When burst sewer pipes require repairs, they present some major challenges for their modern homeowners -- and sometimes even for the plumbing contractors that are hired for the professional jobs.

Iron was once the the first choice in plumbing pipes, including the lateral sewer line, which drains from your property into the city sewer main. When one bursts, frequently the most prudent action is to replace the existing pipe with new polyethylene pipe that will not face the same dangers in the future.

Another modern sewer pipe replacement technique is known as trenchless plumbing. This technique enables a professional to repair the sewer pipe without tearing up your yard. One variety of trenchless sewer pipe repair is known as the "bursting method": Plumbers will pull a new pipeline through the existing, damaged pipeline. This further expands the broken pipeline to make room for the new one.

Another trenchless sewer line repair technique is the "lining method." Using this approach, plumbers will insert a flexible tube through the old sewer pipe and inflate it. This lining will then make any ruptures in the existing pipe totally moot. Better yet, the lining can easily be removed and fixed (or switched out) when future problems arise.

Even with trenchless sewer pipe repair, it is possible for invasive roots to repeat their damage. In addition to fixing the breaks in the pipe, plumbers may consider impeding root growth in the direction of the line for any nearby trees.

The cost of sewer pipe repair drastically varies depending on the company doing the labor and how much labor there is to do. Some sewer pipes run underneath garages, driveways, or landscaping. Especially under such conditions, trenchless replacement can be a preferable option. When deciding on a plumbing company, request estimates from 2 or more different contracters. Make sure all of the estimates include all of the same work. Contractors often charge significantly different prices for similar labor. Also make sure to get in writing the agreed-upon condition of your property once the work is done. Put another way, if a contracter does have to dig a trench in your yard or make a mess, it should be agreed upon whose duty it is -- yours or theirs -- to get everything looking good again.

Whenever you request a price quote for a sewer repair, have a sense of whether it's likely more fixes will have to be made in the very near future. Especially in older homes (or newer homes connecting to an older sewer pipeline), it may be worth doing a total replacement project instead of little fixes, so that you won't have to deal with a similar inconvenience six months down the road. Many plumbing contracters such as sewer drain cleaning Tacoma WA provide a warranty on sewer pipe replacement, some of them for as long as you own the property.