What does a sewer line replacement involve?

1. 1Camera inspection. A plumber runs a camera through the line, usually from the cleanout, and marks where the problem sits and how deep it is. The City of Phoenix does not inspect private sewer lines, and says a plumber should be called for that. This step decides whether you need replacement at all. Our page on fully relining, partly relining or doing nothing covers the less invasive options.
2. 2Pick the method. Trench or trenchless, covered below.
3. 3Call before anyone digs. Arizona 811 says to contact it at least two full working days before digging, excluding weekends and state holidays. The service is free, and the utility owners send locators to mark their lines.
4. 4Permit and inspection. Phoenix says all permitted residential jobs require inspections, and underground plumbing is checked before it is covered. Ask your plumber which permit applies and who pulls it.
5. 5Check who owns which stretch. In Phoenix the owner maintains the line out to the city main, but for single-family and duplex homes the city repairs broken pipe in the public right-of-way. See who is responsible for the sewer line in Phoenix.
6. 6Install the new pipe. In a trench, the crew removes the old pipe, lays the new one to the right slope, and connects at the house end and at the main. With bursting, the head is pulled through from an access pit at each end. Ask where the cleanout will sit so the new line can be reached later.
7. 7Test and inspect. The crew checks the new line, often with the camera, and the inspection is scheduled if a permit applies.
8. 8Backfill and restore. Soil goes back in layers, then the surface is repaired: dirt, landscaping, or concrete where it was cut.

Pipe bursting is the trenchless way to replace a pipe. NASSCO describes it this way: a bursting head is pulled through the old pipe, fracturing it and pushing the pieces into the surrounding soil, while the new pipe follows right behind. It still needs digging at both ends, a launch pit and a receiving pit, but not along the whole run. NASSCO says excavation for the pits is generally required, so even trenchless work means some digging and some yard repair. NASSCO says it is the only trenchless technology that can upsize a pipe, and lists high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and fusible PVC as common replacement materials. For lateral pipes it gives a typical diameter range of 2 to 8 inches.

Open-cut digging trenches the full run. It is the option when a line has to move to a new route, or when the slope needs correcting. It also lets the crew see the soil and any surprises around the pipe.

The camera footage usually decides between them, along with what sits on top of the line: a driveway, a slab, mature landscaping. See trenchless sewer repair versus digging for the comparison.

### Two ways a job can go

These are made-up examples to show how the choice plays out, not real jobs.

A collapsed line under a driveway. The camera shows a section that has caved in. A liner cannot pass it, so the choice is bursting or digging. If both ends of the run can be reached from small pits in the yard, bursting can keep the concrete intact. If the line also has a low spot that holds water, the crew may need to open-cut that stretch to correct the slope.

A line that has to move. The old pipe runs through a spot where a new addition now sits. Bursting follows the old path, so it cannot help. The crew plans a new route and trenches it.

Arizona law requires a call or an online ticket before any excavation. A few details worth knowing from the Arizona 811 homeowner guide:

• Timing. At least two full working days before digging.
• Colors. Utilities mark with a standard color code. Green means sanitary sewer and storm drain, red is electric, yellow is gas, and blue is water.
• Hand-digging. Once lines are marked, digging within two feet of a marked facility has to be by hand.
• How long marks last. Utility markings are valid for 15 working days. A long job needs an updated ticket.
• Who is on the ticket. Anyone doing the work must be listed on it.

Arizona 811 warns that striking a gas or electric line can be fatal, so the call is not optional paperwork. Ask your contractor to show you the ticket number before the trench is opened.

Plan on not using drains while the line is open, since anything you flush has nowhere to go. Ask for a time estimate for the shutoff window before work starts. Even lining, per Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services, requires temporary limits on water and sewer use, and a replacement will too. Expect noise, equipment and open ground for as long as the job runs, and ask how the crew will secure an open trench overnight so kids, pets and neighbors stay clear. Keep vehicles away from the work zone, and move anything valuable out of the trench path. If the line runs under a driveway or slab, ask whether trenchless is possible, because it changes what gets cut and what gets restored.

### After the pipe is in

Hold on to the paperwork. Keep the final camera video, the permit and inspection sign-off if there was one, the warranty, and a note of where the cleanout sits. If you sell the house, a buyer's sewer scope will look at this line, and those records are your answer. Then keep it clear: the same habits that block old pipes block new ones, and grease is the biggest problem the City of Phoenix reports in its own sewers. Roots are second, so the landscaping rules that keep roots away from the line still apply.

• Will you show me the camera footage and where it says the line has failed?
• Trench or trenchless, and why?
• Who pulls the permit and schedules the inspection?
• Is there an Arizona 811 ticket number, and who is listed on it?
• What is included in restoration, and what isn't?
• Will you run a camera on the new line and give me the video?
• What is the warranty, in writing?

For what drives the price, see sewer line replacement cost factors. If roots were the cause, read tree roots in a sewer line: repair or replace first, and once the new line is in, use how to maintain your sewer line to prevent backups to keep it that way.

HQ Plumbing gives free estimates with upfront pricing, so you see the whole scope in writing before any work starts.

Before any dig, a camera pass should confirm the damage, as what a plumbing camera inspection can find explains.