
Unless it has already been replaced, homes built before 1980 will very likely have cast iron pipe as their underground sewer system. Homes built between 1980 and 1985 are hit or miss, with some being cast iron and some the preferred PVC pipe. But for some, we also see both types of pipe being used in the same house.

In fact, it is pretty common to see cast iron used for all of the underground pipes and PVC used aboveground as second-story drain pipes and vent stack pipes through the roof. So, if you are buying an older home, just because you see white PVC pipe in the attic, you cannot assume you have PVC pipe and everything is good. In fact, we see home inspectors miss this all the time.

Cast iron pipe has a limited lifespan and is no longer being used for underground sewer systems for a variety of reasons, primarily because of cost and limited longevity. We see a lot of older cast iron sewer systems in the south and eastern parts of Plano. We also see cast iron in the older downtown McKinney area and in many of the older rural homes that surround our area of expertise. In these situations, replacing a sewer line is the only viable option.

The longevity of a cast iron sewer system when it was installed was expected to be about 50 years. But with our soils in the DFW area, we are generally seeing between 35–40 years with an absolute max of 45 years. So, if you bought or are considering buying a house that was built in 1980 or before with a cast iron sewer line system, you can expect to pay a sizeable expenditure on an inevitable total sewer pipe replacement.

Buyers beware of homes that are being sold by home flippers! We strongly advise you to let us complete a hydrostatic pressure test and possibly a sewer camera inspection of the main line all the way to the street for any home built before 1990.

For those of you that have been in your home for a decade or two and have been delaying the inevitable replacement, let us come out and map your system and provide a quote. We have financing options available for qualified homeowners.

Contact Earl’s Plumbing today for sewer line services.