Are your sewer lines backing up into your home? Have you spotted greener spots in your yard? Are there drain flies everywhere in your compound all of a sudden? How about a foul stench that you seem not to understand where it is emanating from? All these indicate that you might be dealing with a serious plumbing issue in your sewer line. They may leak, burst, or even be clogged and need repair. Today, there are more modern methods of sewer line repairs. There are some instances where your plumber near me in Bloomington, IL may still recommend using the traditional methods. If you are using the conventional sewer repair that requires excavation, there are several things that you need to keep in mind, including:
Property Damage
Unlike trenchless sewer line repair, where excavation of your pipes isn’t required, most traditional methods involve digging out the sewer lines and installing the replacement pipes. The underground utilities may be damaged during excavation unless proper care is taken. Before starting the excavation, your plumber near me should inspect the area around the sewer line for other pipes, utility lines, and irrigation systems. Only after they’ve determined that no such cables are present along the sewer system can the professional continue excavating. If there are any lines, they will be removed temporarily for the repair to be done. Unfortunately, this means that you will incur heavy landscaping expenses besides those of the sewer line repair. Since the sewer system may be closing the pavement to your home, you also will have to pay for repaving, not forgetting that it could make your home inaccessible for some hours.
Risk of Floods
If there is something that you should be sure will happen during the traditional sewer line repair unless proper care is taken is flooding. Before you call a plumber near me to replace the sewer line, have a vactor empty your sewer system days before. Flooding of your compound by sewer wastewater and materials will damage your yard’s property, cause sanitation-related problems, give your compound an unsightly look, and most likely attract a penalty from your HOA or municipal authority. Sometimes, your local authority might require you to acquire a permit before starting the sewer line repair job.
Permits and Special Codes
Do you need any permits before a sewer line repair job? In Bloomington, IL, yes, you do. You must obtain a permit for the plumber near me to repair those wastewater lines. Failure to do so might attract fines for both the homeowner and the plumbing company. This also applies to the trenchless repair method. The methods and materials for sewer line repair must be approved by city staff before you start the repair. To avoid any penalties, ensure that you follow the due process, fill out any required forms, pay any charges, and start the sewer line repair job after approval.
Injury to Workers
Worker injuries are a major concern of traditional sewer repair. Workers digging up old pipelines can easily slip and fall into ditches. The heavy equipment your plumber near me relies on for excavation can also cause injuries. The last thing you want is to be hit with a medical liability claim when the professional is injured working at your home. Besides the high cost of repairing the sewer line, you will also have to pay their medical bills. Therefore, it is recommended that you only hire a plumber near me that has medical insurance covers to avoid liability. If you must hire a plumbing company that hasn’t insured its technicians, ensure that you are armed with a third-party insurance cover.
Risks of Gas Leaks
One of the main dangers to traditional sewer repair is gas leaks. It is extremely harmful because it could potentially result in a catastrophic injury if exposed to sparks. If exposed to sparks, the gas from the leaks will produce a flame, burning anything in its way. Since the gas flow isn’t regulated, the damage can be fatal. When fixing sewers, your plumber must first determine that there are no gas leaks. Gas leaks might arise anytime, especially when digging too close to the gas lines. When soil around a gas line collapses, gas leaks may result. If there is a gas line near the sewer line, the plumber near me will shut the gas supply off and recommend that you use trenchless sewer line repair methods.
Unexpected Costs
Another thing to consider when repairing the sewer system using the traditional method is the possibility that there will always be unexpected costs. You can budget for everything, but it is better that you have some miscellaneous money to cater to any unexpected costs. For instance, your family members may be exposed to sewer gases during the repair, leaving them with respiratory tract and eye irritation and vomiting or nausea that leaves them hospitalized. The plumber near me may even hit the water line, resulting in a waste of water and a need for the water line to be repaired too. A lot could go wrong with excavation.
Need for Specialized Machinery and Tools
Sewer line repair using the traditional method will require that you have an excavator on standby. Fortunately, you don’t need to hire one nowadays. The plumber near me will arrange for everything and charge you later. Unfortunately, some homeowners think too much ahead to the point where they even ask the plumbing expert if they need to buy leak detectors. Today, you need to call a plumbing company in Bloomington, IL, and everything will be arranged. They will come with their inspection cameras, leak detectors, sensors, and excavators. If you call a plumbing company and they tell you to hire an excavator or buy any tool other than the pipes, that is a big red flag.
Do you need a sewer line repair? Contact our licensed and experienced technicians at Covenant Plumbing today.
See our previous blog post here!
