Drain Excavation in Doraville, GA

A little preparation saves a lot of digging

Once a camera has confirmed a broken buried drain, the next step is drain excavation: opening the ground or the slab to replace the damaged pipe. The plumbing part is our job, but several things only the homeowner knows can make the work smoother, safer and less disruptive. The smoothest digs at Doraville homes start with a short conversation about what lies around the work area and what has to happen before the crew arrives.

Buried lines the utility marks will miss

Before excavation, public utilities such as power, gas and telecom lines are located and flagged through Georgia 811. Those marks generally stop at the utility's side of things, so lines you or a previous owner installed are not included. Make a list of anything private that might cross the work area:

• Sprinkler and irrigation piping or valve boxes
• Low-voltage landscape lighting
• An invisible pet fence wire
• Power or gas run to a shed, detached garage, grill or pool equipment
• Old yard drains from downspouts

A rough sketch or a few photos of where these run helps us dig around them rather than through them.

Clearing a path for equipment

Short, shallow repairs are often dug by hand, but longer trenches may call for a compact excavator. Check the width of side gates, and think about whether a fence panel can come off for a day. Move cars out of the driveway if equipment will cross it, and pick a spot where a soil pile can sit on a tarp without smothering a flower bed. If the excavated material will be hauled off, the truck needs somewhere to stand.

Inside the house, if the slab gets opened

When the broken drain sits under an interior floor, the room becomes a work zone. Clear furniture and rugs, empty any cabinets near the marked spot, and take down wall hangings nearby, since the concrete saw vibrates. We seal the area with plastic, but closing interior doors and shutting off the HVAC fan while the saw runs keeps dust from traveling through the house. Plan for pets to be kept well away from the noise.

Daily life while the drain is open

Fixtures that drain into the section being replaced cannot be used until the new pipe is tied in, so we will tell you which ones to avoid and for roughly how long. Keep children and pets clear of the trench, even when it is covered. If another problem shows up once the pipe is exposed, such as a second crack, we stop and walk you through it before doing anything further. Problems on interior branch lines that do not need digging are handled as drain repair, and trouble in the line running to the street is a job for sewer excavation.

Permit paperwork in Doraville

The city's Community Development permits office asks for a notarized affidavit with a permit application; when the work is hired out, the property owner signs one naming the contractor. Its residential checklist lists new plumbing lines and piping changes among permitted work. Sign and notarize your part early so the application is not held up.

Prep questions before the crew arrives

Do I need to be home during the excavation?

Not for the whole job, but it helps to be there at the start to confirm the marked spot, point out private lines and agree on which fixtures to avoid. Someone should also be reachable during the day in case the exposed pipe shows more damage and a decision is needed about expanding the repair.

What happens if a sprinkler line gets cut?

Shallow irrigation lines are easy to nick, especially when nobody knew they were there. That is why mapping them beforehand matters. If one is damaged, it is usually a simple fix, and the estimate should say whether irrigation repair is included or left to your landscaper or sprinkler contractor.

Will the yard look normal again afterward?

Within a few weeks, usually. The trench is backfilled in compacted layers and the sod is relaid or the strip seeded, though a little settling after the first heavy rains is normal and may need a bag of topsoil. The patch of lawn under the soil pile can look tired for a while. The estimate should say which surfaces are restored and which are left to you.

Ready when you are

Have a broken drain confirmed and want a plan for the dig? Talk it over with Alpha at (404) 409-4448, and the prep, paperwork and timing for your Doraville home can be settled before anyone digs.