Sewer pipe lining

What lining fixes

Lining suits a pipe that is worn but still round: cracks, roots coming in at the joints, joints that have pulled apart a little, and old pipe that has scaled or thinned inside. The liner covers all of it with one continuous wall, and a wall with no joints gives roots nothing to find.

What it can't fix

A pipe that has lost its shape. A collapsed section has to be dug out and replaced before anything can be lined past it. A sag (a belly) that holds water stays a sag after lining, because the liner follows the old pipe. Both are covered on digging and replacing a sewer line.

Lining also doesn't usually reach the joint where your line meets the public main. That joint is normally out of reach from inside the lateral.

How the company that answers this number lines a pipe

• The way in. An existing cleanout, if there is one. If there isn't, a cleanout is put in or a small access pit is dug at one spot.
• A full run. The liner is turned inside out into the pipe by air or water pressure, in one piece up to about 150 feet.
• A short section. The liner is pulled into place and inflated against the wall. See spot repair.
• The cure. Any of four: ambient, hot water, steam or UV light. Each has its place, and the crew picks one for the job's pipe size, length and how soon the water has to be back on.
• Drains under the basement floor. A floor drain or a laundry drain has a trap under the floor, and a liner can't pass through a trap. So the floor is broken out at the drain's trap, the trap is dug up, and the pipe is lined from there to where it joins the main line. That is one small opening at the drain, not a trench across the basement.
• Branch lines. Reopened from inside with a robotic cutter, so nothing is dug up to reconnect them. Where a branch meets the line, a short connection liner can seal that joint too.
• The liner. Made to ASTM standards. Ask which standard applies to your job.

The animation on how lining works shows every step on a section through a house lateral.

How long, and the water

A house lateral usually takes half a day to a full day. Don't run water down the drains while the crew works. The liner has to cure before anything flows through it.

The warranty

The company gives one year on parts and labor, from the day of install. The liner has a design life of 50 years. A design life is what the material is engineered to last, not a promise about your pipe. Get the warranty in writing; that is the promise.

What it costs

Lining is priced job by job, sometimes by the foot. The price follows the length, the pipe size, the number of branch lines to reopen and how the crew gets in, so there is no fair typical number to print here. A real quote comes after the camera run, from the video. If a service call turns into a lining job, $200 of that call is credited toward it.

Before you agree to a price

1. Get the camera video, with distances, and look at the bad spots yourself.
2. Ask how long the liner will be, and where it starts and ends.
3. Ask how each branch line will be reopened, and whether its joint gets a connection liner.
4. Ask which cure will be used and how long the water will be off.
5. Ask for a second camera run after the work, and for the video.
6. If your city has a lateral program, ask it in writing, before work starts, whether it will pay toward lining. What each program's rules say.

Questions owners ask

How long does it take to line a house sewer line?

Usually half a day to a full day for a house lateral. Don't run water down the drains while the crew works, because the liner has to cure before anything flows through it.

Can every sewer pipe be lined?

No. Lining needs a pipe that is still round and a way in. A collapsed section has to be dug up and replaced first, and a sag that holds water stays a sag after lining, because the liner follows the old pipe. The camera video shows which you have.

What warranty comes with a sewer liner?

The company that answers this number gives one year on parts and labor, from the day of install. The liner itself has a design life of 50 years, which is what the material is engineered to last. The warranty is the promise; the design life is not.

Can a drain under the basement floor be lined?

Yes. Floor drains and laundry drains have a trap under the floor, which a liner can't pass through, so the floor is broken out at the drain's trap, the trap is dug up, and the pipe is lined from there to where it joins the main line. The opening is at the drain, not across the basement.

Does lining need any digging at all?

Not if there is a usable cleanout, which is the way in. If there isn't one, a cleanout is put in or a small access pit is dug at one spot. Either is far less ground than a trench along the whole line.