Sewer Line Repair in St. Joseph, MO

Sewer Line Repair in St. Joseph usually starts with one question: how old is the pipe under your yard? In a lot of this city, the answer is old. St. Joseph was incorporated in 1843 and grew from 32,431 people in 1880 to 102,979 in 1900, according to census counts reported on Wikipedia. Buchanan County's comprehensive plan notes that 28.6 percent of houses in the county were built in 1939 or earlier, and that housing here is significantly older than most of the state and country. Many of those homes still drain through the original or early-replacement sewer lateral, and that pipe has now carried wastewater for generations.

What we find in St. Joseph laterals

Older homes in this city tend to have one of a few pipe types between the house and the street, and each fails differently:

• Vitrified clay tile. Clay itself holds up well against sewage, but it was laid in short sections, and every joint is a place where roots can find water and push in.
• Bituminized fiber (Orangeburg) pipe. This wood-fiber and coal-tar pipe was used for drain lines into the 1970s. It has a service life of about 50 years under ideal conditions, and it tends to soften, flatten and blister as it ages.
• Cast iron. Common under basements and inside the house, it scales and corrodes from the inside, shrinking the opening until paper and grease hang up.
• Mixed repairs. After a century, many lines are a patchwork of clay, iron and newer plastic, with transitions that sag or separate.

We do not guess which one you have. We run a camera from a cleanout or pulled toilet and record the whole line.

Historic districts and big trees

Several St. Joseph neighborhoods are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hall Street district covers buildings from about 1870 to 1920, Robidoux Hill dates from about 1865 to 1909, Museum Hill has 248 contributing buildings from about 1860 to 1942, and Cathedral Hill counts 309 contributing buildings from about 1860 to 1950. Homes like these were built long before plastic pipe existed, and many sit on lots with mature trees whose roots have had decades to reach the sewer. In these neighborhoods we lean toward methods that disturb as little as possible: trenchless lining or pipe bursting when the line qualifies, or a single targeted dig instead of a trench across the whole front yard.

Our services in St. Joseph

• Sewer camera inspection to locate breaks, roots, sags and offset joints, with the recording shared with you
• Hydro jetting and main line cleaning to cut roots and flush grease and scale
• Sewer line spot repair for one broken section when the rest of the pipe is sound
• Trenchless sewer repair, including cured-in-place lining and pipe bursting where the line allows it
• Sewer lateral excavation when a collapse, a deep sag or a bad tap at the main needs open access
• Full sewer line replacement when the pipe is failing along its length

Freeze, thaw and river-town ground

Winters here are real. The St. Joseph airport station averages 27.3°F in January and has recorded a low of -25°F, though Wikipedia notes in-town lows often run a few degrees warmer. Ground that freezes and thaws every winter shifts shallow pipe and opens tired joints. We look for that movement on camera and set repair depth and bedding with it in mind.

Who owns the line, and permits

The City of St. Joseph's homeowner guide to sewers is clear on ownership: the private lateral from your house to the city main, including the tap connection at the main, is the property owner's responsibility, and the guide notes that most homeowner insurance policies do not cover these repairs. The city's building FAQ says plumbing work must be done by a master plumber licensed by the City of St. Joseph, and driveway and sidewalk work in the right-of-way needs its own permit. Parts of St. Joseph are on a combined sewer, where stormwater and sewage share pipes; the city submitted a long-term control plan to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in February 2008, and a 2017 state review counted 14 locations where diluted sewage overflows into the Missouri River during rain. About 860 U.S. communities have combined sewers, according to Wikipedia. If backups follow heavy rain, the city's guide says a backwater valve needs a city permit, and downspouts and sump pumps should not be tied into the lateral.

Owners, landlords and buyers

About 62.8 percent of St. Joseph homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied value is $154,200, according to Census estimates. With a home at that value, a full replacement can be a large share of what the house is worth, so we try hard to find out whether a spot repair or lining will solve the problem first. The city also has a sizable rental stock, and landlords and buyers often ask for a camera inspection before closing or between tenants. We give a written report either way.

What it costs

Every line is different, and we price the job after the camera shows what is wrong. Our service pages list published national cost ranges for each type of work, from camera inspection to full replacement. Your written quote spells out the method, the footage and what restoration is included.

Call for a free estimate

Call (816) 680-4869 or request an estimate online. We will set a time to scope the line, show you the video, and give you a written quote before any digging starts.

Get a Free Estimate