There are two different ways to complete the replacement – inside or outside your house – which can vary from job to job. If the water line for the house is not made of copper or plastic, it will need to be replaced at the same time as the sewer. In that case, work will need to be done inside your house. Other conditions may require the sewer to be replaced from outside the house. In some cases, you will have the choice of whether it is completed inside or outside. This can be discussed with our project manager at the initial meeting.
The foundation excavation required inside a house is approximately 2 feet by 2 feet, but this can be larger depending on the depth of the excavation. For exterior replacements, a hole is required at the foundation of the house (approximately 4 feet by 10 feet), along with a large area for the excavated soil. In the case of a sewer replacement, two holes are required – one at the foundation and one in the street. For a water replacement or a combination water/sewer replacement, a third excavation will be required (on city property near the property line).
Once the excavations are complete, steel rods are pushed through the existing sewer pipe from the hole in the street to the foundation of the house. A steel plug (approximately the size of a football) is then attached to the steel rods and pulled back through the existing pipe using a hydraulic pipe-bursting machine. The plug bursts the pipe outwards, creating a tunnel for the new pipes (100 mm DR28 PVC sewer line/25 mm DR9 HDPE water line). They are connected at the house, as well as to the new fittings installed on the city water and sewer mains. When the water line is replaced, a valve (curb stop), curb box and rod are installed in the hole on the property line. Once all the pipes and fittings are installed, the holes are filled and the job site is cleared of excess soil. Some excess soil will remain on excavations to allow for settling.
Brunner’s Construction will strive to minimize damage to your yard. Due to the weight of the excavator, however, you should expect indentations, divots and grass/landscape damage. Brunner’s Construction makes no guarantees regarding the size of the excavation required for the job, as there may be uncertainty with subsurface conditions and existing buried objects (e.g. rocks, concrete). In rare circumstances, it may be necessary to excavate the yard from the house to the curb. Please note that homeowners are responsible for all restoration to yards.