
What are plumbing excavator services?
When you think about the plumbing that comes into your home, you most likely are thinking about only the pipes and fixtures you see. But there is much more to plumbing found underground. This is how water goes from the water source to your home, and then through the pipes and fixtures you see.
Sometimes, when there are plumbing issues, a plumber will need to use a plumbing excavation method to get to the problem. What is plumbing excavation? Many plumbers will refer to this as ‘trenching’, which doesn’t sound as severe to the homeowner. Plumbing excavation, or trenching, is where the plumbing crew will dig through the dirt to reach buried sewer lines. If you find yourself in need of these kinds of services, a team like ours can always be there to help. Just reach out at 314-348-7503 if you would like to learn more.
When is plumbing excavation needed?
When a homeowner experiences any of the following, a plumber may determine upon inspection that plumbing excavation is needed:
- Emitting Sewer Odors: When a homeowner notices strong sewage odors coming from the drains in the home, it can be indicative of broken sewer lines underground. The plumber will perform plumbing excavation to reach the broken sewer line to repair or replace the line.
- Sewer Line Clogged: When you experience a clogged drain inside your home, plunging or other methods will often clear the clog. However, if the clog is down inside the sewer line underground, the plumber may need to perform plumbing excavation to get to the clog.
- Sinkholes: There are times when soil is deteriorating or dissipating that will cause the landscape and areas of the property around your home to begin sinking, creating what is known as a sinkhole. This deterioration or dissipation may be caused by broking plumbing lines. To repair these plumbing lines, a plumber will sometimes need to perform plumbing excavation.
- Slow Drains: When the drains in your home become blocked, the water will begin draining slower, or not at all. There are things you can do from inside your home to force the water on through, but if this continues, it may be due to an obstruction inside the underground plumbing. This will often require plumbing excavation to get to the problem area.
- Extremely Green Grass: Your home may have underground sewer line issues if there is one or more sections of extremely green, lush grass. This is often an indication you have a busted sewer or water line underground and plumbing excavation may be needed to get the problem section.
What do plumbers use for plumbing excavation?
Professional plumbers have an arsenal of equipment and methods to perform plumbing excavation services. Among those methods are the following three:
- Open Trenching: The most common plumbing excavation method that may include using both manual labor and heavy machinery that dig a trench. Once the plumbing matter is repaired or replaced, the uncovered soil is returned and packed down.
- Horizontal Drilling: This is a complex method of plumbing excavation, referred to as trenchless excavation. This type of digging is also used to install plumbing and sewer lines.
- Hydro Excavation: This plumbing excavation technique uses high water pressure that creates a trench by loosening and removing the soil above and around the plumbing issue.
How deep of a trench is dug using plumbing excavation for a water pipe?
Plumbing excavation, aka trenching, is typically between five and seven feet deep, depending on the local weather conditions. The trench for water lines is relatively shallower than sanitary sewer pipes.
How deep is the trench for drainage pipes?
“Call before you dig” is the mantra of all electricians, plumbers, or any profession that requires digging trenches. For plumbing excavation to accommodate drainage pipes, the normal depth is eighteen inches, and the width is between nine and twelve inches.
How deep are sewer lines buried?
When it comes to plumbing excavation for sewer lines, just like with water pipes, the local climate is a deciding factor. In southern states, the depth is normally between twelve and thirty inches. In northern states, the sewer lines are buried a minimum of six feet, some states require even deeper.
How big is the main sewer line?
Once the plumbing excavation has created the area for the sewer line, the size of the sewer line will be measured between four and six inches in diameter. It will be installed at a downward slope to aid in the flow of any debris or waste that comes from the home and toward the municipal sewer system.
How deep are septic lines buried?
Again, this can vary based on local climate and weather conditions, with northern states requiring a deeper plumbing excavation. Typically, septic drain lines are buried underground between eighteen and thirty-six inches, then covered, and surrounded with gravel and sand. The combination of gravel and sand aids in the filtration process of the sewage as it is dispersed into and through the surrounding soil.
In Conclusion
A homeowner can often do plumbing excavation themselves manually with a spade and other tools, you may even be able to rent machinery. However, having a plumber perform the job is the safer option as they have the experience to know the proper depth without causing additional damage. For more information, or if you find yourself in need of assistance with these services, reach out to our team today by calling 314-348-7503.