Damaged Sewer Lines

Cracked sewer pipes are a common source of costly property damage and potentially serious health issues for homeowners across the country. Luckily, Mr. Rooter Plumbing is right in your neighborhood and our plumbers are sewer pipe experts. We have to be, because all sewer pipes are vulnerable.

• Pipe corrosion may happen with cast iron pipes, leading to rusty, broken sewer pipes over time.
• Clay pipes are often brittle and can crack in multiple spots with earth movement if not properly supported when installed.
• PVC or ABS plastic pipe may crack from water temperature over its rated limits.
• Any type of pipe can break due to the forces of inner (water) and outer (ground) pressure.

What are the signs of a broken sewer pipe?

• Gurgling noises from the toilet.
• No water in the toilet.
• A bathtub that won’t drain/drains slowly.
• Sewage backing up in your toilet and/or tub.
• Odor in the basement or yard, sewage might not be making it out to the city sewer line—a health hazard.

Why do sewer pipes crack and burst?

• Lack of maintenance. Hair, grease, food particles, sanitary products and more can build up, leading to clogs, extra pressure on pipes and eventual cracks.
• Tree root intrusion. Roots travel long distances to infiltrate your sewer pipes, through tiny holes or pipe joints, eventually cracking open your pipes.
• Weather can cause pipe cracks. Frequent ground freezes and thaws can result in sewer pipes cracking or bursting.
• Even one big freeze within the pipe can block, crack open or burst the sewer pipe from within.
• Earthquakes or nearby earth movement.
• Aging of pipes.
• Bad sewer pipe layout, installation and/or design.
• Digging in the wrong place.
• Your house (and the ground beneath and around it) settling over time.
• A backup from the city sewer line.

Possible Broken Sewer Line Solutions

• Pipe relining: Pipe lining gives you new pipes from the inside out. Mr. Rooter Plumbing can line existing sewer pipes with a “sleeve” to eliminate pipe cracks. After cleaning the pipe, we apply lining material, which hardens over a few hours to make your sewer pipe system whole once again.
• Bursting: Depending upon the situation, Mr. Rooter Plumbing can pull a new sewer pipe through the remnants of your old one, using hydraulics. This technique further breaks apart your old, cracked sewer pipe--and installs a new seamless pipe in it’s place--all at the same time.
• Preventive maintenance: At Mr. Rooter Plumbing, we also offer regularly scheduled inspections and drain cleaning to help keep grease, hair and other household debris from clogging, cracking or bursting your pipes. This helps to prevent sewer pipe cracks and/or discover sewer pipe cracking early when repair is easier, less costly and more convenient.

Worried about cracked pipes in your sewer? Or are your sewer cracks already obvious, flooding your home or lawn? Contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing anytime for a sewer inspection appointment--or call 24/7 for broken sewer pipe emergencies.