Sewer line repair and replacement

Drain lining (cured-in-place pipe, or CIPP) puts a resin-soaked liner inside the old pipe and cures it into a new, jointless pipe. It seals cracks and root entry points without digging a trench, but it needs a line that still holds its shape and can't fix a sag or a collapse. A camera inspection shows whether your line is a candidate.

No. It needs access at both ends, a pipe path without severe sags or collapses, and suitable soil. It usually costs more per foot but saves on restoring driveways and landscaping.

In most U.S. cities, the homeowner owns the lateral from the house to the connection at the public main. Check with your local utility — some own the section under the street.

Repeated main-line backups, sewage odor in the yard or house, gurgling toilets, soggy or unusually green patches of lawn, and roots found every time the line is cleaned. A camera inspection confirms the break and its location.

A spot repair is often completed in a day. Full replacement by excavation or trenchless methods usually takes one to several days depending on length, depth, permits and inspection scheduling.

Roots don't usually break sound pipe; they enter through cracks and joints in older clay or cast iron pipe, then grow and widen the gap. Removing roots without repairing the entry point means they'll return.

It varies widely with depth, length and what's above the pipe. Published national cost guides commonly put trenchless work around $60 to $250 per foot and whole-lateral projects from a few thousand dollars to around $20,000. A spot repair on one joint costs far less. These are national estimates, not quotes.

Yes. In North Carolina, digging requires a call to NC811 with a three-business-day wait for public utility marking. Private lines aren't marked and need a private locator.