Sewer Line Repair in Stewartsville, MO

Sewer Line Repair in Stewartsville means working in one of the older town plats in the St. Joseph area. Stewartsville was platted in 1854 by George Tetherow and first called Tethertown, and it has had a post office since 1855. It sits next to US Route 36 in DeKalb County, east of St. Joseph, and today it is a small place of about 733 people. Old towns tend to have mature trees and long-buried pipe, and those two together are behind many sewer problems.

Roots: the problem that comes back

Tree roots grow toward moisture, and a sewer lateral is a steady source of it. In clay tile pipe, roots slip into the joints, thicken and branch into a mat inside the line. Snaking the line punches a hole through the mat and buys some time. Hydro jetting does a more complete job, cutting the roots back to the pipe wall. Neither one stops roots from returning, because the open joint is still there. That is why we camera the line after cleaning, so you can decide whether to keep clearing it on a schedule or fix the joints for good.

Maintenance or repair: making the call

A few clean-outs a year on a line with light root growth can be a sensible, budget-friendly plan for a while. It stops being sensible when:

• Clogs come back in weeks instead of months
• The camera shows cracks spreading from the root entry points
• A section has offset so far that the line drops at a joint
• There is a sag where water and solids sit

At that point, repairing is usually less expensive over a few years than paying for repeated cleaning.

What a repair can look like

For one or two bad joints, a spot repair replaces just those sections through a single excavation. For a line that is cracked along most of its length but still in shape, trenchless lining seals every joint at once and leaves roots nowhere to get in. For a line that has collapsed or lost its slope, we excavate and lay new pipe. Each option goes into the written estimate with a typical price range and what it involves for your yard.

A town that grew and then held steady

Stewartsville's population peaked at 832 in 1980 and was 733 in 2020. In 2010 the town had 320 housing units and 298 households. In a town platted in 1854, that history can mean sewer laterals of several eras: original clay, mid-century replacements and newer plastic repairs. We identify each on camera rather than guessing from the age of the house.

Septic homes outside town

Sewer line repair applies to homes connected to a public sewer. Houses in rural DeKalb County that run to septic tanks need a septic specialist, which we are not. If you are in town and pay for sewer service, the lateral from your house to the main is the pipe we work on. Check with the city on where your share of the line ends before any repair that reaches the street.

Getting started

Tell us what you are seeing: slow drains, gurgling, a backup in the basement floor drain or a wet spot in the yard. We will set a time to inspect, show you the footage and give you a free written estimate. Call (816) 680-4869 or

Get a Free Estimate

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