What trenchless sewer repair costs

What moves the price

• Length and depth. Longer and deeper runs take more liner, more cleaning, and deeper pits.
• Access. An existing two-way cleanout at the house makes lining cheap to set up. No cleanout means installing one first, or working from a roof vent or pulled toilet.
• Branch connections. Every branch that ties into the run has to be reopened after a liner cures.
• Condition of the host pipe. Heavy scale or roots mean more jetting before a liner can bond.
• Where the far end is. A bursting pit at the property line is routine; a pit in the street means a right-of-way permit, traffic control and pavement restoration.
• Method. A sectional point repair costs a fraction of a full liner. Bursting usually costs somewhat more than lining because of the pits and new pipe, but it is quoted when lining is not possible, so the real comparison is against a trench.

Compared with digging

An open trench is priced by the foot and then again by everything in its path. Under bare lawn, digging can be competitive. Under a driveway, a slab, mature landscaping or a sidewalk, the restoration usually costs more than the pipe, and trenchless wins on total cost as well as time.

Reading a quote

A good quote names the method, the footage, the access points, who pulls the permit, what restoration is included, the liner or pipe material and its rated life, and the warranty. It comes with the camera footage that justified the method. If any of those are missing, ask. Getting two quotes from contractors who each ran their own camera is reasonable; getting a quote from one who did not is not.