"Dee" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all,

I am new to this group. I have had sewer backups in my house basement
for as long as I can remember. Snaking the main sewer line once or
twice a year helped to contain the problem for about 10-15 years. I
was charged about $250 for each job. The last time a few days ago the
plumber worked for 3 hours and was not able to clear the line
successfully. He was able to go out pretty far, but not all the way to
the city sewer in the street. Last year we had the video inspection
done for $500 and I was given the tape to keep. It showed that the
pipe was severely damaged and filled with large tree roots. It also
showed that the pipe was in danger of collapse (separation?). We have
a large city tree in front of the house that has massive roots that are
lifting up the sidewalk. The houses here were built in the late
1940's, so I assume that the main sewer line is quite old. We are fed
up with the sewage backups that have contaminated our basement time
after time. We have hired a plumber to replace the main sewer line at
a cost of $8,800 (OUCH!). They will dig up a 4-foot wide trench below
our foundation, and install a new pipe. Does anyone know if this is a
fair estimate for two days of labor here in Queens, New York? There
will be four men working. They are also going to remove part of our
front lawn and 4 small bushes that they have promised us may not grow
back. In addition, the sidewalk in front will be broken open as well
as part of the street. I would certainly appreciate any advice that
anyone has for me. I am agonizing over this decision and have a
knotted stomach from all of the trouble and expense. I believe that
this is the only way to solve this problem for good. Please advise me!
Dee in New York City


My local water company in Fairfield County which is right next door to you
offers supplemental insurance called 'safety valve'. It is designed to
insure the incoming and outgoing (separate policies) pipes. Maybe you can
get a policy like that and get them to pick up the tab when the backups get
worse or if that failure at some point does occur.