When aging sewer pipelines demand fixing, they create some major challenges for their current homeowners -- and occasionally even for the contractors that are hired for the professional jobs.

Iron used to be the the main choice in plumbing pipes, including the lateral line, which drains from your house into the city sewer main. When one breaks, often the most prudent decision is to replace the existing pipe with new polyethylene pipe that will not face the same risk in the future.

Another contemporary sewer pipe replacement technique is known as trenchless plumbing. This technique enables you to fix the sewer pipe without digging a trench. One kind of trenchless sewer pipe repair is known as the "bursting method": Plumbers will pull a new pipe through the existing, burst pipe. This further expands the old pipe to make way for the new one.

Another trenchless sewer pipeline repair technique is the "lining method." Using this technique, contracters will place a flexible tube through the existing sewer pipe and inflate it. This lining will then cover up any leaks in the existing pipe. Furthermore, the lining can easily be removed and repaired (or replaced) as necessary.

Even with trenchless sewer pipe repair, it is possible for nearby roots to repeat their attack. In addition to fixing the breaks in the pipe, plumbers may consider blocking root growth in the direction of the pipeline for any nearby heavy foliage.

The price of sewer pipe repair dramatically varies depending on the business doing the work and how much work there is to do. Some sewer pipelines run under garages, driveways, or landscaping. Especially under these circumstances, trenchless replacement can be a very desirable option. When deciding on a plumbing contracter, request quotes from two or more different companies. Check that all of the quotes include all of the same work. Contractors often charge quite different rates for similar parts. Also be sure to get in writing the agreed-upon state of your property after the work is all done. That is to say, if a plumber does have to dig a trench in your lawn or make a mess, it should be agreed upon whose responsibility it is -- theirs or yours -- to clean it up.

Any time you request an estimate for a sewer fix, have a sense of whether it's likely more fixes will have to be have to be performed in the foreseeable future. Especially beneath older properties (or newer properties connecting to an older sewer pipe), it may be worth paying for an entire replacement project instead of minor fixes, so that you won't have to deal with this same crisis three years from now. Many plumbing businesses such as sewer drain cleaning Tacoma WA provide a warranty on sewer pipe replacement, some of them for as long as you own the house.