Sewer Excavation in Roswell, GA

On a yard with changes in level, the building sewer often has to pass a retaining wall, a run of stone steps or a set of terraced beds on its way to the street. When that line fails near one of those features, sewer excavation becomes partly a question of masonry and soil support. At a Roswell home with walls like these, planning the dig around them from the start keeps a pipe repair from turning into a wall rebuild.

How walls and sewer lines end up in conflict

Many walls were built after the sewer was laid, sometimes with the footing resting right on top of the pipe or close beside it. The added weight can crack older clay or cast iron. The gravel and drainage behind a wall change how moisture moves through the soil, which can draw roots toward the line. It can work the other way too: a leaking sewer joint can keep the soil behind a wall wet, and saturated soil pushes harder on the wall than dry ground does.

Options when the break is near a wall

• Dig on the open side and tunnel a short distance under the footing to reach the pipe, leaving the wall in place.
• Take down a section and rebuild it. Stacked block or dry-laid stone can be numbered, removed and reset; a poured or mortared wall usually has to be cut and patched.
• Reroute the line around the end of the wall where the grade allows a steady fall.
• Line the pipe from either side if it is still round, using a trenchless repair.

Which one fits depends on where exactly the defect sits, so a sewer camera inspection with locating comes first.

Keeping the wall standing while the trench is open

Digging beside a footing can take away the soil that holds it up. Crews limit that risk by excavating in short lengths, bracing the trench, and keeping heavy spoil piles and equipment off the high side of the wall, where extra weight adds to the push against it. A tall wall, or one already leaning, deserves an engineer's opinion before the trench is opened. Ask how the crew plans to protect the wall, and agree on what happens if it shifts.

Putting steps and terraces back

Block walls are rebuilt course by course on a compacted base, with drainage gravel and any perforated pipe behind them replaced rather than buried under native soil. Stone steps are reset on firm, compacted material so they do not rock or settle. Terraced beds can usually be rebuilt with the same edging and replanted once the backfill has been placed in layers. Settle in writing who does this rebuilding and how far it goes.

Roswell permits and the county connection

Roswell's Building Division issues the plumbing permit for work on your property, and permits go to contractors holding a license or to an owner who lives in the home. Where the home is on Fulton County sewer and the job includes a new lateral connection, the county's requirements have the plumber call the county inspector at least three days ahead, and its connection flowchart leaves the connection at the existing tap exposed for county inspection.

Retaining wall questions in Roswell

Can a sewer line be replaced without taking down my retaining wall?

Often, yes. If the damaged section is short and close to one side, the crew may dig on the open side and tunnel under the footing. If the pipe still holds its shape, lining from either side may work. Where the break sits directly beneath a long stretch of wall, removing and resetting a section can be the more practical route.

Can the new sewer pipe pass under the wall's footing?

It can, but the crossing deserves thought. A footing resting directly on a pipe is often how the old line cracked, so the new pipe should have room around it, sometimes inside a larger sleeve, so the weight of the wall bears on soil and stone rather than on the pipe. Ask how the crossing will be detailed before the trench is backfilled.

Who inspects a new lateral connection to Fulton County sewer?

Fulton County does, for homes on county sewer. Its inspector needs a few days' notice before the lateral goes in and has to see the tie-in before it is covered, so the trench near the tap is planned around that visit. The plumbing work elsewhere on the property is still permitted through the city's Building Division.

Plan around the wall

Is the sewer trouble at your Roswell home tucked behind a retaining wall or under the steps? A visit from Alpha Plumbing and Sewer looks at the wall, the grade and the line together before anyone decides how to reach it. Call (404) 409-4448 to set one up.