I am a first time homeowner and recently bought an older home, built in 1965 in Alabama. The house sits at the top of a hill. Several months after moving in, I noticed that black water seemed to come up out of the ground in and around the actual water meter. We hosed it down into the sewer, but notice it again after a large rain. We had the city water and sewer folks come out and they would blame each other, so we had a plumber come investigate. He tried to snake it out through the vents and advised that the pipe must be broken somewhere in the yard or near the street. He advised that he doesn't know if the leak can be repaired or if the whole system including under the street will need to be replaced. I was under the impression that if the leak was in the street or where it connect to the city's main line it was the city's responsibility? What kind of estimates would you say on a repair versus the whole pipe system being replaced? We haven't had any problems with it backing up into the house, so what sort of timeframe would be necessary for repair? Thanks in advance!

Get a better plumber who ownes a SeeSnake camera that can be rodded down you drain line. Most issues are right at the riser from the city's sewer line. You own everything from the house to the riser even if it is on the other side of your property line. Since your black water is near the house the leak is likely right there. Repairs times could be only 3-5 hours once equipment is in place. The money part depends on your location and where the break is finally located. Likely between $800 and $1600 but this is a big ballpark guess without further info.

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Originally Posted by TheStevensons

I am a first time homeowner and recently bought an older home, built in 1965 in Alabama. The house sits at the top of a hill. Several months after moving in, I noticed that black water seemed to come up out of the ground in and around the actual water meter. We hosed it down into the sewer, but notice it again after a large rain. We had the city water and sewer folks come out and they would blame each other, so we had a plumber come investigate. He tried to snake it out through the vents and advised that the pipe must be broken somewhere in the yard or near the street. He advised that he doesn't know if the leak can be repaired or if the whole system including under the street will need to be replaced. I was under the impression that if the leak was in the street or where it connect to the city's main line it was the city's responsibility? What kind of estimates would you say on a repair versus the whole pipe system being replaced? We haven't had any problems with it backing up into the house, so what sort of timeframe would be necessary for repair? Thanks in advance!

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Thanks, we will definitely get more estimates. We have had one plumber who wants to replace the pipes and his estimate is $10,000. I thought that sounded ridiculous!