When your drains are backing up and the toilet plunger and other drain cleaning methods aren’t working, you likely have an issue requiring sewer repair. That’s exactly why this Lowell customer called MillTown Plumbing, Heating, AC, Drain Cleaning, and Electric. After their drains kept backing up with no signs of clearing out, they needed further diagnostics. MillTown’s licensed plumbers first inspected the issue through the customer’s sewer cleanout port and noticed that the PVC sewer pipe had collapsed. Due to the nature of a collapsed sewer pipe, there were no other options besides sewer repair involving excavation and replacement of the afflicted section.

Sewer Camera Inspection

A sewer camera inspection is another one of the services offered by MillTown Plumbing to accurately identify any issues with your sewer pipe. These inspections are made possible via a small camera on the end of a long, flexible wire inserted into the sewer cleanout. Once inside, the camera feeds a monitor a live stream of the inside of the sewer. From there, MillTown’s licensed plumbers are able to identify any clogs, collapses, or damage. Not only is it extremely accurate, but sewer camera inspections are a non-invasive procedure that requires no digging or excavation. These inspections are:

• Fast
• Inexpensive
• Non-invasive
• Accurate
• Convenient

Sewer camera inspections are a must for any modern sewer diagnosis and repair, as made evident by their benefits above.

Signs You Need Sewer Repair

Older homes likely have cast iron, clay, or concrete sewer pipes. This customer had relatively new construction which meant their sewer pipe was made of PVC. As time goes on, these pipes can fail due to a multitude of reasons. Once the pipe fails, you might experience any of the following symptoms:

• Backed up drains
• Bad smells
• Unusually green lawn
• Presence of rodents and insects

Benefits of Repaired Sewer in your Lowell, MA Home

After repairing your collapsed sewer line, there are several benefits you can expect, such as:

• Free-flowing drains
• No smells
• Solid foundation
• Reduced risk of infestation

Lowell, MA Collapsed Sewer Repair Process

This Lowell, MA client would be repairing their collapsed PVC sewer line with a replacement section of PVC pipe. 

Sewer Line Excavation

To begin the repair process, the water supply to the home was turned off. Previously, the issue was identified during a sewer camera inspection and was marked appropriately on the concrete foundation. Once the area was cleared, MillTown’s EXPERT EXCAVATION CREW began excavating the area.

To start the excavation process, a jackhammer was used to chip away at the concrete foundation. A section 3’x3’ was excavated on either side of the affected area and the concrete in between was cleared out.

Then, dirt was removed from above the pipe and placed in a pile nearby to be used again. Enough dirt was removed from around the pipe so that it was easily accessible from all angles, including below. 

As you can see in the image below, the old sewer line collapsed and broke. This caused sewage to drain into the soil, backing up any waste.

Sewer Line Removal

Once the damaged sewer line was easily accessible, any existing connections were cut so the old pipe could be removed. 

PVC Sewer Line Replacement

Installing the new replacement PVC sewer line repair for this Lowell client began by attempting to fit a 4” Y-pipe where the collapsed line had been. Unfortunately, a direct fit wasn’t possible, so after careful consideration, an additional section of line was removed to give MillTown’s sewer experts more room to work with.

The replacement PVC sewer line was connected to the old pipes with the use of 4” to 3” reducers and rubber couplers. The couplers had multiple hose clamps to help secure the new piece of sewer line without any chance of failure.

Sewer Trench Backfill

After this Lowell customer’s sewer line repair was properly installed, it was time to backfill the trench. To begin the backfill process, crushed stone was first filled underneath the repaired sewer line. Crushed stone was used because it has a lower chance of settling than dirt. It would be incredibly difficult to properly backfill below the replacement line using dirt alone. 

Once the stone was filled in appropriately, the remainder of the trench was filled with the previously excavated dirt. The dirt was lightly packed to assist in the concrete foundation repair, found in the next step.

Concrete Foundation Repair

The next step involved repairing the concrete foundation which had to be broken to access the repair in the first place. First, MillTown set up their concrete mixing machine in the driveway to avoid any spills inside the customer’s garage. Then, the customer’s water was turned back on. 

Next, a hose was connected to the water supply at the washing machine. The outdoor faucet was tried first, however, it had frozen. The temperature that day was in the single digits with negative wind chill!

Using multiple 80lb bags, concrete mix and water were mixed together in the concrete mixer. A relatively dry mix was created to give MillTown’s EXPERT EXCAVATION CREW an easier mixture to work with. A dry mix means is that there was less water used than normal.

Wet concrete was then poured into the excavated patch of foundation. Afterwards, a concrete trowel was used to smooth out the surface and sculpt the wall that had been knocked out.

Final Steps

The last step of the job is to clean up. This meant cleaning up any spilled concrete, soil, materials, or anything else left behind.

Lowell, MA Sewer Repair Contractor

Here at MillTown, we provide cost-effective, permanent solutions to keep your home in tip-top shape. We commit to your satisfaction and offer high-quality, same-day service. Our technicians are clean, courteous, and respectful of your home. It is why Massachusetts and New Hampshire homeowners have trusted us for over 35 years. Contact MillTown today if you are a local Lowell homeowner interested in sewer repair, replacement, or cleaning!

By Milltown Plumbing