Sewer Line Replacement in Troy

Sewer line replacement Troy NY homes get swaps an old clay or cast iron lateral for new PVC pipe from the house to the city sewer main. An open trench job typically lands between $6,000 and $12,000, and it ends repeat root clogs and backups for decades. The plumber cameras the line, pulls the permit, digs or goes trenchless and passes inspection.

Homeowners, landlords and estate sellers across the city call our plumber in Troy NY team for this work. For the full range of sewer jobs, see sewer line services.

• Camera and locate. The old line is recorded and its route is painted on the ground.
• Permit. The plumbing permit is pulled before the first shovel goes in.
• A call to 811. Dig Safely New York marks gas, electric and water lines in the work area.
• Excavation or trenchless. An open trench for clear yards, or pits at each end for pipe bursting.
• New PVC lateral with a cleanout. SDR 35 or Schedule 40 PVC laid at a steady slope, with a cleanout near the house.
• Connection at the main. The new pipe joins the city sewer, with city coordination when the tie in is under the street.
• Inspection, backfill and restoration. The trench stays open for the inspector, then gets filled, packed and topped with soil or patched pavement.

• Laterals 80 to 120 years old. Much of the city was built before 1940, and plenty of those laterals are the first ones the house ever had.
• Clay joints fail along the whole run. Once roots find one joint, they tend to find the next ones too.
• Cast iron rots from the bottom. The pipe can look solid from above while the floor of the pipe has rusted through.
• Repeat spot repairs add up. When the camera shows damage from the house to the street, two or three patches can cost more than one new line.
• A new line helps a sale. Buyers and their inspectors like to see a recent lateral with permit records.
• Fewer emergency calls. A sound line means no more weekend backups and no more paying night rates to clear the same clog.

• Clay tile laterals. Clay sewer pipe replacement is the most common job in Troy's older blocks. The short clay sections and their many joints are swapped for long PVC lengths with few joints.
• Cast iron. Rusted and split cast iron, often under basement floors and front yards. Basement sections are cut out and the floor is patched after inspection.
• Mixed old repairs. Lines patched over the years with clay, cast iron and PVC, held together with couplings. Each coupling is a spot where roots and leaks can start again.
• Laterals under driveways and porches. Pipe that sits under hard surfaces, often a good fit for trenchless work.
• Shared laterals in attached row houses. Some older row houses share one line, and the plumber checks the city rules before work starts.

Dig when the yard is open and the line is short. Go trenchless when the lateral runs under a driveway, a mature tree, a porch or a sidewalk.

For lines under hard surfaces or trees, our trenchless sewer replacement page explains pipe bursting.

These are the replacement jobs that come up most often.

• Clay lateral packed with roots from the house to the curb, replaced with PVC in two days.
• Cast iron under a basement floor rotted through, replaced along with the yard section in one project.
• Estate sale home where the buyer's sewer scope showed a broken line, replaced before closing.
• Rental building with monthly backups where the landlord chose one replacement over a string of service calls.

When the connection to the main sits under the street, the job grows. Here is what to expect.

• City permits. Street openings need a city permit on top of the plumbing permit.
• Traffic control. Cones, signs and sometimes a flagger keep cars and people safe while the street is open.
• Street and sidewalk restoration. Patches must meet city standards, which adds cost and time.
• Sewer replacement permit Troy steps are checked with Troy DPU and Code Enforcement before the dig, so there are no surprises.