Main Sewer Line repair

Hi,

We're under contract to buy a home in a major city, and have just done the inspections.

The sewer insepctor did a fiber optic camera video of the sewer line, and it reveals an approx 1 inch by 2 inch oval hole in the sewer line, under the sidewalk adjacent to the street.

He suggests that the cost of repair will be around $15k; is this at all reasonable? There is a garden rock face between the sidewalk and the house.

The other weird thing is that with the repair, the inspector says that the line will be good for another 10-20 years. The house was built in the early 1950s.

Thanks!

[dphomer1]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi,

We're under contract to buy a home in a major city, and have just done the inspections.

The sewer insepctor did a fiber optic camera video of the sewer line, and it reveals an approx 1 inch by 2 inch oval hole in the sewer line, under the sidewalk adjacent to the street.

He suggests that the cost of repair will be around $15k; is this at all reasonable? There is a garden rock face between the sidewalk and the house.

The other weird thing is that with the repair, the inspector says that the line will be good for another 10-20 years. The house was built in the early 1950s.

Thanks!

repair with out digging there is some companies that can put a patch over the hole without doigging. cipp product cure in place lining. Its is cloth resin coated usually heat activated it will harden in place. there is only a few companies that do laterals to house and lot of them that do main lines. dan price usually around 1500

[Teetorbilt]

dp is right about the repair in place, I've seen it done many times.
Something else that you may want to consider, is the problem yours? In most places your responsibility ends at the property line. If the problem is under a public sidewalk, then it should be the city's problem.

[pipeguy]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

a fiber optic camera video of the sewer line, and it reveals an approx 1 inch by 2 inch oval hole in the sewer line, under the sidewalk adjacent to the street.

Like Teetor suggested, this should be the sewer authority's problem - not the seller's.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

He suggests that the cost of repair will be around $15k; is this at all reasonable?

Depending on its depth and proximity to other improvements (both above and below ground) it is entirely reasonable should it need to be removed and replaced.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The other weird thing is that with the repair, the inspector says that the line will be good for another 10-20 years. The house was built in the early 1950s. !

IMO, this is a dubious representation; particularly in light of the existing failure. Are there 100 year old sewer pipes?...absolutely. Will yours last to age 65?...without inspecting it along its entire length, both inside and out, it's impossible to know.

Cured-in-place liners do not remedy substantial structural failures - they only rehabilitate the interior lining thereby sealing nominal leaks, retarding further corrosion and restoring efficient flow. If a pipe has suffered significant structural degradation, a new liner isn't a long term answer.