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An All Purpose Plumbers technician clearing and reseating the P-trap under a kitchen sink beside the garbage disposal
BONDED & INSURED · SINCE 2020
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Sewer line repair in MD, DC and Northern VA

When the toilet gurgles as the washer drains, or two fixtures back up at once, it's usually the main line. A camera goes down first, you see what it finds, and only then do we price a repair.

Call (240) 695-4415Request a Free Estimate

Signs the main line is the problem

We repair sewer lines in Maryland from Olney down to Waldorf, and across DC and Northern Virginia. That might be one bad section or the whole lateral, and the camera footage decides which.

  • Multiple drains backing up at once
  • Sewage smell inside or outside
  • Water backing up when the washer drains
  • Repeat main-line blockages
  • Soggy patch over the sewer run
  • Toilets gurgling when a sink drains

What changes the price

  • How deep the line is and how much of it gets replaced
  • What sits on top of it, whether that's lawn, a driveway, a sidewalk or the road
  • What the permit office at your address requires

Nobody digs until the camera has looked

Sewer work gets expensive when someone guesses. We find the fault before a shovel goes in the ground.

Camera before shovel
The camera finds the break, the roots or the sag before any ground is opened, and you watch the footage with us.
Scope agreed in writing
What is being repaired, what is being left and who pulls the permit all go in the written scope before work starts.
Ground put back
We backfill the trench. Before we start, you hear exactly what the reinstatement covers and what it leaves out, like finished paving or planting.

How every job runs →

How we handle a sewer line

We don't quote a main line until a camera has been down it, and we check your address before we price anything. A lateral in Silver Spring and one in Alexandria can be the same pipe and still need different permits and a different answer on who pays.

You usually own the pipe from the house out to the main in the street. Where your part ends is set by WSSC Water, DC Water, Charles County, Arlington County or the City of Alexandria, and each one puts that line somewhere different. Some of them fix a defect in the public right of way at no charge to you. If the repair is theirs, it shouldn't be on your estimate.

A pipe that's still sound but leaking at the joints or letting roots in can often be lined or burst from one or two pits. One that has collapsed or sagged out of shape has to be dug up. The camera footage settles which, and you get to see it.

Before you book sewer line repair

Digging up the yard on a guess.

The camera goes down first and finds the break, the roots or the sag. You watch the footage before anything is quoted.

Not knowing what the repair leaves out.

What is repaired, what is left and what the ground reinstatement covers are agreed in writing before work starts.

The permit becomes your problem.

Sewer work usually needs a permit, and the rules change between DC, Virginia and each Maryland county. That is why we confirm the address before quoting. Who pulls the permit is written into the scope.

Wondering what happens next.

After the camera, a text says your estimate is coming, usually within 24 to 48 hours. The next text has the price and a link to approve it. Digging is scheduled only after you approve.

When sewer lines back up around DC

One plumbing and sewer company’s seasonal report puts sewer backups at their worst in December, under holiday load and cold ground, and May, June and July are usually the wettest months. When several drains slow down at once, that’s the line. Read the signs of a sewer line problem.

Estimates booked seven days a week

Get a free sewer line quote

  • You see the camera footage before any price
  • Sewer repairs carry our 60 to 90 day warranty

Or call us

(240) 695-4415

Request Sewer Line Repair

We take insurance jobs. Financing may also be available for qualifying projects. Ask when you call.

How the job runs

  1. 1A camera goes down the line and finds the defect before any ground is opened.
  2. 2We put in writing what gets repaired and what gets left alone, and who pulls the permit.
  3. 3We dig out the bad section, replace it and test it.
  4. 4The trench is filled back in, and you already know what the reinstatement does and doesn't cover.

Questions we get about sewer line repair

Do I need a permit?

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Usually. The rules change between DC, Virginia and each Maryland county, and the written scope says who pulls the permit before work starts.

Is the sewer line my responsibility?

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Usually from the house out to the connection in the street. Exactly where it changes hands depends on who runs the sewer at your address, so we check that before quoting.

Is it better to repair a drain line or replace it?

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Repair it when the camera shows one bad spot, such as a cracked joint or a single root intrusion, on pipe that is otherwise sound. Replace it when the line has sagged, collapsed or is failing joint after joint. You see the footage before we quote, and when a spot repair and a replacement are both honest options, both prices go on the estimate.

Trenchless drain repair or digging, what is the difference?

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Trenchless repair lines the old pipe or pulls a new one through it from small access pits, so most of the yard or driveway stays where it is. Digging opens a trench to the bad section and replaces the pipe in the open. Lining needs a pipe that still holds its shape. A line that has collapsed or sagged into a belly has to be dug, because a liner follows the sag.

What causes a sewer line to back up into the house?

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Something in the main line between the house and the street stops the flow, and the water comes back up at the lowest drain. The usual causes are tree roots at the joints of clay or cast iron, grease and wipes building up, a sagging section that holds waste, or a pipe that has cracked or collapsed. In heavy rain, an overloaded public sewer can also push back into a basement floor drain.

Can tree roots really break a drain line?

⌄
Yes. Roots find the joints in older clay and cast iron lines, grow in through the gaps toward the water and widen them over the years until the joint separates or the pipe cracks. Clearing the roots buys months. The camera shows how many joints are involved and whether the pipe has broken, which decides between cleaning the line and repairing it.

Should a drain cleaning company show me camera footage of the line?

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Yes, whenever they are quoting a repair based on what the camera found. You should see the crack, the roots or the sag yourself, with the distance from the cleanout, before you agree to anyone digging. We show you the footage before the repair is priced.

Several drains backing up at once?

Stop running water in the house until someone has looked. A main line backing up counts as urgent and is scheduled within 48 hours.

Call (240) 695-4415Request a Free Estimate

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