New Construction Plumbing in Dallas, GA

The sewer line is the part of new construction plumbing that ties a house to the public system, and on a roomy lot it can be a long run across the yard. Deciding early how the line will be tested and documented keeps a trench from sitting open longer than it should.

Testing and documenting the sewer line

Before the trench is closed, the line is tested for leaks using the method the pipe manufacturer allows, and its slope, bedding and joints are checked while exposed. Photograph the bedding, grade and cleanouts with a tape measure in the frame before backfill, and keep the test result with the house records.

Laying a long sewer run

• Keep the fall even. Over a long distance, small errors in grade add up, so a laser or string line set from the house exit to the tap keeps the slope consistent.
• Add cleanouts where they help. Long runs and bends need access points for future cleaning, placed where the drainage design and future service access call for them.
• Expect obstacles. Rock, roots, other utilities and driveway footings can all force changes to the route.
• Bed the pipe properly. Firm, even bedding keeps the line from settling into a belly after backfill. Keep homeowners and visitors away from open excavations. A qualified excavation crew assesses the ground and provides the protective measures needed for its work.

Grade and bedding matter just as much when our sewer excavation crew replaces a failed line at an existing home.

Basements and fixtures below the sewer

Sloping lots invite basements, and a basement bathroom may sit lower than the sewer it needs to reach. Fixtures below that level drain to a sealed basin, where a sewage ejector pump lifts the waste up to the building sewer. The basin goes in during the underground stage, so the decision cannot wait for finishes. Once the house is lived in, the pump, its alarm and its float switch still need occasional attention, and we can service the ejector pump when they do.

The rest of the house

Inside the walls, the job follows the standard order of new construction plumbing: underground drains, rough-in after framing, top-out, then fixtures and final. Each covered stage gets its test and check, and the sewer line simply adds one more decision to the early weeks of the project.

Dallas sewer line questions

How many cleanouts does a long sewer run need?

The minimum depends on the pipe design and layout, generally one near the point where the building sewer leaves the house, more at significant changes of direction, and others at intervals along a long straight run. Beyond that minimum, a cleanout near the property line or ahead of a tricky bend makes future cleaning and camera work easier. Mark them on the site plan so landscaping does not bury them.

Starting the conversation

Planning the sewer line for a new home in Dallas? Alpha Plumbing and Sewer can help you sort out the route, grade and testing at (404) 409-4448.