How Much Does Sanitary Sewer Line Maintenance and Repair Cost?
Are you noticing a gurgling noise and smelling an unpleasant odor when you’re in the bathroom (neither of which is coming from you)? You may have a compromised sanitary sewer line — and, it goes without saying, but that’s not the sort of repair you want to procrastinate on.
This May Also Interest You: How Much Does It Cost to Repair or Replace a Water Service Line?
Your sewer line is distinct (or, should we say, di-stinked?) from your water service line, which carries fresh water to your house, and storm sewer, which channels rainwater away from your house. As defined by Michigan State University: “The sanitary sewer is a system of underground pipes that carries sewage from bathrooms, sinks, kitchens, and other plumbing components to a wastewater treatment plant where it is filtered, treated and discharged.”
These pipes can leak over time if proper maintenance isn’t performed — and even when it is. According to The Eco Plumbers of Ohio, homeowners should have their sewer pipes serviced at least every few years, and for large households with several residents creating a lot of sewage waste, at least every two years. This will ensure your sanitary sewer line remains free of clogs and potential backups from debris building up over time.
But even if you keep your line well-maintained, ground shifting, pipe separations, cracks, root infiltrations and other issues can cause unsanitary leaks in your sanitary sewer system. Signs of trouble can include the aforementioned gurgling toilet and accompanying stench, slow draining, puddles of sewer water in your yard — and even a peculiarly robust patch of green grass that's been fertilized by the sewage.
Once you’ve identified a potential sewer-line leak, you’re going to need to call in the pros post-haste to stop this gross waste. We at HomeServe advocate for homeowners to do their own maintenance and repairs wherever they are willing, able and confident to do so, but this isn’t the type of job the vast majority of people can handle themselves without proper training, expertise, equipment and safety precautions. That means you’re going to want to have at least an idea of how much a repair job is likely to cost you before you start making panicked calls to sewer contractors.
What Impacts the Cost of a Sewer Repair?
Project costs vary wildly depending on a number of variables. Factors influencing the cost of a sewer repair can include:
- The type of pipe (it could be PVC, concrete, cast iron, clay or other materials)
- How the line is inspected
- Whether the pipe must be replaced or can simply be patched
- Whether excavation work is required
- Pipe depth
- The type and state of the soil
- The region and terrain
- Whether additional cleanup work required
If the damage to your sewer line is relatively minor, you may be able to fix the issue with a trenchless repair. This method involves breaking the pipe, removing it and sliding a new one into place, and can also be done by installing and inflating a new lining within the existing pipe. If tree roots must be removed from the sewer lines or if the pipe is, for example, under a concrete slab, sidewalk, curb, driveway or landscaping that must be torn up to access the pipe, costs may be hundreds of dollars per foot higher than for a trenchless repair.
Pro tip: Have a sewer camera inspection performed before committing to any work. Because there are so many factors to take into consideration, this will help better determine the scope of work needed.
OK, What’s the Damage?
To give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for sanitary sewer line maintenance (i.e., cleaning and clog prevention) or repair, HomeServe has calculated the average costs — both nationally and state by state — for comparison. In order to determine what’s wrong with your system, you’ll have to call someone out to diagnose the problem, which comes with its own cost. We’ve calculated that average, as well.
Below, you’ll find the average costs for sanitary sewer line maintenance and repair in your state. All figures are based on aggregated HomeServe data reported by our network of thousands of contractors across the nation. Where insufficient data was available to determine a verifiable average, we’ve noted so.
(At the time of publication, pandemic-precipitated materials shortages were impacting home maintenance, repair and construction sectors across the board; price fluctuations caused by those supply-chain issues are not necessarily reflected here.)
Nationwide
- Diagnosis: $83 (CAD 106)
- Maintenance: $408 (CAD 520)
- Repair: $3,708 (CAD 4,726)
State by State
1. Alabama
- Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
- Maintenance: $467 (CAD 595)
- Repair: $3,444 (CAD 4,390)
2. Alaska
- Diagnosis: Insufficient data
- Maintenance: Insufficient data
- Repair: Insufficient data
3. Arizona
- Diagnosis: $75 (CAD 96)
- Maintenance: $324 (CAD 413)
- Repair: $3,676 (CAD 4,686)
4. Arkansas
- Diagnosis: $77 (CAD 98)
- Maintenance: $398 (CAD 507)
- Repair: $3,434 (CAD 4,378)
5. California
- Diagnosis: $67 (CAD 85)
- Maintenance: $450 (CAD 574)
- Repair: $3,313 (CAD 4,224)
6. Colorado
- Diagnosis: $99 (CAD 126)
- Maintenance: $455 (CAD 580)
- Repair: $4,867 (CAD 6,205)
7. Connecticut
- Diagnosis: $69 (CAD 88)
- Maintenance: $698 (CAD 890)
- Repair: $3,301 (CAD 1,658)
8. Delaware
- Diagnosis: $69 (CAD 88)
- Maintenance: $443 (CAD 565)
- Repair: $4,936 (CAD 6,292)
9. District of Columbia
- Diagnosis: $80 (CAD 102)
- Maintenance: $542 (CAD 691)
- Repair: $2,666 (CAD 3,399)
10. Florida
- Diagnosis: $103 (CAD 131)
- Maintenance: $496 (CAD 632)
- Repair: $3,243 (CAD 4,134)
11. Georgia
- Diagnosis: $97 (CAD 124)
- Maintenance: $378 (CAD 482)
- Repair: $3,488 (CAD 4,447)
12. Hawaii
- Diagnosis: Insufficient data
- Maintenance: Insufficient data
- Repair: Insufficient data
13. Idaho
- Diagnosis: $66 (CAD 84)
- Maintenance: $421 (CAD 537)
- Repair: $2,408 (CAD 3,070)
14. Illinois
- Diagnosis: $71 (CAD 91)
- Maintenance: $429 (CAD 547)
- Repair: $4,402 (CAD 5,612)
15. Indiana
- Diagnosis: $77 (CAD 98)
- Maintenance: $372 (CAD 474)
- Repair: $4,161 (CAD 5,304)
16. Iowa
- Diagnosis: $87 (CAD 111)
- Maintenance: $605 (CAD 771)
- Repair: $5,460 (CAD 6,960)
17. Kansas
- Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
- Maintenance: $340 (CAD 433)
- Repair: $3,296 (CAD 4,202)
18. Kentucky
- Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
- Maintenance: $363 (CAD 463)
- Repair: $2,748 (CAD 3,503)
19. Louisiana
- Diagnosis: $84 (CAD 107)
- Maintenance: $373 (CAD 475)
- Repair: $2,613 (CAD 3,331)
20. Maine
- Diagnosis: $95 (CAD 121)
- Maintenance: $413 (CAD 526)
- Repair: $5,997 (CAD 7,645)
21. Maryland
- Diagnosis: $87 (CAD 111)
- Maintenance: $544 (CAD 694)
- Repair: $4,459 (CAD 5,684)
22. Massachusetts
- Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
- Maintenance: $406 (CAD 518)
- Repair: $1,948 (CAD 2,483)
23. Michigan
- Diagnosis: $106 (CAD 135)
- Maintenance: $317 (CAD 404)
- Repair: $4,758 (CAD 6,065)
24. Minnesota
- Diagnosis: $99 (CAD 126)
- Maintenance: $435 (CAD 555)
- Repair: $6,757 (CAD 8,613)
25. Mississippi
- Diagnosis: $90 (CAD 115)
- Maintenance: $397 (CAD 506)
- Repair: $2,569 (CAD 3,275)
26. Missouri
- Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
- Maintenance: $331 (CAD 422)
- Repair: $4,142 (CAD 5,281)
27. Montana
- Diagnosis: $102 (CAD 130)
- Maintenance: $443 (CAD 565)
- Repair: $5,376 (CAD 6,855)
28. Nebraska
- Diagnosis: $70 (CAD 89)
- Maintenance: $441 (CAD 562)
- Repair: $6,056 (CAD 7,722)
29. Nevada
- Diagnosis: $69 (CAD 88)
- Maintenance: $391 (CAD 499)
- Repair: $7,496 (CAD 9,556)
30. New Hampshire
- Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
- Maintenance: $812 (CAD 1,035)
- Repair: $2,560 (CAD 3,264)
31. New Jersey
- Diagnosis: $74 (CAD 94)
- Maintenance: $365 (CAD 466)
- Repair: $3,361 (CAD 4,286)
32. New Mexico
- Diagnosis: $112 (CAD 143)
- Maintenance: $296 (CAD 377)
- Repair: $4,021 (CAD 5,128)
33. New York
- Diagnosis: $91 (CAD 116)
- Maintenance: $390 (CAD 497)
- Repair: $4,548 (CAD 5,800)
34. North Carolina
- Diagnosis: $98 (CAD 125)
- Maintenance: $406 (CAD 518)
- Repair: $3,010 (CAD 3,839)
35. North Dakota
- Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
- Maintenance: $495 (CAD 631)
- Repair: $5,567 (CAD 7,100)
36. Ohio
- Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
- Maintenance: $420 (CAD 536)
- Repair: $3,839 (CAD 4,896)
37. Oklahoma
- Diagnosis: $89 (CAD 114)
- Maintenance: $620 (CAD 791)
- Repair: $3,189 (CAD 4,067)
38. Oregon
- Diagnosis: $106 (CAD 135)
- Maintenance: $421 (CAD 537)
- Repair: $4,370 (CAD 5,573)
39. Pennsylvania
- Diagnosis: $78 (CAD 99)
- Maintenance: $346 (CAD 441)
- Repair: $4,055 (CAD 5,171)
40. Rhode Island
- Diagnosis: $103 (CAD 131)
- Maintenance: $316 (CAD 403)
- Repair: $4,641 (CAD 5,919)
41. South Carolina
- Diagnosis: $81 (CAD 103)
- Maintenance: $307 (CAD 392)
- Repair: $2,649 (CAD 3,379)
42. South Dakota
- Diagnosis: $92 (CAD 117)
- Maintenance: $431 (CAD 550)
- Repair: $5,705 (CAD 7,276)
43. Tennessee
- Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
- Maintenance: $445 (CAD 568)
- Repair: $3,068 (CAD 3,913)
44. Texas
- Diagnosis: $82 (CAD 105)
- Maintenance: $345 (CAD 440)
- Repair: $2,868 (CAD 3,658)
45. Utah
- Diagnosis: $64 (CAD 82)
- Maintenance: $466 (CAD 594)
- Repair: $6,084 (CAD 7,759)
46. Vermont
- Diagnosis: Insufficient data
- Maintenance: Insufficient data
- Repair: Insufficient data
47. Virginia
- Diagnosis: $83 (CAD 106)
- Maintenance: $330 (CAD 421)
- Repair: $2,712 (CAD 3,459)
48. Washington
- Diagnosis: $97 (CAD 124)
- Maintenance: $558 (CAD 712)
- Repair: $4,542 (CAD 5,792)
49. West Virginia
- Diagnosis: $80 (CAD 102)
- Maintenance: $391 (CAD 499)
- Repair: $3,784 (CAD 4,825)
50. Wisconsin
- Diagnosis: $62 (CAD 79)
- Maintenance: $372 (CAD 474)
- Repair: $5,622 (CAD 7,169)
51. Wyoming
- Diagnosis: $82 (CAD 105)
- Maintenance: $531 (CAD 677)
- Repair: $4,037 (CAD 5,148)
More Related Articles:
