Sewer Bellies: Essential repair or nothing to worry about?

Among all the issues we’ve seen, sewer bellies are one of the most common. When buying a new home, most inspectors will often point these out as “required” to be repaired.

But not all sewer bellies are the same.

So before you feel pressured into spending thousands of dollars to restore the grade of the line (proper slope to allow drainage), or negotiating to get it repaired, let’s make sure it is actually warranted.

Here is what to look for to determine whether a belly is a major concern, or if it can just be left alone.

• Distance from the home.

A belly 3 feet from the house is very different from one that is 50+ feet from the house, for example. 

The further away a belly is from the house, the less likely it is to be an issue. This is because the weight of the water moving along the pipe, should it start to accumulate, is more likely to be able to ‘push’ through the belly, taking solids with it. A section that holds water but eventually allows solids to be pushed through, we call a ‘self-flushing belly’. These are normally less of a concern.

Bottom line, closer to the home = bigger potential risk. Further from the house = possibly less of a concern.

• Depth of the deviation

Also referred to as ‘saturation’. How much water is being held in the line?

There is a big difference between a line that holds 10-15% full (or about ½” deep in a standard 4” pipe) compared to 50-75% full. 

If there is less than ½” of water held, it might not be a significant concern. If the inspection video goes completely under water, or if you see that the line dives down noticeably, that could be an issue that you will want to get addressed.

• Length of the belly

The longer the length of the sewer belly, the bigger concern it may be. 

This gives more opportunity for debris to ‘stick’ and build up, which could lead to a backup if not fixed or cleaned regularly.  But regular cleanings come with their own hazards, which you can read about HERE.

• Preceding Grade

This is one you won’t hear often, but it IS important. If the pipe BEFORE the belly has a LOT of grade (downward slope), that could be a good sign for 2 reasons.

First, the steeper the grade, the faster the water is moving when it hits the belly. This can allow the water to clear out the belly of any solids or debris each time you flush. Helping prevent a backup.

Second, if a repair is needed, having a lot of slope in the line before the sewer belly makes a repair much easier since the contractor won’t have to dig as far to restore proper grade in the line.

Here is where the knowledge we just covered allowed us to save homeowners THOUSANDS of dollars…

A perfect example is a repair we did on a line that had 2 bellies in it. And we only repaired one…

Why?

One was right at the bottom of a joint and was 75% saturated (really bad). 

The pipe right before that joint that had a LOT of grade before it (40˚ angle downward). 

And the belly was located in the front yard.

The second belly was several feet past the first belly and only held about ½ inch of water. But this one was located under the sidewalk and street.

So why not repair both?

1. Distance: The second belly was further from the home, out under the street
2. Saturation: there was very minimal standing water (I’d barely call it a belly)
3. Length: the “belly” was only about 4’ long
4. Preceding Grade: the line before the belly was super steep, so that water was coming through FAST!

Combining the above information, we knew that the speed and weight of the water coming through the pipe would easily clear out that section each time they ran water. Which means there is almost no chance of that ever being the cause of a backup.

So, we discussed with the homeowner and performed only the repair within the property line, saving them $8,000-10,000 compared to digging out in the street when it wasn’t really necessary.

If you need an honest second opinion on your sewer repairs, give us a call and we are happy to help!

719-447-1114

Buying Time vs. Fixing the Problem:
When it becomes more cost effective to perform a sewer repair rather than sewer maintenance.

Is drain cleaning a long term solution for sewer lines that back up?

No. Mechanical snaking and hydro jetting are maintenance solutions designed to clear soft blockages and hair-thin roots; but won’t repair structural defects, can can actually make them worse in some situations. 

If your residential lateral has a belly, structural fracture, or heavy root intrusion, recurring cleanings only buy temporary time while the underlying pipe damage worsens. Paying a few hundred dollars each year might just delay the inevitable, and getting it fixed permanently could save you a lot of money in the long run.

The Hidden Risk of Repeated Root Cutting

Many homeowners in older Colorado Springs neighborhoods attempt to manage tree root intrusions by hiring a drain technician to snake the line annually. While this temporarily restores wastewater flow, it creates a false sense of security. After replacing hundreds of sewer lines over the years, it’s clear that repeated and frequent cleanings are not risk-free.

• The Band-Aid Effect: Mechanical blades and high-pressure hydro jetting tools can only cut the roots growing inside the barrel of the pipe. It doesn’t address the roots sitting in the cracks, waiting to come right back 
• Root Thickness Expansion: Over time, the roots left outside the pipe continue to mature and thicken. Acting like a wooden wedge inside a split log, these expanding roots slowly push the old clay or PVC joints apart. 
• Accelerated Structural Failure: As the cracks widen, wastewater leaks out, washing away the surrounding soil. This hollows out the ground beneath the pipe, causing the line to lose its structural bedding, drop its downward grade, and can ultimately collapse. Not to mention, it is a major health hazard. 
• Line Degradation: In Orangeburg lines (commonly used throughout the southern parts of Colorado Springs) repeated cleaning can slowly thin out the walls of the pipe or chip off the ‘blisters’ that are notorious for forming at the bottom of these lines, making it easier for roots to come in or increasing the likelihood of a collapse. Having pipe-bursted and repaired orangeburg lines throughout Security-Widefield and the Springs, these lines are notorious for building up quickly and even collapsing unexpectedly.

When to Stop Snaking and Start Replacing

If you are forcing a mechanical cutter down your main sewer line more than once a year, it is just delaying the inevitable. Continuing to run aggressive cutting blades through a fragile, cracked pipeline increases the risk of punching a hole through the pipe wall, and which could trigger a collapse and blockage, resulting in a backup into the home and needing an emergency repair.

It is recommended to also have your line scoped before and after a cleaning to check for potential issues to address before they become a costly emergency.

Before cleaning: look for offsets or breaks that could be made WORSE by running a cutter or hydrojet through the line

After cleaning: look for breaks or offsets that were covered up by roots or debris that could indicate a more permanent repair is needed.

While a cleaning may seem cheaper in the short term, permanent repairs done proactively can end up saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars compared to waiting until it becomes an emergency.  Here is why:

• Having a contractor pull a last-minute emergency permit for certain types of repairs can cost you significantly more
• Overtime inspections that CSU has to do on the repairs (late afternoons or weekends) can be several hundred dollars more than a normally scheduled one, especially when certain repairs (like those involving asphalt or concrete repair in the right-of-way) require multiple inspections
• The best and most reliable contractors are usually booking jobs 1-2 weeks in advance and can’t always guarantee that they can move their schedule around for an emergency. Waiting to the last minute could mean you may not end up with a top-quality company…

If you want to be proactive and schedule an inspection, here are a few of our trusted sources to evaluate your sewer line:

Joe Frei Excavating (shameless plug): 719-447-1114

Mainline Services: 303-596-5803
https://www.mymainlineservices.com/colorado 

Arrow Drain Cleaning: 719-651-8072