Lining or digging

Side by side

Schedule 3. Lining and digging compared

	Lining	Digging
Fixes	Cracks, roots at the joints, small offsets, worn pipe	All of those, plus collapse and sags
Can't fix	A collapse, or a sag that holds water	Nothing in the section it exposes
Way in	A cleanout, or one small pit	A trench over the failed section
What is on top	Stays: trees, drive, patio, walls	Broken out and put back
Joints left	None along the lined run	New pipe has new joints, made tight
House lateral, time	Usually half a day to a full day	Depends on depth, length and what has to be put back

When lining is the better choice

When the pipe is still round and the run passes under something you'd rather not open: a stone walk, a mature tree, a long driveway or the street. Lining also leaves no joints along the lined run, and joints are where roots get in.

When digging is the honest answer

When a section has collapsed, when the line sags and holds water, or when the pipe is so broken a liner can't get through. A liner takes the shape of the pipe it is in. It won't hold up a collapse or level a belly. Digging and replacing a sewer line covers how that work is done.

Both on one job

A common answer is to dig only the failed section, replace it, and line the rest of the run from the same opening. You pay to open the ground in one place instead of along the whole line.

What city lateral programs say

Of the 29 St. Louis-area programs in this site's guide, 1 names lining as a covered repair. 14 describe the paid work as digging, and 14 don't describe a method at all. Wording about digging isn't a refusal, so ask your city in writing, before the work, whether it will pay toward lining. What each program says.

Questions owners ask

Is lining cheaper than digging?

It depends on the job, and neither one is always cheaper. Digging costs rise with depth, length and whatever is on top: a driveway, a patio, a tree, the street. Lining costs rise with length, pipe size and the number of branch lines to reopen. Ask for both prices from the same camera video.

Will my city's lateral program pay for lining?

Ask before the work, in writing. About half of the program rules in the St. Louis area describe the repair as digging, most of the rest don't describe a method at all, and one names lining as a covered repair. Wording about digging isn't a refusal. The guide on this site lists what each program says.

Can one job use both?

Yes. A collapsed section is dug up and replaced, and the rest of the line is lined from the same opening.