Clay mainline. What you need to know.
Everyone knows, when buying a home, that it's wise to scope out the sewage system. But how do you know whether or not you can trust your sewage pipe long-term?
The inspiration for Homeclay actually came from, you guessed it: an unreliable clay sewage pipe. Not the most glamorous inspiration for an app, I know.
When I bought my home, I scoped the mainline, and it was completely clear. No cracks, no plant matter, no issues. My home inspector informed me that since it was a clay pipe, I should probably expect to have to replace the entire pipe within the next 10 years. Ever the optimist, I bought the home and settled in, thinking I'd surely have at least a couple of years before I'd have to deal with anything. Boy, was I offbase on that!
The trouble began with sewage backing up into the basement shower. Then, it backed up the basement drain. Thinking there must be some sort of blockage (TP?!) I got the drain scoped again. When I got the video back, I could hardly believe my eyes. The pipe that had looked perfectly fine merely months before was now overgrown with tree roots. After discussing the options, I decided to replace the mainline. We used a company called Muscle Rooter.
Why did you use a company called “Muscle Rooter”, you may ask?
The cost of replacing or repairing a sewage pipe
Having spent my entire life’s savings to put down 7% on a home, I was not exactly rich when I realized that I either needed to replace the sewage pipe or commit to flooding the basement with actual human fecal matter on a regular basis. Obviously, the former choice was more palatable, but it was significantly more expensive. Since the pipe was so badly damaged, it was not a good candidate for pipe lining or pipe bursting, both of which would have saved a boatload (if you suspect you need to replace your mainline, definitely explore these options before making a decision!). After getting a couple of quotes, the consensus seemed to be that I was going to have to shell out about $14k for this entire operation, and that didn’t even include landscaping! Luckily, my old pal the house is indeed very old, and I wasn’t exactly worried about disrupting the weed-infested dirt over the pipe. $14k just seemed like something I didn’t want to try to finance via a home improvement loan or throw on a credit card, so I kept calling around, and I ended up getting Muscle Rooter to do it for about $8k back in the day! I was still sweating the cost, but it was considerably more palatable.
It only took Muscle Rooter a few days of work to replace my mainline, they were extremely professional, and I haven’t had any problems since (except for the fact that my wallet is considerably lighter).
What I wish I’d known
”The folly of the ignorant is that they do not know what they do not know” - Someone, probably.
1. Sewage pipe repairs and replacement are usually not covered by traditional home insurance.
2. If you know your mainline could be in trouble, you should look into septic system coverage from a home warranty company.
3. If you find out you have a clay pipe, assume that it will need to be replaced yesterday. Do not rely on anyone’s opinion; if it is an old clay pipe, know that it is only a matter of time until it breaks.