dkhedmo wrote:

wrote:


Another option is having the line snaked cleaned and a sock installed.
It applies a interior plastic seamless line without digging.
they put a soft plastic like sock thru your line, inflate it, then
pump it up with hot water. the heat harens it into a smooth line
inside your exsting line no more roots.

Would likely be cheaper than digging Theres a this old house episode
covering this.



We live in a 1950's ranch-on-a-slab. In fact, we live in a neighborhood
of virtually all the same 50's r-o-a-ses. We bought the place in
September, and since then I've seen two front yards dug up in order to
replace the sewer line. Retired plumber/neighbor next door mentioned
that a few other people in the neighborhood have also had to do the
same, and that he really out to get around to getting his done. (BTW, we
do not have a big tree where the sewer line is. There is a small tree
which was planted only a year or two ago.)

The week we moved in, we had a plumbing emergency, as it turned out the
drainage line under the floor from the laundry room/kitchen was rotted
out. We elected not to jackhammer up the floor as we had just moved in,
but to install a pump and plumbing up through the attic. At some point,
ideally before replacing the flooring, we may do it right and jackhammer.

Anyway, this "sock" scenario is interesting, as we have already lost one
pipe, and neighbors with the same set-up have had to dig. Is this a
"permanent" type of fix, which could avoid us having to dig and replace,
or is it a duct-tape type of fix? Can anyone give some price figures on
the various scenarios, pay out for the whole job vs. dig it yourself vs.
sock, for say 25ft from the house to the street. From the couple I've
seen dug, it's not too far down, as we're on a slab, not more than 6ft,
more like 3-4ft.

And when you say "dig the trench yourself," you mean rent a piece of
machinery and actually dig the trench oneself? How do you know exactly
where to dig, and where not to dig? How likely is one to kill, maim, or
injure oneself or others while doing this? It seems like the kind of
thing the average person should not be allowed to do...

Karen


There are numerous types of sewer pipe materials.
One is "Orangeburg", made from cellulose fiber and tar.
It deteriorates after....50 years!

(I'm not suggesting you have this; just a heads up)

History of the pipe he
http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfx/com...pipe-orng1.htm

and:
http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles...orangeburg.htm

Problem, as seen from Tempe, AZ:
http://www.tempe.gov/bsafety/Orangeburg/Orangeburg.htm

Quote: "the average person should not be allowed to do..."
In many cities/counties, he wouldn't be allowed to do it
without a permit.

Not only are injuries possible, but every utility imaginable
may be buried nearby. In 1950 the prevailing practice was to
bury the city water line in the *same* trench as the sewer lateral.
Oh, the water line may have been elevated a foot or so on a "ledge",
but it was in the same trench. Running a trench machine thru that
is almost a guarantee of a water line break.