Sewer Line

[disneymomjcs]

Budget Buster ...After my husband lost his job and being out of work for 14 months. Having a huge health scare. Moving my child to private school after she was bullied last year. Cars were broken into and money and Garmin stolen. Having to put in a new (rebuilt) transmission in my nine year old car at a cost of almost $2000. Having to pay Cobra rates could make any family go broke, too! My DH found a job after searching and interviewing. It is not his dream job or his salary, but a job no less. Our sewer backed up. Mess to clean up. After having the toilet removed to clean the sewer line, since we have no outside access at a cost of over $600 Tree roots in the street not even on our property. They did video the sewer at no cost. haha The great news is that it will cost $12,880 to install a new line to the township hook up including digging up the street to seven foot replacing all pipe to the house and fixing. Not included landscaping repair, any rock services or other objects that hold up the job. It may as well be $100,000 My husband purchased a chemical that you flush and its suppose to kill the roots in 3 -4 weeks. Praying for a miracle to not get the sewer line replaced.
I want to get off the Ferris Wheel now please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just needed to vent. I have said for the last 14 months. We can do this. We will make it and then the next bad thing would happen. I always would say we are luckier than most. My husband is a good man and a planner.

We were lucky enough to use our free airline tickets and our vacation club to go to WDW last August so that was a blessing. Every month I would think this is it the month when it will be better. Every month its been something.

Then the plumber gives me more good news....your hot water heater needs to be replaced $1,224 the tears were rolling down my face.................. Actually I could scream

 

[LuLuO]

That stinks. No pun intended. We had to have all of the sewer lines under our house replaced at three separate times. I hope the tree root killer works.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

bless your heart! This hit home for me because we also had roots in our line. We live way off of the street, but the problem way on the lower part of the yard.

We have a cap that will pop off if the line backs up. When they replace your line, have them add one of these for you because they can access the line better, and if te problem is below it, the cap will come off and you won't have a big mess in the house.

We tried the root kill. We also had them clean the line with a twisty drill looking thing. It would work a little while, and then back up again. We had to replace about 100-140 feet of pipe and it was full of roots and dirt. It made me sick to spend money on something like that.


Hopefully the root kill will help you. I think this is a good reason to pray. prayers sent.

 

[disneymomjcs]

That stinks. No pun intended. We had to have all of the sewer lines under our house replaced at three separate times. I hope the tree root killer works.

OMG, three separate times that is a huge amount of money. I am praying that thet root killer works. I am trying to be positive but it seems we can't get a break!

 

[disneymomjcs]

bless your heart! This hit home for me because we also had roots in our line. We live way off of the street, but the problem way on the lower part of the yard.

We have a cap that will pop off if the line backs up. When they replace your line, have them add one of these for you because they can access the line better, and if te problem is below it, the cap will come off and you won't have a big mess in the house.

We tried the root kill. We also had them clean the line with a twisty drill looking thing. It would work a little while, and then back up again. We had to replace about 100-140 feet of pipe and it was full of roots and dirt. It made me sick to spend money on something like that.


Hopefully the root kill will help you. I think this is a good reason to pray. prayers sent.

Thanks so much for the prayers, we need them and we are hoping the root kill works but the bottle said it will kill them in 3 - 4 weeks! How long did the clean out work? We just had it done on 4/9/12. The other option they gave us was $3,000 to put in the access close to the sewer so they can really clean the pipe because the roots are 63 feet and seventy something feet from where they accessed to clean. (this may help but not work, so I don't know)

They said they could clean out and access it better from closer to the area near the street. I am going to work on getting a few more estimates.

 

[KristinU]

We just had our sewer line replaced. The thing is that with older sewer lines they were made with clay pipes that had joints every 3 feet that were cemented together. Over time that cement degrades and the trees go for that, ahem, nutrient-rich liquid. It is especially bad this year since it has been so dry. Sad thing for us is that the roots are from a tree we lost in the big snowstorm in October...but we learned that the roots live on and cause problems for up to 10 years! Ugh.

So, the root killer chemical that you flush down...we did it twice a year when we changed the clocks as kind of a maintenance stop-gap to hobble along, but even with that maintenance we still had to have the pipe cleaned out just about once a year (always backed up on a holiday weekend of course - Murphy's law!)

So, hopefully the flush-down stuff will help you hobble along until you can put the $$$ away to do a replacement. I hate to tell you, but the replacement is inevitable...the cracks in teh pipe will only get bigger over time and the tree roots just keep coming. And like I said, I thought we were golden after that tree came down, but no. The new PVC pipes cannot be penetrated by the roots, so after the replacement you should be good to go for the rest of your life (at least that's what we were told...hope it is true!)

Your quote is higher than what we paid, which was about $7,000...but you may have a longer run than we do. You may also have different requirements for the pipe and fittings and different permit fees.

I wish I could paint a rosier picture for you!

 

[ms1031]

Maybe try calling other plumbing companies for 2nd, 3rd opinions.

We just went through the line replacement at our home. 1st plumber said it would be at least $12-13 thousand. 2nd plumber did it for $7400.

The city had to replace the portion of the line that was not on our property where it tied into the main line. That was done at no cost to us.

 

[ms1031]

Also, the 1st plumber wanted $2300 to install clean outs. 2nd plumber was $600.

 

[kmacht]

A few questions. Are the pipes just full of roots or did they collapse somewhere? If it is just roots there are other options than digging up the pipe. Around here we have a service called roto rooter. They have a big long flexable metal tube with a cutter on the end that spins. They send this machine down your sewer pipe and it cuts out all the roots. The length shouldn't be a problem as our guys line can cut up to 150 feet. The cost is usually around $250 and it takes an hour or two. This is only a temporary fix though. It cuts the roots but they will eventually grow back. Depending on how fast they grow you will probably have to have this done once a year until you have enough money for a permanant fix.

For a permanant fix I would consider digging up the pipe as a last resort unless the pope has physically colappsed. This is especially true if the pavement in the road has to be torn up to fix it. That is where most of your expense is going to be. There is a fairly new process out there (about 10 years old) where after cutting the roots they can re-line the inside of your pipe with an epoxy / fiberglass product. They basicly send down the old pipe a collappsed fiberglass tube that has been covered with epoxy. They then send another rubber tube down inside of the fiberglass tube. The rubber tube is filled with water until it expands like a balloon. They leave it like that for a few hours while the epoxy hardens and cements the fiberglass tube to the inside of your old plumbing. They can do this whole process without having to dig up any of your yard. When it is done you have a brand new pipe with no seams or cracks for roots to grow through.

The company that does the re-lining process is called max liner. Their website is http://maxlinerusa.com/ . They have a video on their website of an ask this old house episode where they show the whole process. It is usually a specialized company that does this process so your local plumber may not be familiar with it.

Hope this helps.

Keith

 

[disneymomjcs]

We just had our sewer line replaced. The thing is that with older sewer lines they were made with clay pipes that had joints every 3 feet that were cemented together. Over time that cement degrades and the trees go for that, ahem, nutrient-rich liquid. It is especially bad this year since it has been so dry. Sad thing for us is that the roots are from a tree we lost in the big snowstorm in October...but we learned that the roots live on and cause problems for up to 10 years! Ugh.

So, the root killer chemical that you flush down...we did it twice a year when we changed the clocks as kind of a maintenance stop-gap to hobble along, but even with that maintenance we still had to have the pipe cleaned out just about once a year (always backed up on a holiday weekend of course - Murphy's law!)

So, hopefully the flush-down stuff will help you hobble along until you can put the $$$ away to do a replacement. I hate to tell you, but the replacement is inevitable...the cracks in teh pipe will only get bigger over time and the tree roots just keep coming. And like I said, I thought we were golden after that tree came down, but no. The new PVC pipes cannot be penetrated by the roots, so after the replacement you should be good to go for the rest of your life (at least that's what we were told...hope it is true!)

Your quote is higher than what we paid, which was about $7,000...but you may have a longer run than we do. You may also have different requirements for the pipe and fittings and different permit fees.

I wish I could paint a rosier picture for you!

Strange we took down the only tree out front of our house 15 plus years ago. I think its our neighbors tree as they have a few and the roots are close to the street and we found out they have had their sewer line cleaned twice and put the flush chemicals in twice a year! That is a huge difference in price so I am going to work on getting a few more estimates.

The estimate states 50 ft to be replaced twenty five thirty feet or so under the house is fine because they used cast iron for that part years ago and I'm sure it was cheaper to use clay for the rest. You are right its the clay that starts about five feet from the house. They quoted replacing it with cast iron from the front of house to the city sewer. Permits, dump fees, removing and reinstall concrete pad and patch street 15'. Crazy I know we have to evenutually replace it I am hoping to buy time as my husband just started his job. Hopefully we can get an estimate for a way cheaper a price. I am going to ask the Township who the plumbers are that do alot of this type work in the Township. I wonder if the township sewer is clay? Other people in the neighborhood are having this problem also. Thanks again for the info we are going to hobble along. Not use the shower, dish washer or washing machine at the same time just space things out and keep an eye on it.

 

[disneymomjcs]

Maybe try calling other plumbing companies for 2nd, 3rd opinions.

We just went through the line replacement at our home. 1st plumber said it would be at least $12-13 thousand. 2nd plumber did it for $7400.

The city had to replace the portion of the line that was not on our property where it tied into the main line. That was done at no cost to us.

Omg I am getting a few other opinions. Did you have to pay for those estimates? All of the tree roots are in the street, I wonder if its the townships responsibility? Thankyou

 

[disneymomjcs]

Also, the 1st plumber wanted $2300 to install clean outs. 2nd plumber was $600.

Thanks I will also have estimates done for the clean out opening that is a huge difference.

 

[disneymomjcs]

A few questions. Are the pipes just full of roots or did they collapse somewhere? If it is just roots there are other options than digging up the pipe. Around here we have a service called roto rooter. They have a big long flexable metal tube with a cutter on the end that spins. They send this machine down your sewer pipe and it cuts out all the roots. The length shouldn't be a problem as our guys line can cut up to 150 feet. The cost is usually around $250 and it takes an hour or two. This is only a temporary fix though. It cuts the roots but they will eventually grow back. Depending on how fast they grow you will probably have to have this done once a year until you have enough money for a permanant fix.

For a permanant fix I would consider digging up the pipe as a last resort unless the pope has physically colappsed. This is especially true if the pavement in the road has to be torn up to fix it. That is where most of your expense is going to be. There is a fairly new process out there (about 10 years old) where after cutting the roots they can re-line the inside of your pipe with an epoxy / fiberglass product. They basicly send down the old pipe a collappsed fiberglass tube that has been covered with epoxy. They then send another rubber tube down inside of the fiberglass tube. The rubber tube is filled with water until it expands like a balloon. They leave it like that for a few hours while the epoxy hardens and cements the fiberglass tube to the inside of your old plumbing. They can do this whole process without having to dig up any of your yard. When it is done you have a brand new pipe with no seams or cracks for roots to grow through.

The company that does the re-lining process is called max liner. Their website is http://maxlinerusa.com/ . They have a video on their website of an ask this old house episode where they show the whole process. It is usually a specialized company that does this process so your local plumber may not be familiar with it.

Hope this helps.

Keith

Thanks so much Keith! I saw the video and I could see roots at a few sections. One section had a ton after he cleaned it. No Collaspe anywhere just roots and I could see the entire four inch pipe all the way through.

He said if they put in the cap closer to the street they could clean away the roots better as he didn't have enough tork, since he removed the toilet to clean the line. The roots were far from the house actually under the street.
He said he couldn't put a bigger piece on the end since there was a bend coming out of the house to get through?

We couldn't figure out where the water came from since it was everywhere. After cleaning up my hubby and his brother ran the shower, sink and flushed the toilet and after a while the water started backing up over the toilet. I heard Roto Rooter was really expensive so I called a local plumber. Wondering if its worth another clean out with them. I will research maxliner sounds like it would save alot of tearing out.

Thanks again.

 

[Colleen27]

We have our sewer line cleaned out every fall at a cost of $125, and flush the root killer twice a year, spring and fall ($48/year in chemicals). That is enough to keep our system running smoothly. As long as this keeps working we'll put off replacing the sewer line. We have a shorter run that needs to be replaced, about 40' in all with just the 15' closest to the street in bad shape, but we could keep doing what we're doing for decades without it adding up to the cost of replacing the line.

 

[cole6179]

Wow. That stinks! Hope your luck changes soon! Definitely get other quotes.

My dh is a plumber, so I know that the sewer replacement isn't cheap. I know he was going to do my grandmother's and a lot of the money went into renting digging equipment. Actually, now that I think about it, they had a company come out to 'power flush' the lines and she hasn't had a problem since without replacement. (Knock on wood) Maybe look into that as an option? Like this.... http://www.zoomdrain.com/power-clean/


And $1200 for a water heater? That's high if it's just a basic water heater. Hit Lowes/Home Depot if you need to. Or ask around for local plumbers that do side jobs. Dh loves putting in water heaters. It's a quick, mindless $200 for him, so he says. (plus water heater) Our neighborhood is hitting 9 years old, so all our neighbors are coming out the woodwork needing replacements. Good for us! lol

 

[KristinU]

Strange we took down the only tree out front of our house 15 plus years ago. I think its our neighbors tree as they have a few and the roots are close to the street and we found out they have had their sewer line cleaned twice and put the flush chemicals in twice a year! That is a huge difference in price so I am going to work on getting a few more estimates.

The estimate states 50 ft to be replaced twenty five thirty feet or so under the house is fine because they used cast iron for that part years ago and I'm sure it was cheaper to use clay for the rest. You are right its the clay that starts about five feet from the house. They quoted replacing it with cast iron from the front of house to the city sewer. Permits, dump fees, removing and reinstall concrete pad and patch street 15'. Crazy I know we have to evenutually replace it I am hoping to buy time as my husband just started his job. Hopefully we can get an estimate for a way cheaper a price. I am going to ask the Township who the plumbers are that do alot of this type work in the Township. I wonder if the township sewer is clay? Other people in the neighborhood are having this problem also. Thanks again for the info we are going to hobble along. Not use the shower, dish washer or washing machine at the same time just space things out and keep an eye on it.

Yeah, we were lucky that we didn't have any sidewalk or street to dig up or patch...that would have added a lot to our price for certain.

I also wanted to just add a suggestion to your plan to watch the volume...also make sure that nothing gets flushed down except for t.p. - flushable wipes, feminine products, etc. can get hung up and cause clogs. Also try to teach your family not to use large wads of t.p. Sorry to be icky, but I know the pain you're going through, so anything that can help kick the expense into the future can be helpful!

 

[disneymomjcs]

We have our sewer line cleaned out every fall at a cost of $125, and flush the root killer twice a year, spring and fall ($48/year in chemicals). That is enough to keep our system running smoothly. As long as this keeps working we'll put off replacing the sewer line. We have a shorter run that needs to be replaced, about 40' in all with just the 15' closest to the street in bad shape, but we could keep doing what we're doing for decades without it adding up to the cost of replacing the line.

We will reseach but will keep up with the flush root killer. I hope we can keep ours running smoothly. Since the sewer isn't broken or collapsed. We are hopeful. Also going to check into the liner replacement that kmact (Keith) suggested. Also a great price for the clean out ours was $381 for the clean out and $228 for remove and reset the toilet. I had a coupon so it was under $600. Next time I would remove the two bolts and the toilet myself. Well hubby would help. Then the $3.00 ring to replace. My brother told me that we could of saved that money and did it ourself.

 

[disneymomjcs]

Wow. That stinks! Hope your luck changes soon! Definitely get other quotes.

My dh is a plumber, so I know that the sewer replacement isn't cheap. I know he was going to do my grandmother's and a lot of the money went into renting digging equipment. Actually, now that I think about it, they had a company come out to 'power flush' the lines and she hasn't had a problem since without replacement. (Knock on wood) Maybe look into that as an option? Like this.... http://www.zoomdrain.com/power-clean/


And $1200 for a water heater? That's high if it's just a basic water heater. Hit Lowes/Home Depot if you need to. Or ask around for local plumbers that do side jobs. Dh loves putting in water heaters. It's a quick, mindless $200 for him, so he says. (plus water heater) Our neighborhood is hitting 9 years old, so all our neighbors are coming out the woodwork needing replacements. Good for us! lol

I was starting to think maybe our luck was changing. Murphys Law! Power flush I will need to check that option out too! I really appreciate all the advice I am getting. Its overwhelming that this happend to us but its good to hear other peoples experiences and resolutions too!

I will need to check out the water heater prices also. I wish I was a plumbler it would save me alot of money, although we do have an electrician in the family.

 

[Colleen27]

We will reseach but will keep up with the flush root killer. I hope we can keep ours running smoothly. Since the sewer isn't broken or collapsed. We are hopeful. Also going to check into the liner replacement that kmact (Keith) suggested. Also a great price for the clean out ours was $381 for the clean out and $228 for remove and reset the toilet. I had a coupon so it was under $600. Next time I would remove the two bolts and the toilet myself. Well hubby would help. Then the $3.00 ring to replace. My brother told me that we could of saved that money and did it ourself.

We have an easy-to-access clean out in our unfinished basement, which helps to keep the price down. All the plumber has to do is pull the van up by the back door and pull the rooter thing down the stairs. It doesn't usually take even a full hour. The first time cost more because it was badly blocked and took longer, but now it is just a matter of maintenance so it is a relatively quick/easy clean out of partially blocked pipes.

I'm going to check into the liner idea myself. I've never heard of that before but depending on the pricing it seems like it would be a good option for a lasting solution. Our pipes are intact and all the problems come at the joints in the clay section outside of the house so it sounds ideal for our situation.

 

[disneymomjcs]

Yeah, we were lucky that we didn't have any sidewalk or street to dig up or patch...that would have added a lot to our price for certain.

I also wanted to just add a suggestion to your plan to watch the volume...also make sure that nothing gets flushed down except for t.p. - flushable wipes, feminine products, etc. can get hung up and cause clogs. Also try to teach your family not to use large wads of t.p. Sorry to be icky, but I know the pain you're going through, so anything that can help kick the expense into the future can be helpful!

I am watching like a hawk....to make sure nothing goes in that shouldn't and it really makes you think about the tp and how much is being use. Our youngest is dd14 but I will need to watch when the grandkids come to our house.