Posted on 09/27/2012 4:17:45 PM PDT by Red in Blue PA
We recently had some sewage make it's way up from the drains in our basement. When plumbers were called out, they found that where our pipe connects with the main sewer line, the terra cotta junction has been breached by tree roots. Keep in mind this is out about 10 feet into the street from the curb and our pipes are intact......the only part which has been breached was the city's terra cotta junction to the main sewer line. And this was shown by a camera sent down into the pipe. When talking to the plumber's however, we were shocked to hear them say that we are responsible for digging up the street, and replacing weak joints which are not even ours! And the job to do this would cost approximately $20,000!
Has anyone been through something similar? I believe this is entirely unfair and would like to fight it, but I would like to hear from people who may have gone through something similar, as I am learning that this is fairly common. But I am still shocked that we are responsible for something 10 feet from the curb, and which has been broken but is not even ours, as our pipe is still intact.
I never thought I could like government any less.
Oft times in older tract houses cheap tough trees were planted that would survive anything but they were usually ones that put down deep roots and were water loving.
My plumber wanted $750 to install another clean out and recommend cutting down the problem tree, several more hundreds, or replacing the whole run of pipe. $2000 doesn't seem unreasonable even if painful for the work you suggest.
The city was not going to pay for it. The pipe was offset slightly where it joined the main line, and there were problem roots (city trees, if I remember correctly). We used RootX and did NOTHING. The city did nothing. My husband thinks it was a scam, looking back.
$20,000, not $2,000.
They would be digging 15 feet down however, through concrete.
I would for a certainty try the cheapest thing first. If it doesn’t work you’re out a few bucks and no harm, but I just haven’t had good experience with poisons, etc. over time.
I would ask the plumber if its possible to sip a large pex plastic pipe into the current pipe to prevent any future issues. I have an illegal water pipe. The builder put 1-1/4 inch well pipe(inspectors name was payola) instead of copper. Was talking to the town water guys, who were all too familiar with the issue and the said one of their “friends” had a rig to pull a correct copper pipe to the city connection. I was restoring a 1870’s house with a bad gas pipe. The plumber used the old pipe as a conduit to push a new pipe. In your case all you need is a barrier, so even if the connection isn’t perfect, all you want is to prevent the terracotta from being a problem down the road. Since the likelyhood is the pipe is straight you might even be able to dig up a 6-10 foot section on your property and shove some pvc through your current pipe.
just my 2 cents
If that is the case, the Copper Sulfate solution is a good one. They sell it in the plumbing department of the hardware store. It's not expensive, but you have to keep on top of it and do it regularly.
I had this happen, and the roots got too thick so I had to have it dug up and fixed. The city's responsibility ends at their pipe, which makes the junction your problem. Sorry.
Go to the end of your property, dig up the end of your pipe and stick a new piece on it and shoot it into the street! k probably not a good idea but it would be fun!!!
Twenty? Do you have 15 feet of solid concrete? The street and under soil can’t be more than a few feet, under that soil.
Twenty thou sounds a bit much given a couple days use of a back hoe and trench shoring.
No, not all concrete. But 15 feet down and through concrete.
I wish you well. Ouch!
Another option that may or may not apply, is to do the root-X treatments until the next time the city does sewer renovation in your street. Many municipalities are still separating storm sewers from sanitary sewers. Getting a new lateral done when they are tearing up the street at taxpayer expense can save you a fortune, if you can wait that long. We got lucky on a 3-unit we owned that had cracked clay pipe. Saved $$$ Thousands, we supplied the coffee and donuts gratis!
Your plumber is right the connection to the city main is yours!
Forget that then, that’s the problem we had too and so just kept calling the plumber every couple years. You may not even want to try poisons.
Localities plan on doing major road repairs every 25 to 50 years.
They were actually pumping in a concrete-type material that set afterwards; it was just as good as laying new pipe. Air pressure kept the sleeve inflated, then the sleeve was retracted as the last step. It went around a corner and everything.
Thanks. I will try to find that.....sounds like a possible workaround.
Sounds Like Lower Merion a Lotta Terra Cotta Drains
Pssssst When the arborist says he’s going to cut down your tree an grind the roots, he just means that he’ll grind them down to yard level. They do NOT go underground and remove all the roots. We learned that the hard way when we wanted to install a paved circle, rose bed, and fountain where 2 trees had stood. We ended up having to raise the pavers and the rose bed because we could not remove dirt — too many roots in the way. The arborist came back twice, but we still had roots the size of my thigh left behind.
A plumber told me recently to flush a box of salt every month. It kills roots growing in the line.
It was very interesting, because the Sewer Pipe was actually a wooden stave water pipe that had been installed circa 1890. The pipe was in excellent shape, so the City had to look-up the directions to hook-on (needed hot tar), and find an old Cooper that knew how to do it.
Thanks for bring that memory back for me, and good luck ............................................. FRegards
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