Signs the problem is in the sewer line
A single slow sink is usually a drain cleaning job. These point past the drains to the sewer line itself:
- Several drains back up at once, starting with the lowest ones
- Toilets gurgle or bubble when other fixtures drain
- A main line clog keeps coming back after it's cleared
- The last cleaning pulled roots out of the line
- A sewer smell in the house or out in the yard
- A soggy, sunken or extra-green strip of yard along the line
- Sewage coming up out of the cleanout
One of these alone can still be a simple clog. Two or more, or a clog that keeps returning, calls for a camera look.
What a sewer camera inspection shows
We push a waterproof camera through a cleanout, watch the line on a screen as it goes, and use a locator to mark the problem spot and its depth from the yard. The camera shows what a cable can't:
- Roots growing in through joints
- Cracks and broken sections
- Joints that have shifted out of line
- Sags, or bellies, where water and waste sit
- Heavy rust and scale inside cast iron
- Grease buildup or a collapsed section
You watch the footage with us, and you keep a copy of the video. Then we give you a straight recommendation and the reasons for it: clean the line, fix one spot, or replace it. Sometimes a good cleaning, like hydro jetting for grease or roots, is all it needs, and we'll say so.
Sewer line repair or replacement?
Repair the spot if the camera finds one bad section in pipe that's otherwise sound, and replace the line if the problems run along its length. Replacement costs more up front and puts an end to repeat clogs.
| Spot repair | Full replacement | |
|---|---|---|
| Makes sense when | One bad joint, crack or root spot in pipe that's otherwise sound | Sags, cracks, rust or roots along much of the line |
| Digging | One hole at the problem spot | Along the whole run, from the house to the tap or tank |
| Up-front cost | Lower | Higher |
| What you're left with | One fixed spot in an old line that keeps aging | New pipe from end to end |
Either way, we pull any permit the city requires and schedule the inspection. If trees grow near the line, new pipe with tight joints keeps roots out far better than old clay did.
Who is responsible for the sewer line, me or the city?
You usually are, from the house out to where your line meets the city's system, and the city maintains the main in the street or alley. Inside Bonham city limits, the city also handles the tap on the main, and everything from the tap to the house is yours. Other towns may draw that line in a different spot, so ask city hall if you're not sure.
If sewage is running out of the cleanout in your yard, the backup may be in the city's main. The City of Bonham asks residents to call the city when that happens, or the police department after hours. Both numbers are on the city's wastewater page. If the main is clear, the problem is in your line.
On septic, the whole line to the tank is yours, and we clear and repair it. The tank and drain field are a job for a septic company licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
If the city main has ever backed up into your house, ask about a backwater valve. It lets sewage out and keeps it from coming back in.
Questions about sewer lines
How much does sewer line replacement cost?
It depends on how many feet need replacing, how deep the pipe runs and what's on top of it, so there's no honest price until someone has seen the line. After the camera inspection, you get a written price before any digging starts.
A short spot repair under grass is a far smaller job than a long, deep line under a driveway. Pipe under the slab takes the most work, since reaching it means cutting through the floor or tunneling under the foundation.
Should I get a sewer camera inspection before buying a house?
Yes, especially if the house is older, has big trees near the sewer line, or has been sitting empty.
Texas home inspectors aren't required to inspect anything buried, so the sewer line usually goes unchecked unless you ask for a scope. A camera look during your option period turns up roots, sags or broken pipe while you can still negotiate a repair or walk away. In an empty house, a bad line can go unnoticed because nobody has been running water through it.
Why does my house smell like sewer?
Most often it's a dry trap: a drain nobody uses much, like a guest tub or a floor drain, has lost the water that blocks sewer gas.
Run water in every drain for a minute. If the smell stays, check for a toilet that rocks, which can mean a broken wax seal, and a loose cleanout cap. Past that, the vents and the sewer line need a look, and on a slab, a broken drain under the floor is possible. Finding that is a leak detection job.
Can tree roots be removed from a sewer line for good?
Only by fixing the joint or crack they grow through.
Cutting them out, or hydro jetting, clears the line, but the opening is still there, so the roots come back, often within a year or two. A spot repair where they get in, or a new line, is what ends it.
Sewer line service across Fannin County
We work on sewer lines in Bonham, Leonard, Honey Grove, Trenton, Savoy, Whitewright and the rest of Fannin County, on city sewer in town and on septic out in the country. The service areas page lists every town we cover.
Call 903-000-0000 and tell us what you're seeing: which drains back up, any smell, and when the line was last cleaned. Or request service online and describe it there.
