Hearing that your sewer line is damaged beyond repair is one of the worst news homeowners can get. As Central Florida Property Management explain that is because of the massive cost of replacing a damaged sewer line. On one hand, you have the huge cost of labor and materials. On the other hand, there is the expensive repair of your damaged landscaping.
In addition to the monetary cost of the project, you must deal with the inconvenience of relocating your family. That is because in the many weeks it takes to dig up old sewer pipes, install new ones and repair your torn-up lawn, your home’s plumbing will be out of commission.
The potential cost of replacing a broken sewer line
How much you spend to replace a damaged sewer line depends on several factors. The most important ones are; the sewer line location, sewer line material, sewer line length, cause of the sewer line damage, and replacement method used.
On average, to replace a damaged sewer line, you should expect the following costs:
- Sewer line replacement costs, depending on the method used: $3,000 – $30,000 (or higher).
- Restoring landscaping that was damaged or removed: $500 – $5,000 (or higher).
- Driveway and sidewalk replacement or repair costs: $1,500 – $10,000 (or higher).
- Cost of temporary housing during the repair period: $100 – $200 per night.
That sums up to between $5,100+ and $50,000+. This wide disparity in the project’s potential cost is due to the type of sewer line replacement method used. There are two common methods for replacing a damaged sewer line; open-top excavation and trenchless repair.
Open-top excavation or trench method
This is the traditional method of sewer line replacement. It involves digging a large trench to manually remove and replace the sewer pipes. Because it requires excavation, a lot of time, and restoring areas of the landscaping damaged by digging, this method is very costly.
The only times to use open-top excavation is when significantly upsizing a sewer line, a new sewer line cannot be pulled through (more on this later), a lot of care is needed due to nearby dangerous utility lines, or the design of the sewer line does not permit trenchless repair.
Trenchless sewer line repair or replacement
With trenchless repair, it is possible to cut the cost of sewer line replacement to a fraction of what it would cost with the trench method. That is because trenchless sewer repair eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming digging. It shortens the duration of the repair.
This method uses a non-invasive process that will let you replace the sewer line without damage to your lawn, sidewalk or driveway. With trenchless approaches, the sewer repair specialist only needs to make two manholes in your yard to replace the damaged sewer line.
How does trenchless sewer line replacement work?
It depends on the type of trenchless method you use. There are two main types of trenchless sewer line repair; pipe bursting and pipe relining. Although these are both trenchless sewer repair methods, they use very different technologies to replace a damaged sewer line.
Pipe bursting
During a pipe bursting operation, a cone-shaped steel bursting head is inserted into the damaged pipe via a manhole or cleanout. Using a pull rod or hydraulic power, this bursting head is pulled through the old pipe. The old pipe is broken apart and pushed aside as the steelhead passes through.
At the same time, a new pipe is pulled in behind the bursting head to immediately take up the space left by the old pipe. After this is completed, broken pieces of the old pipe which can be retrieved are removed and taken offsite. Pipe bursting costs $60-$200 per foot.
Pipe relining
Pipe relining involves inserting a new pipe into the existing one. To do this, the old sewer line pipe is first assessed using a sewer camera and then cleaned out by hydro jetting. Afterwards, an inflatable tube is pulled into the old pipe after it has been impregnated with an epoxy mix which will form the new pipe.
This liner is pulled into place before being inflated. After inflation, it is left inside the pipe until the epoxy hardens to form a new pipe. The liner is then deflated and retracted, leaving a brand-new sewer pipe in place. Pipe relining costs between $80 and $250 per foot.
There are many advantages to using these trenchless sewer line replacement methods. With pipe relining or pipe bursting, you can save thousands of dollars by:
- Eliminating the cost of digging up entire sections of sewer lines to replace them.
- Reducing the amount of time and materials it takes to repair your damaged sewer line.
- Removing the need for restoration of damaged landscaping and other outdoor elements.
- Minimizing the risk of future sewer line damage since the pipe replacements are incredibly durable.