Your sewer main is the most crucial part of your Memphis home’s entire plumbing system, and sometimes you need sewer replacement service. Unfortunately, since it is hidden deep underground, the sewer main is also something most homeowners don’t know much about. So in many cases, they are poorly maintained and exist in various states of disrepair. Many homeowners do not think about their home’s sewer pipes until there is a serious problem like a sewer line clog.

Sewer Main Stoppage

When our sewer main experts encounter a stoppage, it’s typically able to be cleared with one of our state-of-the-art drain snakes. The drain snake can locate, dislodge and break up the clog allowing water and waste to finally drain out of your home and into the sewers.

• If everything goes smoothly, the drain snake is run through a clean-out. But in cases where there is no clean-out, the process of unclogging that main can become much, much trickier.
• If the stoppage remains resilient to the efforts of our sewer clearing team, your entire line may require replacement.  If this is the case, there’s little you can do besides choosing to live with the inconvenient, unsanitary clog… which is really no choice at all.

How Do We Know Your Main Line Needs Replacement?

With years of sewer replacement experience under our belts, we have learned that if your main line backs up more than once a year, it is probably worth the time and money to simply have the problem area dug up and the line replaced.

• If there are roots involved in the clog or blockage, the pipe is oftentimes a lost cause and will need replacement. Tree roots love the conditions created by underground pipes and as a result, are a common source of blockages. Your sewer lines contain water, nutrients, and oxygen—the essential elements for trees to grow. Unfortunately, tree roots that find their way inside sewer pipes are one of the most difficult, time and labor-intensive maintenance items that we encounter.
• Sewer main replacements are tough, but necessary projects because they run entirely underground, often below gardens, lawns, driveways, or patios. Your yard or driveway may need to be excavated to even access the sewer main and begin the replacement process.
• In the unfortunate event, your sewer line will require this kind of work, the sewer replacement team at Stewart Plumbing will perform the necessary work as speedily and inexpensively as possible.

Slip Lining

Slip lining is one option for your sewer line repair. It’s a trenchless (non-invasive) method of sewer repair by which a new sewer line is installed inside the existing one.

• Slip lining is consists of installing a fiberglass liner inside the existing sewer pipe.  Our slip lining experts will get your sewer line running smoothly again without the extensive excavation process required to replace the existing piping.
• We provide this service through specialized vendors in conjunction with our team so we can minimize the damage to the customer’s property.  Call us today to schedule one of our professionals to see if the trench-less option is right for your property.

Vent Stack Repair/Replacement

A vent stack is the part of your plumbing system that removes sewage from your home, releases sewer gas, and regulates air pressure in the waste-system pipes, facilitating flow.

• Waste enters your plumbing through toilets, sinks, and showers and exits through a trap, a dipped section of pipe that always contains water. All fixtures must contain traps to prevent sewer gases from leaking into the house. Through traps, all fixtures are connected to waste lines, which in turn take the waste to a vent stack.
• At the building drain system’s lowest point, the drain-waste-vent is attached, and rises (usually inside a wall) to and out of the roof. Waste is removed from the building through the building drain and taken to the sewer main.
• While vent stacks are typically pretty maintenance-free, when something does go wrong with them, it can disrupt your plumbing system and make your home stink to high heaven!

How Do We Know Your Vent Stack Needs Repair or Replacement?

This one’s actually fairly simple—if your drains are gurgling or emitting sewer gas odors, you’re definitely going to need repair or replacement of your vent stack.

• Even though the diagnosis is simple, the actual repair/replacement is not at all. So attention to all you DIY-ers out there—it’s crucial you hire a professional to conduct this work. Otherwise, you could end up paying even more down the road to rectify shoddy workmanship.
• Unsupported cast iron stack pipes can come crashing down if they are cut without proper supports. Service weight cast iron can be extremely difficult to penetrate without the proper tools and equipment. Incorrectly piped drain and vent piping can even cause damage to the existing piping system, and cause gurgling or bobbling in fixture drains, improper trap function, and clogging or backups.
• So be smart and if you’re having issues with your home’s vent stack, call in the experts and we’ll get it fixed fast and right the very first time!