Sewer Line Repair & Replacement in San Jose, CA
Sewer line repair and replacement is the work we do most. Most of the older houses on this side of San Jose still have clay pipe in the ground, and that is what we dig up more than anything else.
Signs you need this
Why they fail
Clay comes in short sections. The joints open up a little over the years, roots find the water, and once a root is inside the line it keeps growing until the pipe is packed.
Cast iron fails differently. It rusts from the bottom up. We have opened lines where the top half of the pipe looked fine and the bottom was gone completely, just a channel worn into the dirt with a pipe sitting over it.
Better a two thousand dollar repair you actually needed than a fifteen thousand dollar replacement you did not.
You might not need the whole line replaced
This is the part worth arguing about. A lot of the full replacement quotes we see are written for one bad section. One separated joint. One spot somebody cracked with a shovel forty years ago. That is a repair.
So a camera goes down before anything gets quoted, and you watch the screen with us. If the rest of the line is fine, we say so. Better a two thousand dollar repair you actually needed than a fifteen thousand dollar replacement you did not.
Permits
Sewer work gets permitted and the trench gets inspected before we backfill. Once the dirt goes back nobody can see what went in, so that inspection is the only thing protecting you.
How the job runs
- 1Camera goes down the line and you watch it with us
- 2We mark the depth and the spot from the surface
- 3We agree on repair or replacement before we dig
- 4Dig, replace, inspect, backfill, put the yard back
Questions people ask
How do I know if my sewer line needs to be replaced?
Every drain in the house slow at the same time, a wet patch in the yard that smells, a toilet that gurgles when the washer drains, or backups that come back after a snake. Whether it needs a repair or a full replacement is something only a camera inspection of the line can tell you.
How much does sewer line repair or replacement cost?
It depends on how much of the line is bad, how deep it runs and what sits on top of it. One bad section is a repair, and a line failing end to end is a replacement. A camera goes down before anything gets quoted, so you see what you are paying for.
Do I always need to replace the whole sewer line?
No. A lot of full replacement quotes are written for one separated joint or one cracked spot, and that is a repair. If the camera shows the rest of the line is fine, we say so. Already have a replacement quote from another company? Our Specials page has a free second opinion.
Does sewer line work need a permit in San Jose?
Yes. Sewer work gets permitted, and the trench is inspected before we backfill. Once the dirt goes back nobody can see what went in, so that inspection is what protects you.
This kind of job
Water where it should not be?
Call and describe what you are seeing. If it can wait until morning, we will say so.
Related work
Pipe Bursting & Trenchless Sewer
A new line pulled through the path of the old one, without trenching the length of the yard.
Sewer Camera Inspection
See the inside of the pipe before anyone quotes a repair on it.
Hydro Jetting
High pressure water that scours grease, roots and scale off the pipe wall. Cabling only punches a hole through it.