How Long Do Your Sewer Pipes Last?
With proper maintenance and regular sewer repair, sewer pipes last anywhere between 50 and 100 years, depending on the material they are constructed from. In general, clay, cement, and PVC pipes last the longest. However, your sewer line may need to be replaced sooner if it was improperly installed initially, or if it suffers major exterior damage that doesn’t respond to repairs.
Sewer Line Repair or Replacement: Which Do You Need?
Not every damaged sewer line needs to be completely replaced. If the problem is isolated to a small section of pipe and the rest of the sewer line is in good condition, a targeted repair may be enough to restore proper drainage.
Sewer line replacement may be recommended when the pipe has extensive damage, recurring problems, severe deterioration, multiple failed sections, or damage that cannot be reliably corrected with a localized repair.
Sewer line repair may be appropriate when:
- Damage is limited to one area
- The pipe is otherwise in good condition
- A leak or break can be isolated
- The problem has not repeatedly returned
Sewer line replacement may be appropriate when:
- Multiple sections of pipe are damaged
- The sewer line has significant deterioration
- Tree roots have caused extensive damage
- The line has recurring leaks, clogs, or backups
- Previous repairs have failed to provide a lasting solution
General Air Conditioning & Plumbing can inspect your sewer line, identify the location and extent of the problem, and explain whether repair or replacement is the more appropriate solution for your home.
What Causes Sewer Line Issues?
Sewer line issues can be the result of a few different factors. For instance, clogging your pipes through your toilet or kitchen sink can cause deeply-rooted clogs underground. It’s important to be careful what you’re sliding down the drain, so it doesn’t crack or burst your sewer pipes later. Clogged pipes can even cause water to travel in the wrong direction, flooding your home.
Tree roots and shifting soil are also bad news for your sewer line. If roots or soil shifts underground, it can dislodge your sewer pipes or cause damage. It’s also essential to watch out for uncharacteristically dampened spots on your lawn or foul smells coming from your sewer line, which may indicate a leak or other damage underground. We can help you locate the source of your sewer pipe issue, so we can draft the best solution to restore its functions.
Our Sewer Line Repair Services in Palm Springs, CA
We offer multiple sewer line service options, including home sewer line repair, leak detection, slab leak repair, or full re-piping service. Our expert technicians can non-invasively locate the source of any leaks or damage underground. We can then address whether a repair will be most cost-effective and strong in correcting the issue or if a replacement is more suitable.
Home Sewer Line Repair
Our residential sewer line repair services can help you address broken, leaking, or bent pipes. Since most of your plumbing takes place underground, it can often be difficult to notice when something is off. If you notice soggy sections of your lawn, sluggish drains, foul smells, and rodents hanging out around your piping system, you likely have a sewer issue. We can help you detect any leaks or issues that are exposing your home and yard to sewer gases and fix them.
Leak Detection
To detect leaks underground, taking apart your pipes with tools would require tearing up your yard. To keep things as minimally invasive as possible, we can use smoke systems or piper cameras for your sewer line leak detection. Pipe cameras are inserted into your pipes to give a direct view of what’s going on underground. The leak detection smoke system blows smoke into your pipes to see if any leaks allow it to escape back to the surface.
Slab Leak Repair
As part of our sewer line service, we also offer slab leak repair. To protect your underground pipes, a cement slab is placed over your sewer system. However, when pipes shift or burst beneath your slab, they can crack and cause issues for your foundation. We can help you ensure your slab and lines are in the right place and safe.
Re-Piping Service
In some cases, repairs aren’t enough to fix your sewer line issue. If our inspection determines you have significant and expensive repairs, the smarter choice becomes a re-piping service. Full re-piping is useful because it corrects any damage and modernizes your pipe configuration. Older homes are regularly plagued by faulty installations and unsafe materials. We can help you remove any defective pipe sections and bring your system up to the current industry standards.
