Roots or a belly in a sewer line: fixes and costs

How do you fix roots or a belly in a sewer line?

Roots get cut or jetted out of a sewer line, while a belly (a sagging section) has to be re-laid at the right slope. Before you ask the seller for anything, get a licensed plumber to run a camera through the line and write you a bid. A pipe the roots cracked may also need lining or replacing. The camera shows which problem you have, where it sits and how big the job is.

Key takeaways

• Question any lining bid for a belly. A liner follows the old pipe's shape, sag included.
• If the seller does the work, get the invoice, the permit and a new camera video of the finished line.
• Homeowners insurance usually won't pay to repair a sewer pipe that roots damaged, so price it as your cost.

What do roots or a belly on the report mean?

The sewer line, or lateral, carries waste from the house to the public sewer. Roots look for moisture and crawl into tiny cracks in the pipe, where they grow into blockages, says LA Sanitation.

A belly is a low spot. The line works by gravity, and Arrow Sewer & Drain, a New Jersey sewer contractor, puts the standard slope at about a quarter inch of fall per foot. A belly is a stretch that has settled below that grade. It holds standing water, solids drop out there, and it becomes the spot where clogs come back.

Check who owns it. In Los Angeles, owners are responsible for the entire lateral, from the building to the street connection. Your city's sewer utility says where the owner's share ends at this address.

How serious are roots or a belly in a sewer line?

Serious enough to price before you respond. LA Sanitation warns that a problem in this line "can cause sewage to back up into your home." It also says over 50% of sewer backups are caused by tree roots and poured fats, oils and grease.

If the report says sewage backed up at a floor drain or toilet, tell your agent that day. Whoever is in the house should stop using the drains and call the city sewer utility, since sewage from the public main can back up into a home. Then a licensed plumber clears and scopes the line.

Roots can do more than block the line. CME Sewer Repair, a sewer contractor, says they can invade the pipe, "causing a blockage and potentially creating a crack or structural collapse if left unchecked."

Bellies vary more. Arrow says severity is measured on camera: how deep the water sits and how long the sag runs. It says "a shallow, short belly with no symptoms may be monitored for years," while a deep or long one that traps solids brings repeat blockages. The plumber reading your footage says which one you have.

How do plumbers fix roots and bellies?

For roots, there are three main tools:

• Mechanical cutting. A rotating cutter or auger slices through the roots while the plumber watches on camera. Right Solution Plumbing, a contractor in Beaumont, California, says it may not stop regrowth.
• Hydro jetting. A pressurized water stream blasts the roots loose, with no chemicals and no digging, per CME.
• Lining or bursting. Once the roots are out, a resin liner can seal a cracked pipe. If the pipe has collapsed, pipe bursting pushes a new pipe into its place.

A belly needs its slope restored. Arrow names two repairs that do that. One digs up the low section, rebuilds the stone base under it and re-lays the pipe at grade. The other drills a new line at grade on a new path, for a line with several bellies.

Jetting clears the clogs a belly causes but doesn't fix the dip, says Brewer's Sewer Repair, a contractor in Bothell, Washington. Arrow says lining and pipe bursting follow the old pipe's shape, so the sag carries over. Carter's My Plumber, in Indianapolis, agrees that trenchless repair can't adjust the slope. Brewer's says lining can smooth minor sags, so ask your plumber exactly how a lining bid changes the slope.

What does it cost to fix roots or a belly in a sewer line?

The sources price different jobs. Match the row to what the camera shows.

Replacement prices spread widest. Arrow says depth, the length of the sag, and what sits on top (lawn, driveway or patio) set the scope. HomeAdvisor also tells you to budget for permits, landscape restoration and driveway repair, and puts the permit fee at $200.

Here's one case. Say the camera finds roots at one joint and one short belly under lawn. Camera ($100 to $500), root removal ($100 to $600), a spot repair ($1,000 to $5,000) and the permit ($200) add up to $1,400 to $6,300, before any lawn repair. Your plumber's written bid replaces that range once you have it.

Send the plumber the footage from your sewer scope inspection if you have it. Ask for a bid that names the method, the location and the length of pipe. How to get repair estimates during the inspection period covers getting that visit booked fast. For the rest of your report, Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional quote.

What should you ask the seller for?

Ask for the plumber's bid as a credit, or for the repair done by a licensed plumber before closing. A credit lets you pick the plumber and the method. That matters most with a belly, where the wrong method leaves the sag in place.

If the seller does the work, ask for the invoice, the permit and a new camera video of the finished line. What to ask for after a home inspection covers how this line fits with the rest of your list. The buyer repair request letter template covers the wording. Your contract sets the deadline for the request, so confirm the date with your agent.

What if the seller says no?

• Ask for a price reduction of the same amount instead.
• Pay for it yourself, with the bid in hand so you know the number before you close.
• Walk away if your contract allows it and the priced job is more than you'll take on. See when to walk away after a home inspection.

Does homeowners insurance cover roots or a belly in a sewer line?

For roots, Progressive says "Not usually." Insurance may pay for water damage to your property from a cracked line, but it "generally won't cover costs associated specifically with the sewer lines." For a belly, Progressive says damage to the line may be covered when a peril such as hail, windstorm, fire, vandalism or a falling object causes it. A belly is pipe that has settled, and settling isn't among the perils it names.

Progressive says a sewer line endorsement, also called buried utility lines coverage, may cover the pipe itself. Ask your insurance agent, before your deadline, what one would cover at this address.

What kills roots in a sewer line?

Cutting or jetting clears them now. Right Solution says chemical root barriers, herbicides applied inside the pipe or in the soil near joints, kill roots on contact without harming your trees if used correctly. It also suggests a routine cleaning every 1 to 3 years. Ask your plumber which fits your pipe material.

What else on the report needs a price?

Every line you plan to put in the request. The plumber's bid covers the sewer line, and each other finding needs its own figure before the deadline.

While the plumber scopes the sewer line, upload your inspection report to Kept and get the rest of your list priced.

Sources

• LA Sanitation, Tree Roots
• Progressive, What Is Insurance for Sewer Lines?
• HomeAdvisor, How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost?
• Arrow Sewer & Drain, Belly in Your Sewer Line? NJ Severity and Repair Guide
• CME Sewer Repair, How To Identify and Repair Root Intrusion In Your Sewer Line
• Right Solution Plumbing, Roots in Pipes Removal Cost Guide
• Brewer's Sewer Repair, Does a Sewer Line Belly Need To Be Replaced?
• Carter's My Plumber, How Much Does Sewer Line Belly Repair Cost in Indianapolis?