San Antonio Sewer Line Repair Services

Our San Antonio plumber team is your locally-owned plumbing service provider and a proud member of Neighborly’s home service providers. As your most trusted plumbing company, we are San Antonio’s first-choice plumbers for efficient and effective sewer line repairs. Our highly-rated workmanship and exceptional customer service are guaranteed to restore your plumbing system and give you the peace of mind that you deserve.

How Does San Antonio Sewer Line Repair Work?

Before you start thinking that we’ll have to dig up your concrete garage floors or landscaping, we aim to introduce you to some methods of trenchless technology. Most of our San Antonio sewer line repair services are guided by efficient trenchless methods, during which we treat underground broken pipes without the traditional method of excavation.

Back in the 1970s, an English engineer had a leaky pipe underneath his concrete floors, but he did not want to deal with the mess and cost of having to dig on his property to tackle his sewer line issues. Soon after, he invented a method that included applying a polyester pipe liner that had been soaked in epoxy. This liner was then carefully lowered inside the main line until it reached the damaged area, where it would inflate and cure into place. This sewer line repair method is also known as pipe relining or CIPP (cure-in-place pipe). Although this old method from the 70s was a genius move in the eyes of your contemporary San Antonio plumbers, it was not yet perfected back then and many plumbers had their doubts. But nowadays, trenchless technology is all plumbers ever talk about!

The two essential San Antonio sewer line repair methods that our expert team uses are pipe lining and pipe bursting.

Pipe Lining

As stated above, this repair solution is inspired by the “cure-in-place pipe” method that involves installing an inflatable tube liner into the existing sewer pipe that has suffered from damage. The diameter of your standard residential sewer line is about four inches, which means that the flexible tube liner will make the diameter of your pipe slightly smaller. Still, this should not affect its performance. The strength of the epoxy resin can last up to 50 years when installed correctly, and you can rest easy knowing that your main line will reach its full lifespan without needing another sewer line repair in the same place.

Pipe Bursting

The bursting method is an indirect replacement method during which your San Antonio plumbers will use a hydraulic system to burst the damaged pipe section into small pieces. Two access holes are drilled in order for the service technician to insert a rod that allows them to pull out the busted pieces and, at the same time, pull the replacement pipe into place. This method is regarded as minimally invasive and often more effective than relining, especially if you experience several damaged areas within the same section.

What Causes Sewer Line Damage in San Antonio, TX?

There are several different causes of sewer line damage, some of which are human-caused, while others are naturally caused. This includes clogged drains, flooding, tree root intrusion, and corrosion.

Clogged Drains

When you experience clogged drains at home, they either show up in the form of clogged sinks or backed-up toilets. Slow drains in the shower or revolting wafting smells from the kitchen sink are also warning signs that indicate a drain cleaning service and inspection are past due.

Wondering how these issues occurred in the first place? It all comes down to how well you treat your home’s pipework, as household habits are responsible for many types of clogs, blockages, and water pressure issues.

It’s natural for the buildup to occur inside pipe walls, whether it’s soap scum, toothpaste, food particles, or calcium minerals. When you remove the strainer and look down your sink drain opening, you might see black gunk that has settled just below. If that already strikes you as unsightly, imagine how it might look deeper down the drain.

One of the worst might be your kitchen drain lines if you are guilty of pouring oil and fat down the sink. These are the biggest culprits for clogs because once cooled, they solidify and start trapping food particles as you continue to wash wastewater down the drain.

Some bad bathroom habits include flushing human waste with an excess amount of toilet paper or other unsuitable objects like paper towels, wet wipes, sanitary towels, or foreign objects. If your drain lines are already clogged up, your sewer line will be less likely to digest that issue.

Floods and Heavy Rains

San Antonio’s famous River Walk exists to remember the people who died in a severe flood in 1921. Floods and hurricanes still happen in our region, which is why your San Antonio plumbers are dedicated to taking necessary measures to protect your friends and neighbors.

Not many private property owners are aware that heavy rainfall can pose a significant danger to residential sewer laterals. You might think that the municipal sewer or public sewer will take care of redirecting stormwater, but even those can be overwhelmed by excess water and end up backing raw sewage into your sewer pipeline.

Sewer backups are often more than just a clog—they can indicate a series of problems like joint leaks, sectional cracks, and more. Your local San Antonio sewer line repair technicians can need to take the necessary measures of inspection and repair, as well as help you install protective plumbing devices, such as a backwater valve.

Tree Root Infiltration

Property owners in San Antonio may have heard of the benefits of having shade trees around their homes to protect them from the sun in the high summer. Oak trees, cedars, and sycamores are some of the popular species that you will find in Texas. However, they grow large and while the taproot grows vertically to a depth of at least five feet, the horizontal, lateral roots can grow up to seven times the circumference of the tree’s initial crown.

Typically, tree roots are at a similar depth as your sewer lateral, which is installed at a depth of five to six feet. Any leak of nutrients will immediately navigate the roots toward the pipe and even invade it.

Soil Shifting

Although PVC piping material is extremely durable and flexible, it has to deal with San Antonio’s common soil problems. The unpredictable clay soil in the city poses a huge problem to many existing foundations and even properties ready for construction. The clay in southern Texas has a high swelling potential which means that it expands and creates a pressure that lifts and moves any structure that’s within it. Therefore, soil shifting is a common occurrence that could not only affect your home’s foundation but also your sewer drain. In the event of broken seals and joints, water leaks will lure tree roots to infiltrate your system. As a result, you will need to invest in a trusted San Antonio sewer line repair service.

Corrosion

Around 1975, homes in San Antonio were already equipped with PVC sewer lines, and it was recommended that builders stop using cast iron and clay pipes. If your home was built before the mid-70s and no plumbing changes were made since then, our San Antonio plumbing team highly recommends upgrading your sewer line. In fact, it’s less likely any metal-based pipelines would have survived our hard water. The majority of our water supply originates from the Edwards Aquifer, which is known to have a high level of limescale and other rock minerals. If you have metal-based pipework, it’s highly likely that you’re dealing with calcium buildup. If left untreated, it could lead to corrosion.

Signs You Need San Antonio Sewer Line Repairs

• Slow draining
• Recurring backups in toilets, sinks, and floor drains
• Leaky sewer trap
• Wet patches on the lawn
• Sewer odors

San Antonio Sewer Line Repair FAQs

We hope that learning about the potential causes and common warning signs has helped you better understand your plumbing system’s sensitivities. When in need of sewer line repairs, San Antonio, TX homeowners have asked us some recurring questions that by sharing can help local residents take action in advance of a worst-case scenario occurring.

How Does Sewer Leak Detection Work?

In order to pinpoint the exact underlying issue, we can utilize our plumbing video inspection camera technology to examine your sewer line. A camera attached to a cable is slowly lowered down the sewer trap to access your main line and locate the damaged area. Your San Antonio plumbers are able to follow the camera’s route as it travels through the pipe. However, it can only identify clogs and help us inspect your sewer line’s health.

In order to detect leaks, our service technicians will use additional plumbing tools, such as an acoustic leak listening detector and thermal imaging device to identify temperature changes.

When Is It Too Late For San Antonio Sewer Line Repair?

San Antonio, TX homeowners may be worried about severe damages like sewer collapses, which can happen during intense soil shifts. This is the most common circumstance in which trenchless repair is not possible and excavation is needed. It’s important to note that San Antonio sewer line repair will only work if the sewer line is intact. Otherwise, it’s impossible to install a polyester tube recliner or even burst a section from the inside out.

The other occasion when a repair service is too late is when you have old plumbing, whether it’s cast iron, galvanized steel, or even PVC that’s older than 30 years. Scheduling an inspection service with your local San Antonio plumber will determine if sewer line replacement is the best option for you.

How Much Does San Antonio Sewer Line Repair Cost?

Mr. Rooter Plumbing of San Antonio prides itself on its exceptional customer service and therefore, it’s our priority to be as transparent and upfront as possible with our quotes and estimates. Without obtaining any detailed information in advance, it’s extremely difficult for us to make the right judgment. There are too many factors involved and too many unanswered questions that all have an influence on pricing. Therefore, we highly encourage you to call our friendly office team to ask any questions you may have and request a no-obligation in-house inspection. This consultation will allow our San Antonio plumbing team to gather details firsthand.

How Do I Best Protect Myself and My Home From Plumbing Disasters?

Since heavy rainfall and floods can happen at any time in San Antonio, we highly recommend installing protective plumbing devices like a backwater valve. This valve goes onto your sewer lateral and works via a flap that senses high pressure. Therefore, as soon as it detects a potential backup on the way, it will automatically close the flap and prevent any sewage backup from entering your home.

Additionally, we recommend installing a sump pump in your home. While these devices are typically used in basements, which are not common in San Antonio, they will still greatly benefit you as they detect rising water levels around your home’s perimeter and help pump any excess water away from your home.

All these preventative measures will protect your sewer line and reduce the risk of costly repairs. Most importantly, scheduling an annual appointment with your local San Antonio plumber will help you stay on top of your plumbing system.

When You Need San Antonio Sewer Line Repairs, Trust Mr. Rooter Plumbing!

Are you in San Antonio or surrounding communities like Universal City, Boerne, or Converse and urgently in need of plumbing services? Trust your licensed plumbers at Mr. Rooter for dependable San Antonio sewer line repairs, even in the event of an emergency. Our plumbing emergency services are available 24/7 to serve our local friends and neighbors, no matter what time of the day it is.

San Antonio residents are invited to call us today to book a convenient appointment for drain cleaning, water softener, water heater maintenance, plumbing repair, or any of our other plumbing services.