Sewer Excavation in College Park, GA

Sewer excavation exposes a building sewer that has failed in a way no cleaning can fix from the inside: a collapsed stretch, a crushed section, a joint that has separated. Once the ground is open in College Park, the first thing the crew confirms is what the old pipe is made of, and that shapes the rest of the repair.

Pipe materials you may find

• Cast iron. Heavy and long-lived, but it corrodes from the inside, building scale that snags waste and gradually thinning the bottom of the pipe until it cracks or opens.
• Vitrified clay. Shrugs off corrosion, but it comes in short lengths whose joints let roots in and can shift out of line.
• Orangeburg. A tar-impregnated fiber pipe used in some homes in the middle of the last century; it softens and deforms with age, often flattening into an oval.
• PVC or ABS plastic. Common in newer work and earlier repairs; failures usually trace to poor bedding, crushing or bad joints rather than the material wearing out.

A sewer camera inspection usually reveals the material before anyone digs, but the outside of the pipe, the bedding and the soil around it only show once they are exposed.

Tight access, fences and small equipment

On a narrow side yard or a lot hemmed in by fences, sheds and established plantings, a full-size backhoe may not fit. Compact excavators can pass through a gate a few feet wide, and some sections may be dug by hand, which is slower but gentler on roots and nearby foundations. Fence panels often come down and go back up rather than being driven through. Where the sewer runs close to the house, the crew keeps clear of the footings or takes extra care digging beside them. The estimate should say what equipment will be used, how it reaches the route and what has to be removed and replaced to get it there.

Joining new pipe to old

Unless the whole line is replaced from the house to the connection, new pipe has to meet old at one or both ends. Each material needs the right transition. Shielded rubber couplings with stainless bands are a common way to join plastic to cast iron or clay, because the outside diameters differ and the joint has to stay aligned. The old pipe must be sound where the coupling grips, and cutting back to good pipe sometimes means removing more than the camera suggested. Once joined, the section is tested and its slope checked before backfill.

Permits and city inspection in College Park

College Park's code calls for a written application and a permit before plumbing is installed, altered or repaired, and the Department of Building and Inspections issues it. The city also does not let plumbers or utility contractors inspect their own water and sewer work, so the schedule is built around a city inspector seeing the open trench, on the Fulton and the Clayton County sides alike.

Before and after the dig

• Ask whether the estimate covers taking down and rehanging fence sections or gates.
• Mark any shrubs you want lifted and saved rather than cleared.
• Expect the drains in the house to be off-limits while the line is cut.
• Afterward, keep the camera footage and a note of the pipe material and where new was joined to old.

Old pipe questions from College Park homeowners

Should I replace all the old cast iron while the trench is open?

It depends on what the camera shows beyond the damaged spot. If the rest of the cast iron has heavy scale, cracks or thin areas, replacing more of it while equipment is already on site can head off a second dig a few years later. If the remaining pipe looks sound, a spot repair is reasonable. Ask to see the footage of any sections you would be leaving in place.

Can a compact excavator damage my yard?

Any machine leaves tracks, especially on wet ground. Crews lay plywood or ground mats across the lawn to spread the weight and keep to a single path to and from the trench. Ruts in soft soil can be raked out and seeded along with the trench line. If irrigation, drain pipe or shallow cable runs along the access route, point it out before the machine comes in.

Does old fiber pipe always get replaced rather than repaired?

Usually, because the material keeps deforming once it starts, and a coupling clamped on soft fiber pipe does not hold well. If the footage shows Orangeburg that is already flattening or blistering, replacing the run is generally sounder than patching one spot. Whether the replacement goes in a trench or by pipe bursting depends on the route.

Call to talk it over

If a camera has turned up old cast iron, clay or Orangeburg under your College Park home, call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448 to go over what replacing it would involve.