Sewer Camera Inspection
Send a camera down the line before a repair, a purchase or a decision about a tree.
Plumbing service
Emergency Sewer Line Repair in Westminster, CO
Gurgling drains, a sewer smell in the basement or sewage backing into a floor drain. If cable work only helps for a while, the lateral itself may be damaged. Wastewater coming up through a floor drain or tub means you should quit running water and phone right away.
Stop using water and call. A camera look should come before any digging.
Signs the lateral is damaged
- Backups that returnClears for a few weeks, then stops again.
- Sewer odor in the yard or basementA crack or open joint lets gas escape.
- A soggy or sunken patch of lawnWater is leaking from the pipe under it.
What can go wrong in a lateral
Roots enter at the joints and grow into a mass that catches paper and grease. Clay and cast iron can crack or separate. Older fiber pipe can deform and sag. A belly, or low spot, holds water and waste, which settle and form a blockage.
The camera shows which of these you have, and where. That decides whether a short repair is enough.
Repair options
For a spot repair the crew removes one damaged length and splices in fresh pipe, which works when the rest of the line is healthy.
Lining slides a resin-saturated sleeve into the pipe and cures it into a new inner wall. It works on cracks and root-prone joints in a line that is still round and aligned. A sagging or collapsed pipe cannot be lined and needs replacement.
Cost
Why sewer repair quotes vary
Nobody can name a figure until a camera has been down the pipe. These points shape the quote.
Ask for the camera footage and a plain explanation of why the contractor recommends repair or lining.
In Westminster
Trees and clay soil
Mature trees are common on older lots in Westminster and nearby cities. The city advises against planting trees or shrubs near the lateral, because roots follow moisture into every joint.
Clay soils swell and shrink with moisture. A rigid pipe can be pulled out of alignment over the years, which creates the low spot that holds waste.
Whose job it is in Westminster
Per the city, homeowners keep up the lateral running from the house to the main, and the main under the roadway is the city's. A manhole cover in your neighborhood usually means a city main is nearby.
For a backup in the lateral, hire a licensed plumber. For one in the main, call the city's Wastewater Collections line. The municipal code covers the details.
Permits and inspection
Westminster lists underground repair or replacement of sewer and water lines among work that needs a permit. Clearing a stoppage does not need one, but a repair that opens the ground does.
Your contractor normally pulls the permit and calls for the inspection. Keep the paperwork, since a buyer or insurer may ask for it later.
Before the dig
Questions to ask before approving a repair
The answers shape the price and the result.
Where a damaged lateral leads
Sewer Line Replacement
Put in a new lateral between the house and the city main when patching no longer works.
Hydro Jetting
Blast grease, scale and roots off the pipe wall when a cable only punches a hole through the clog.
Common questions
Answers about sewer line repair
Repeated backups, gurgling, sewer odor and soggy patches of lawn are the usual clues. A camera pass pinpoints the fault and its location.
Sometimes. Lining and certain trenchless methods work on a pipe that is still intact, but a collapsed or sagging pipe needs excavation.
In Westminster, the owner is responsible for the lateral from the house to the city main. Check your insurance for sewer line coverage, and ask the contractor to document the damage.
Sewer gas can be a health hazard in a closed space. The city notes that smell can come from a dry trap, a damaged pipe or a blocked vent, so call a plumber to find the cause.
Hold off on every drain in the house, including the laundry, because each gallon sends more waste up the pipe. Keep children and pets out of the wet area, then phone. A contractor can open the line and inspect it afterward.
Sewage backing up?
Stop using water in the house, keep people and pets out of the affected area and call. The dispatcher will line up a local contractor.