Roots in sewer. How should this main line be fixed?

[Cali_John]

Hi, So one of my friends recently purchased a single family home. Recently they did a camera inspection on the main line, and the inspecting plumber noted that the pipe had tree roots on several parts of the mainline. The plumber recommended a sewer trenchless replacement. They also mentioned they would seal the replacement pipe with some kind of "sealant" so that tree roots couldn't get in their again.

There doesn't seem to be an immediate problem with blockage in the line. The only thing my friend noted is that when there was a heavy rain, and they did laundry, water backed up into the master bedroom shower and the secondary bathroom bathtub. So clearly there's a problem, but on other days there's been no issue so far.

Some questions:

1) Can my friend simply "hydrojet" the line to deal with the issue or is a replacement needed?

2) What's a reasonable estimate for this type of work (both for replacing and/or hydrojetting)? (they live in Southern California, Ventura County - Westlake/Moorpark area; you can think Los Angeles if you're not familiar with Ventura).

3) What is the name of the "sealant" for the new pipe that the plumber was referring to so I can compare brands/solutions?

 

[Terry]

Or you could snake the line to cut the roots, and then use Rootx to keep the adventurous roots at bay.

https://rootx.com/homeowners

 

[Sponsor]

 

[wwhitney]

A lot of jurisdictions in both Northern and Southern California have private sewer lateral ordinances that require inspection and replacement if necessary whenever a house is sold. The logic is that if the sewer lateral is letting in groundwater, then the water treatment plant can get overloaded during rains, causing discharge of not fully treated wastewater. So it's a water quality issue.

Even if the sale wasn't subject to such a requirement, replacement obviously still has the same benefits. Trenchless replacement is done with heat fused HDPE pipe that is pulled in as a single length, so there are no joints except at the ends. I'm not aware that any particular sealant is used at the ends of the HDPE, just typical banded rubber couplings.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Reach4]

Or have whatever it is cut out with a big cutter. Root, telephone cable, gasket material, whatever. OK, guess you should have the line marked for cables before cutting.

 

[Cali_John]

Thank you @wwhitney and @Terry . My friend had a couple of sewer inspections that recommended that the orangeburg pipe connecting the house to the main line in the street be done with trenchless replacement. Apparently orangeburg only lasts 40-50 years and is not that great of a material. One proposal also said they might consider do an "epoxy line" (or lining?) of the cast iron pipe underneath the house using some kind of special machine so the floor wouldn't have to be dug up. Apparently it helps reinforce the cast iron pipes and makes them last longer. Curious if any of you have heard anything about this.

 

[Dj2]

When you are asking about prices, the best way to find out is by getting estimates. Call a few plumbers and find out.
How far is the house from the street?

 

[Cali_John]

Thank you @dj2 , my friend definitely got a few quotes and has a much better sense of pricing now. The front of the house is probably roughly 40-50 feet from the street.