Need to fix a sewer line

**detrusor** · 01-03-2021, 05:12 PM

So, my house is on septic and there is a low spit just before the tank...probably a couple inch dip. Gets “clogs” at that spot causing sewage to back up into the boiler room and basement. The total run from house to tank is less than 20 feet, 4” green pipe.

The cost to fix has been estimated to be in the 9k range....dig it up and replace pipe.

My homeowners will cover if there is damage to the pipe but not if there is just a low spot (fuckers).

Any Salt Lake or Park City plumbers want to way in on this? 9 k seems like a shit ton of money......

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**Skidog** · 01-03-2021, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by detrusor

So, my house is on septic and there is a low spit just before the tank...probably a couple inch dip. Gets “clogs” at that spot causing sewage to back up into the boiler room and basement. The total run from house to tank is less than 20 feet, 4” green pipe.

The cost to fix has been estimated to be in the 9k range....dig it up and replace pipe.

My homeowners will cover if there is damage to the pipe but not if there is just a low spot (fuckers).

Any Salt Lake or Park City plumbers want to way in on this? 9 k seems like a shit ton of money......

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Sure fucking does. I had an entire leech field dug and an elgin system put in for less than that. Shop that shit at least a little.

Can you see pipe? It's outside? What's above it? Dirt? Concrete? I assume this is feed pipe from house to tank? More info required.

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**mcf258** · 01-03-2021, 06:14 PM

I would suggest calling the folks that empty the tank and get another guy. I had a similar job done and it was under $1000 in 2019. It for sure doesn't require a licensed plumber and might be a good diy project.

**Choss Jonger, Sr.** · 01-03-2021, 06:30 PM

9k seems like a shit ton of $ but then again it is a shitty labor intensive task with some pretty shit-serious customers (ie: OP and fam have #2 needs too, y’know). Probably best to get the lowest bidder with the fewest local references to do solid work at low cost with maximal efficiency. ;-)

I’d bet you can do it all yourself for pretty cheap. I’d bet the tools and tasks are relative cheap and super easy in concept. Still though, not the kinda thing you wanna muck up and then start hollering for help on.

**detrusor** · 01-03-2021, 07:17 PM

I can see the pipe where it leaves the house. Dirt on top for majority but then at the end it’s under the driveway (blacktop) but not such that you can’t use garage etc so that can be fixed in spring. It is the feed pipe from house to tank

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**nickwm21** · 01-03-2021, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by detrusor

My homeowners will cover if there is damage to the pipe but not if there is just a low spot (fuckers).

Insurance always assumes the place was built correctly to begin with... they don’t cover shitty work...

$9k seems slightly high but not crazy in this market... get some more quotes...

As far as doing this yourself... the plumbing would be easy. Digging the trench is the issue. Any idea how deep the existing line is? Any idea why there is a low spot? Is the tank too high?

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**irul&ublo** · 01-03-2021, 07:40 PM

Why is it clogging?

**I Skied Bandini Mountain** · 01-03-2021, 07:41 PM

That's gotta be a "I don't want to do it" price.

**detrusor** · 01-03-2021, 08:10 PM

Shit settles in the low spot. Well, that and other things. It’s low enough to hold water

The line isn’t very deep.

Given that there is air before and after the low spot I think it’s not the tank being high.

When we first moved in the power company parked a big ass touch right in that area....

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**DJSapp** · 01-03-2021, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by detrusor

Shit settles in the low spot. Well, that and other things. It’s low enough to hold water

The line isn’t very deep.

Given that there is air before and after the low spot I think it’s not the tank being high.

When we first moved in the power company parked a big ass touch right in that area....

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"Isn't very deep" is relative. To me that means less than 20' down. If you're concerned that a parked truck from the power company did it, that tells me 2-3' deep max, and that the truck parked right on top of the gasketed bell and spigot joint which is just about the only thing that could create such a depression in such a short run. Digging up 20" of 2'-3' deep trench is an afternoons work if you're digging by hand, as you're redigging an existing trench. If you want to go crazy, rent a ditch witch or mini-excavator and just cut directly through the existing line. Do call dig alert or whatever your local equivalent of utility locating is before hand if you're using powered equipment. You do not want to know how expensive emergency utility repairs are if you survive the strike. Or just use a shovel, 20' really isn't much.

Two 10' sticks of 4" SDR 35 (green plastic gasketed bell and spigot sewer main) will set you back $50. Stake the pipe down with steel stakes and fill the whole fucking trench with concrete (~3-6 cy @ ~$100/cy) so you never have to go back again. You can send me the $8000 I saved you.

**liv2ski** · 01-04-2021, 02:47 AM

^^^^^That. Get a few guys from the Home Depot lot to dig it out for you after you have cut the drive way where the pipe goes under.

**gravitylover** · 01-04-2021, 04:37 AM

We need to replace the entire leach field, it's not accepting waste in the volume it should anymore so every few months it backs up. We've been just getting the tank pumped out and that seems to reduce the pressure then it's rinse and repeat. We were quoted between $8500-12k plus permits. We also have a problem because the loader may block the street temporarily at times so we have to apply to the town highway department to get permission to block traffic but we're on a dead end street so may not be able to get that permit. This would mean we have to do the whole thing on the weekend, probably starting late Saturday and finishing before the end of the day Sunday when there is less chance of a town employee coming down the street and that adds another $2-4k but that's questionable because you have to pull permits to do any septic or leach field work so they know it will be getting done. It's the same when we have to take down big trees, do it on a Sunday if you don't want to spend $600 per tree for the permit from the town forester. I guess what I'm saying is check to make sure you don't need to pull permits before doing the work yourself because if the health dept gets wind that you're doing septic system work without them you could be creating a(nother) shitshow for yourself.

**grinch** · 01-04-2021, 04:41 AM

2nd page!?!?

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**SoVT Joey** · 01-04-2021, 05:36 AM

You should send some pictures. If it’s 20’ feet from your house to the tank, which it should be less by code usually, and you can find your depth by measuring down in your basement to where the shit pipe exits, that’s a quick job, like a day with a mini ex. I’ve done a lot of shit pipe work. That’s like a 1500-2000 job said and done in Vermont and that’s usually if it’s a bastard, my 1850 house we replaced the shit pipe and tank in 6 hours on a Saturday night. And that was me and my buddy.

I’d be willing to bet that for 9k I could fly from
Vt, rent a machine, rent a hotel room, do the job, go skiing for a few days and still have money left over

**I Skied Bandini Mountain** · 01-04-2021, 07:33 AM

We basically did the same job, granted it was only 10 lf of digging but they cleared a main line blockage and added a cleanout and tank riser and it was under $1500 and an afternoon of work.

Like I said, that's an "I don't want to do it" price.

**glademaster** · 01-04-2021, 07:40 AM

Wow, where is concrete $100/CY at the moment? If it was anywhere near that cheap around here we would have people building solid concrete houses (a few already have).

**nickwm21** · 01-04-2021, 08:31 AM

DJ probably orders more CYs of concrete in a year than most of us see placed in a lifetime. He probably gets a deal...

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**char_** · 01-04-2021, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by detrusor

So, my house is on septic and there is a low spit just before the tank...probably a couple inch dip. Gets “clogs” at that spot causing sewage to back up into the boiler room and basement. The total run from house to tank is less than 20 feet, 4” green pipe.

The cost to fix has been estimated to be in the 9k range....dig it up and replace pipe.

My homeowners will cover if there is damage to the pipe but not if there is just a low spot (fuckers).

Any Salt Lake or Park City plumbers want to way in on this? 9 k seems like a shit ton of money......

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

This is $450 per foot which is insanely high unless access is bad and shoring is required.

Typical price is probably in the 100 to 150 per foot range.

Depending on what is going on you might not even need to replace the pipe if you DIY it. Just get the belly out and place new pipe bedding, maybe concrete like DJ noted.

Id be leery of backfilling with actual 3000 psi concrete as it isn’t diggable and you would then need to backhaul the spoils somewhere. If you do backfill with concrete use a low psi, diggable CLSM.

**ötzi** · 01-04-2021, 09:07 AM

This sounds like a job for Art Shirk.

**Bunion 2020** · 01-04-2021, 09:13 AM

What Is Trenchless Sewer Line Repair?

Essentially, trenchless sewer line repair means we won’t have to dig up your lawn. We can restore your sewer pipes and water lines efficiently and effectively, without tearing up your property. A variety of advanced techniques are at our disposal to ensure that your yard stays in tact while we repair your pipes. Our expert plumbers can effectively address your sewer line problems.

Take a look at some of the benefits of trenchless sewer line repair:

Repairs usually take less than a day
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Methodology keeps your lawn, landscaping, patio, and more in tact
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Repairs meet industry standards and are permanent

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**DJSapp** · 01-04-2021, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by nickwm21

DJ probably orders more CYs of concrete in a year than most of us see placed in a lifetime. He probably gets a deal...

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I'm still pissed off at Cemex. My account rep didn't take me to Mexico City to visit the Corp HQ for their annual awards banquet where my project was nominated. I paid for your award fucker, least you can do is buy me a plane ticket and some tequila.

And yes, $100/cy concrete is still out there. You just don't get spec mud at that price.

**DJSapp** · 01-04-2021, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by char_

This is $450 per foot which is insanely high unless access is bad and shoring is required.

Typical price is probably in the 100 to 150 per foot range.

Depending on what is going on you might not even need to replace the pipe if you DIY it. Just get the belly out and place new pipe bedding, maybe concrete like DJ noted.

Id be leery of backfilling with actual 3000 psi concrete as it isn’t diggable and you would then need to backhaul the spoils somewhere. If you do backfill with concrete use a low psi, diggable CLSM.

It's a 20' pipe run according to the OP. 1 joint, right in the middle. By the time you have enough pipe dug up on each side to remove the belly and get a constant slope, you may as well just do the whole damn thing. It will be easier to get a even slope on it.

Trenchless replacement for a 4" main costs a fortune in just getting the equipment onsite and setup. The run isn't deep enough, long enough, or crossing under anything important enough to justify it.

**splat** · 01-04-2021, 09:55 AM

Jesus. I read this and wished I had this problem instead of my 6-8' deep line a wysteria has rooted into which then runs thru the roots of a 40-year-old tree before it hits the sewer main in the street at 8' deep. Did anybody mention inch a foot fall over the run of the pipe? Isn't that code, Glademaster? A dip before the tank smells like it needs about a 10-14' section replaced to flow smoovely on that code and common sense. Lack of trench dirt compaction in that area??? Pro tip: Stop flushing toilet paper, paper towels, tampons, etc until you get it fixed. That should greatly reduce if not eliminate clogging, as it sounds like you have at least an 18 inch drop from house to low spot.

**detrusor** · 01-04-2021, 10:54 AM

Deep question...

I’d say it’s 3-4 feet at the most

I’ll take pics tonight

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**old goat** · 01-04-2021, 11:07 AM

We spent $5K to replace about 40 ft of broken cast iron sewer line, from crawl space to city main. Mostly hand dug, trenchless under the mature plane tree. (When the subdivision was built in the 30's someone had the bright idea to plant plane trees directly over the sewer line of every house in the neighborhood. We were last on the block to replace.)