Sewer Line Repair & Replacement in Cedar Rapids, IA

Signs Your Sewer Line Needs Professional Attention

Some of the most common causes of sewer line issues include improperly installed pipes, outdated pipes, worn-out pipes, seismic activity that bends buried pipes, and tree root intrusions. Spotting and addressing signs of sewer line trouble quickly reduces the likelihood of the problem escalating and damaging other parts of your property.

Don’t wait to schedule a sewer line inspection if you notice any of the following warning signs:

• Smell of sewage. A healthy sewer line is airtight, so smelling gas usually means a crack or break is allowing fumes to escape into your home or property. In practice, this may involve catching a distinct, foul odor of raw sewage or rotten eggs coming from your drains or lingering in your yard.
• Multiple clogged drains. When just one drain clogs, it's usually a local pipe issue that can be resolved with targeted drain cleaning. However, if your kitchen sink, toilet, and shower all drain slowly or back up simultaneously, the blockage likely sits deep in the main sewer line and is affecting your entire plumbing system.
• Soggy ground near your sewer line. If you notice lush, overly green patches of grass or soggy spots in your yard when it hasn't rained, your sewer line may be leaking. The escaping wastewater acts as a fertilizer, causing grass to grow faster in specific areas while saturating the surrounding soil.
• Debris backing up. Finding dirt, tree roots, or sediment in your toilet bowl or bathtub is a major red flag. This indicates a breach in the pipe where soil is entering the line, or a backup so severe that it pushes wastewater and ground debris back up into your home.
• Gurgling noises. If you suspect a sewer line issue, listen for strange bubbling or gurgling sounds coming from your toilet when you run the sink or washing machine. These noises happen when air gets trapped in the line due to a blockage, forcing it to bubble up through the water in your traps.

If you encounter any of these problems, do not wait to reach out to our team at Master Plumbing, Heating & Air. Remember, we are available 24/7. We can arrive quickly with everything we need to complete most sewer line repairs in a single visit.

Our Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Methods

Gone are the days when fixing a sewer line meant turning your front yard into a construction zone. Our experienced technicians use advanced trenchless techniques that allow us to repair or replace your underground pipes without digging a massive trench across your property.

For sewer line pipes that retain their shape but suffer from cracks, leaks, or root intrusion, we often recommend pipe relining. This involves inserting a flexible, resin-saturated sleeve into your existing sewer line. Once in position, we can inflate the sleeve and allow it to cure, effectively creating a brand-new, durable pipe inside the old one.This "pipe-within-a-pipe" creates a smooth, jointless surface that resists future root growth and restores proper flow.

When a sewer line has collapsed or suffered severe damage that relining cannot fix, we frequently use a method called pipe bursting to replace the line entirely. We can feed a steel bursting head into the damaged line using a hydraulic cable. As we pull this head through the path, it shatters the old, brittle pipe outward into the surrounding soil while simultaneously pulling a new pipe into place behind it. This gives you a completely new sewer line.

When Should I Replace My Sewer Line Instead of Repairing It?

We generally recommend replacement when your sewer line is over a century old or uses outdated materials that are rapidly deteriorating. If you find yourself scheduling drain cleanings multiple times a year, or if the cost of a necessary repair approaches half the price of a new line, replacement usually makes more financial sense. Continuing to patch a failing system often costs more over time than investing in a modern, long-lasting solution.

Significant structural damage also rules out simple repairs. If our video inspection reveals a collapsed pipe, severe misalignment, or extensive corrosion spanning the entire length of the line, patching simply won't work. Trenchless relining requires a stable host pipe to act as a base. Without that structural integrity, we must install a new line to restore proper flow.

Our experts can provide honest advice on whether your sewer line needs repairs or replacement. We won’t recommend a full replacement if a smaller, less expensive repair will do the job effectively.