The main drain line of my 100 year old house is made of clay and is severely infested with roots. We plan to do a trenchless pipe repair. We have gotten opinons and estimates from 4 different companies, but are having trouble evaluating the accuracy of differing opinions. Specific questions:

One company that is recommending relining the pipe says that you need to use different size liners for the 4 inch section of pipe versus the 6 inch section of pipe. As such, they would need to open the hole at the point where the size changes, which is under the sidewalk. Other plumbers seem to think its OK to use the same liner size throughout. Thoughts?

One company says the epoxy resin lining material used by other companies is "not approved", while the Vinyl Lucent material used by his company is. Accuracy?

Currently the root infestation is so bad where my grass meets the street curb that no one can get their camera past that point. (It's the part of pipe closest to the offending tree). One company has recommended opening the hole at that point and then pipe bursting the section of pipe between the house and the curb. Once the hole is open, they can then evaluate the extent of root damage between the curb and the connection to the city line. Depending on the extent of damage they then find on that latter section of pipe, they would either hydrojet or reline on the latter section. Why would one company recommend different apporaches on the two sections of pipe, while other three companies recommend relining throughout?

Thanks for any insight you can provide!
Anne

Hi Anne,
I had the same problem as you, howevere since you live in California you are under the UPC that's stricter then the rest of the nation. We have a few plumbers here that work under UPC. Mygirlsdad, Nilo and growler come to mind. They can answer your questions much better then I. Let me tell you how I solved the same problem that you are faced with. 54 year old house. The builder used sub standard cast iron in the drainage. The 4" house main was completely ate up on the bottom of the pipe , blocked with roots and welling up in my living room floor. I was sure that the main had broke in two and I would have to jack hammer up the floor and tunnel under the foundation to transition to PVC, pick up the back bath and move the main outside the house but I had to know what was going on under the slab so a friend suggested running a camera down there. There was no distinct break in the main, however,it was completely ate up on the bottom. That's when Rooter Man of Sarasota and Gulf Coast Florida suggested relining the main, (see image). It took a day to clear the roots and pressure jet clean the main. Next day they came back and relined the main with epoxy. I now have a sewer main that will out last me, (50 year guarantee) and the best part is that I didn't have to, tear up my house and the cost was under half of what I figured to take the main outside around the house. Another bonus was that it was done without tearing up or disturbing my house. When they were finished I kept a piece of the epoxy liner to check it out. It was white and had the same thickness of Schedule#40 PVC.
I was amazed at the equipment RooterMan had outside my place. The equipment he had cost upwards of $100,000.00. Hi tech stuff that took a technician to run it. There were 3 men and 2 trucks to do the job. And it was completed in two days. Lottsa difference from the old days when I went out on a sewer call with a Ridged K-60 Sewer Machine and a ladder to get to the roof vent. I just wanted to point out that there's another option besides replacing drainage that the years have ruined. If your pipes are a candidate for a reline job I strongly suggest you look into it before you decide to replace the drainage pipes. I did and saved a bundle in addition to keeping my home intact. Just thought I would share that with you all. Hope this helps and thank you for rating my reply. Tom

Hi Anne, I am licensed plumber based in So. California...

The 6" lateral belongs to the City, not you. You cannot touch or w/o facing fine. You replace only the 4" pipe. Under any circumstances don't dig past curb or you will be in for big trouble. Only City approved, and specifically bonded, sewer contractors are allowed to work past cube. You can call your local Dept. of Sanitation and / or Street Maintenance for advice. They are friendly bureaucrats. They will provide you with list of approved sewer contractors in your area.

It is very common that roots grow in in the connection from 6" Clay to 4" house sewer. If roots in 6" lateral, you will have to call City and ask them to clear it for you. They are pretty good on responding to this kind of issues. Before you go ahead with sewer replacement, I would strongly suggest that you do Sewer Video Inspection first. It will cost you couple hundreds of dollars but it is good investment...

Relining is fine - but also has its limitations. Make sure your present sewer pipe is not sagging since the new lining will copy exactly the slope, and low points, as in the old pipe.

Milo
Relining is fine - but also has its limitations. Make sure your present sewer pipe is not sagging since the new lining will copy exactly the slope, and low points, as in the old pipe.
True but the installer runs a camera down the main to check for low spots and standing water. Regards, Tom