Can I replace my own sewer pipe?

[DerbyDad03]

I'm wondering what it would take to replace the section of sewer pipe from my house to the right of way. We have very sandy soil and no trees in the front yard to be concerned with. I'm thinking it's about a 30' foot run, but I don't know how deep it is. I'm in western NY about a mile south of Lake Ontario. The town has already replaced their section of the sewer with PVC and I'd like to do the same with mine.

Is this something I could do with a couple of shovels, some help and a lot of time or is heavy equipment absolutely required?

[hallerb]

how deep is the main? did you look when they replaced the main line?

[HeyBub]

You can probably do it. Sewer pipes are usually pretty deep, though. Whether you're allowed to do it by the city is another matter entirely.

My son, with a neighbor's help, replaced his. It was a lot of digging and the use of a pneumatic chisel for busting up the clay.

Me? I'd have rented a bobcat for a day.

[ransley]

Nobody knows local local dirt better and time needed than your water dept, call them. Maybe the last foot is rocky clay.

[DerbyDad03]

As I said in my OP - "I don't know how deep it is"

The best I can say guesstimate is this:

The exterior vent for the exhaust fan in my basement bathroom is in the same corner of the house as the sewer pipe. Outside of the house, the vent is about 3 feet off the ground. Inside the house, the floor level cleanout is about 7 feet below the vent. I guess that puts the sewer pipe at least 4 feet underground.

In addition, the frost line for building decks, etc. around here is

42", so I assume it's at least that deep.

[Bob F]

As I said in my OP - "I don't know how deep it is"

The best I can say guesstimate is this:

The exterior vent for the exhaust fan in my basement bathroom is in the same corner of the house as the sewer pipe. Outside of the house, the vent is about 3 feet off the ground. Inside the house, the floor level cleanout is about 7 feet below the vent. I guess that puts the sewer pipe at least 4 feet underground.

In addition, the frost line for building decks, etc. around here is

42", so I assume it's at least that deep. ***********************************************************

And it only goes down from there.

[DerbyDad03]

Can you dig down 4 or more feet with a bobcat?

[Speedy Jim]

After you find out the true depth and whether you will be allowed to do the work:

Ask the state/local utility locating service to mark the location of the other utilities for you.

If you have city water, the service line for that was often laid in the very same trench with the sewer (though perhaps at a different depth). That means you must be *very* careful digging!

A trench, especially in sandy soil, will need shoring up to prevent collapse. Plan on what you will do in the event of rain as well.

Do the homework; this can be a very big job.

Jim

[JIMMIE]

What makes you think yours needs replacing. With no trees and sandy soil it may last forever.

If it aint broke.....

Jimmie

[evodawg]

Sure just make sure you get the backhoe attachment or rent one of those small track hoes....

[Steve Barker]

If it's more than a foot deep, you'll want a backhoe. And it's more than a foot deep.

s

[Steve Barker]

Not in a day. LOL! Better get a real backhoe on the job.

s

Can you dig down 4 or more feet with a bobcat?

[ds549]

in my state i needed a homeowner permit from the health dept and it had to be inspected before it was filled in.the man there told me about the drop on the pipe and where to put the cleanouts. we had new sewers come thru here at the time. i rented a small kabota backhoe 16 inch wide bucket with a bucket on the front also . i dug 160 feet long in one morning used the bucket on front to lay in 4 inches of gravel , mine was a sloping yard so i only had to use transit along side of the house where flat to get slope right but found out a level would have worked too. they told me 1/8" -1/4" drop per foot was needed. laid the sc 40 pipe in and the inspector came and blew smoke in the line to be sure of leaks and that the roof vent was open. then said fill it in.so i did . it helps to get your gravel and pipes on hand before digging . you can use rubber sleeves with stainless hose clamps on it for connecting to your house pipe if its cast iron or different size than your new pipe. with sand soil,you may have to dig it wider than you normally would . no i wasnt a pro ,but i watched a few go in before i decided to do it myself. replaced my nat gas line once too,but thats another story.. lucas

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[DerbyDad03]

re: "If it aint broke....."

But it just might be.

The back story here is that the town used to come to my house at least once a year to snake the sewer and clear the roots. They used to have to come into the house because there was no cleanout in the yard. Based on the amount of snake they used, the blockage was always in "their" section of pipe. A few years ago, they replaced the pipe from the right-of-way out and added a cleanout in my yard. We didn't have a backup until a few months ago when my basement toilet starting erupting whenever ane upstairs toilet was flushed.

The town came and snaked their section, but it was clear. $165 later, a plumber pulled a big chunk of roots out of my section. Last week (just once) I lifted the lid on the basement toilet and found water all over the seat and lid, which means it must have erupted at least once. That could mean more roots and a temporary blockage.

That's what making me start to look into replacing my section.

[Red]

Every case is different, but here was mine. I hired a plumber to replace a bad line. The line left the house at about 4' deep, went across the yard, was about 6' deep at the curb, went to the middle of the street, then straight down an additional 15' to the sewer line. The sewer line had to be broken into, a saddle placed over it, topped with 3 bags of sacrete, everything backfilled and packed, and the street asphalt repaired. No way in hell was it a diy job.

Red

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Frost line depth at least. Couple shovels won't do! and having sandy soil you may need lots of gravel to keep the line stay put.

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks Red, but depth may be my only issue.

The town already took care of the alsphalt-removing-sewer-line- breaking-saddle-connection-installation-backfilling-asphalt-patching part of the job. I just need to replace my cast iron and tie into their PVC.

[hrhofmann]

Copper sulfate monthly might be a lot easier way to clear the line.

[hallerb]

well theres a easy solution to your problem, its worked well for me for over 10 years. someday I should replace the line, but its deep, and under a wall driveway and sidewalk, plus the roots are in every joint but one even under the house. the biggest job is moving alll my business stuff out of the basement and garage to replace the indoor lines. terracotta pipe.

I dump a 25 pound sack of rock salt in my basement wash tub, add lots of hot water and stir with shovel till much of it dissolves. then go to work so the sal;t water can lay in the line undisturbed....... for

12 hours. later normal use of water in the tub dissolves whats left, and futher kills roots

kills the roots fast, tends to clear minor jams like you have fast. i believe the roots curl up and die.

its worth a try, dirt cheap experiment, let us know how it works

[HeyBub]

There might be an alternative not yet mentioned:

It is sometimes possible to insert a liner into an existing drain. The liner is made of stuff impervious to tree roots and it won't ever crack. Here's an example of a firm that does that sort of thing: