Folks,

Need your opinion on a proposed sewer line replacement / repair.

We're in the process of buying a home in the middle of a major city, and
have just done the home inspections. The sewer inspector did a camera look
see with a fiber optic cable, and found a hole in the sewer line,

approx 1 inch wide by 2 inch high.

It's under the sidewalk adjacent to the street. The house is on a hill, and
there is a rock face / garden about 10 feet high (not quite vertical) on the
house side of the sidewalk.

He's told us that it'll take about $15k to repair / replace the line, and
that the repair will give us about 10 to 20 years of service. There is some
settling / cracking in the sidewalk directly above the sewer line.

The house was built about 50 years ago, and we believe that the sewer line
is approx the same age.

Thanks,
Mike

On Sat, 3 Jul 2004 10:19:17 -0700, "Mike" michael at ywow.org wrote:

Folks,

Need your opinion on a proposed sewer line replacement / repair.

We're in the process of buying a home in the middle of a major city, and
have just done the home inspections. The sewer inspector did a camera look
see with a fiber optic cable, and found a hole in the sewer line,

approx 1 inch wide by 2 inch high.

It's under the sidewalk adjacent to the street. The house is on a hill, and
there is a rock face / garden about 10 feet high (not quite vertical) on the
house side of the sidewalk.

He's told us that it'll take about $15k to repair / replace the line, and
that the repair will give us about 10 to 20 years of service. There is some
settling / cracking in the sidewalk directly above the sewer line.

The house was built about 50 years ago, and we believe that the sewer line
is approx the same age.

Thanks,
Mike

How far is the break from where the city owns the line? Here I have a
cleanout that's about 3' from the main - they take care of anything
near that. I wonder if they'd take care of it because it's under a
sidewalk. Due to a lot of breaks here they are lining the pipes with
something like PVC.

Dear Rickm,

"rickm" wrote in message
news
How far is the break from where the city owns the line? Here I have a
cleanout that's about 3' from the main - they take care of anything
near that. I wonder if they'd take care of it because it's under a
sidewalk. Due to a lot of breaks here they are lining the pipes with
something like PVC.

Unfortunately, this city is pretty explicit, the owner's responsibility is
up to the edge of the sidewalk.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike wrote:

Folks,

Need your opinion on a proposed sewer line replacement / repair.

We're in the process of buying a home in the middle of a major city, and
have just done the home inspections. The sewer inspector did a camera look
see with a fiber optic cable, and found a hole in the sewer line,

approx 1 inch wide by 2 inch high.

It's under the sidewalk adjacent to the street. The house is on a hill, and
there is a rock face / garden about 10 feet high (not quite vertical) on the
house side of the sidewalk.

He's told us that it'll take about $15k to repair / replace the line, and
that the repair will give us about 10 to 20 years of service. There is some
settling / cracking in the sidewalk directly above the sewer line.

The house was built about 50 years ago, and we believe that the sewer line
is approx the same age.

Thanks,
Mike

15K to lift one block (or two) of sidewalk and dig down (guess) 8 feet??
I'll be right over!

50 years old means probably vitrefied clay pipe. Saw out broken
section and, using Fernco/Mission couplings, insert short section of
PVC.

Jim

The price sounds unrealistic to me. Ask around for a boring
contractor. They can send a cutter in that splits the original
pipe and pulls in a replacement line at the same time. You can
repair the one small break that you have identified. They can
pull a liner into the pipe that you have. I sure would not go
with the first 15K bid I received without additional input.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing. . . .
DanG


"Mike" michael at ywow.org wrote in message
...
Folks,

Need your opinion on a proposed sewer line replacement / repair.

We're in the process of buying a home in the middle of a major
city, and
have just done the home inspections. The sewer inspector did a
camera look
see with a fiber optic cable, and found a hole in the sewer
line,

approx 1 inch wide by 2 inch high.

It's under the sidewalk adjacent to the street. The house is on
a hill, and
there is a rock face / garden about 10 feet high (not quite
vertical) on the
house side of the sidewalk.

He's told us that it'll take about $15k to repair / replace the
line, and
that the repair will give us about 10 to 20 years of service.
There is some
settling / cracking in the sidewalk directly above the sewer
line.

The house was built about 50 years ago, and we believe that the
sewer line
is approx the same age.

Thanks,
Mike

Thought: Can you find records of when/where gas lines
might have been/are left? It's pretty common with
their diggers to burrow through pipes of this kind with
gas lines. Doesn't sound like it's still there, but
might it have been at one time?

Just a thought.

Pop


"Mike" michael at ywow.org wrote in message

Folks,

Need your opinion on a proposed sewer line
replacement / repair.

We're in the process of buying a home in the middle
of a major city,
and have just done the home inspections. The sewer
inspector did a
camera look see with a fiber optic cable, and found
a hole in the
sewer line,

approx 1 inch wide by 2 inch high.

It's under the sidewalk adjacent to the street. The
house is on a
hill, and there is a rock face / garden about 10
feet high (not
quite vertical) on the house side of the sidewalk.

He's told us that it'll take about $15k to repair /
replace the
line, and that the repair will give us about 10 to
20 years of
service. There is some settling / cracking in the
sidewalk directly
above the sewer line.

The house was built about 50 years ago, and we
believe that the
sewer line is approx the same age.

Thanks,
Mike

Based on the age of the line and the damage, replace as much of the
line as possible.

As for replacement methods:
1. Dig, cut concrete & replace
2. Trenchless
a. Pipe spliting - 2 holes are dug, one on each end. the
plumber pulls a new pipe through the old spliting as it goes. Great
stuff.
b. Pipe lining - A fiber glass like sock is blown into the
pipe, then a bladder is inflated inside the sock to force it against
the inside of the exisiting pipe. Let it cure, remove the bladder and
you are back in business.

Price: - In most cases you get what you pay for. Check references,
licenses, bonds, etc.

Randy

"Mike" michael at ywow.org wrote:

Dear Rickm,

"rickm" wrote in message
news
How far is the break from where the city owns the line? Here I have a
cleanout that's about 3' from the main - they take care of anything
near that. I wonder if they'd take care of it because it's under a
sidewalk. Due to a lot of breaks here they are lining the pipes with
something like PVC.

Unfortunately, this city is pretty explicit, the owner's responsibility is
up to the edge of the sidewalk.

So if the hole is UNDER the sidewalk, isn't it the city's
responsibility, since you own "up to the edge".