Sewer Line Question

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WillNY

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I have a question regarding my house's sewer line going out to the city. Access to it is located in a pit right at the entrance to the garage (~1 ft from house exterior) and it contains the tap water line coming in and the sewer line going out.

When we first moved into the house we had to snake the sewer line due to tree roots growing into the external ceramic sewer line. Rotorooter also recommended we replace 2 caps on what must have been the house sewer trap.

Water flow still seems to be fine and we haven't had any further backups for about 3 years. However, I have noticed water coming into the pit every time it rains and a gradual accumulation of mud (photos attached). The water has not come out of the pit as far as I know but does come up pretty high. Note this doesn't smell like sewage and seems to be just regular water/mud.

Any ideas on what may be causing water/mud to get into the pit? It's probably not a DIY type thing but I wanted to gain a better understanding before having someone come look at it.

Thanks.

sewer1.JPG
 

Reach4

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You could probably get some info from others in the neighborhood who have been there for a while. In particular, consider asking a neighbor whose yard shows signs of having the sewer line replaced.

I don't know what the deal with the pit is. It does not seem to have been something that many are familiar with. You don't see flow in and out, so that could be ground seepage. That thing with the number-- is that your water meter? I guess the wire is the connection to the remote reading connection for the water meter. YOu say your sewer goes through there? Is that where the cleanout was that they rodded from?


Your sewer pipe is probably what is commonly called clay pipe. It is often invaded by tree roots, and the cure is to replace the clay pipe with PVC. As part of the job, the city may want you to detach your perimeter drain and gutters from the line to the sanitary sewer and put the water either into your yard or the storm sewer line. Maybe not. That is a local thing. Sometimes there are local programs to pay for part of the costs to fix things up to a better standard for the sewer connection.
 

hj

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That looks like a water meter vault, and I cannot see any signs of a sewer cleanout inside it, and that would usually be one place where one would NOT be. since it is not sealed that should be rainwater in the pit.
 

WillNY

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Thanks for getting back to me. I was a bit worried that no one was sure what it was.

Reach4 - Yes, the one with the numbers is the water meter with a wire out for remote readings. The sewer part is underneath and is already buried in mud. From what you are saying, it sounds like the water in the pit is a separate issue from whether the sewer line needs to be snaked. It sounds like either at the point the water or sewer line comes in needs to be sealed? Do you know if it's some sort of caulk or pvc used to do that?

hj - You can't really tell from the picture, but it's probably about twice the depth that you see there. When we did the cleanout a few years back, Rotorooter had to dig out all the mud to get to the sewer line. Do you know if these pits are usually sealed? I'd feed more comfortable if it was, but not sure how much work/cost it would be.
 
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