I’m considering making an offer on a house, but there’s an issue with the main sewer line. I’ve been told by the realtor that the owners have been having to have the line snaked every two months because it keeps clogging and backing up. What could be causing this? If I do make an offer on this house, I definitely would not be interested in continuing to have this done again and again. What possible pipe repair solutions are there? How much would you estimate it would or should cost to replace the sewer line? The house is about 10 feet from the street.

-Joseph

Joseph, having your sewer line snaked out that frequently is an unnecessary expense and hassle. My guess is that one of three things is happening:

• [tree] roots are penetrating the line (snaking would trim the roots in the pipe, but they’d just keep growing back),

• the pipe is not graded properly (waste isn’t moving downhill) sediment will start building up as soon as it’s cleaned out, or

• the pipe is broken and some parts have shifted, this would create areas where sediment will start building up as soon as it’s cleaned out.

While a visual inspection would help you figure out what the underlying problem is, I don’t know that the added cost of the inspection would be worth it. If the line runs under grass (no asphalt, trees, other obstacles), it should run between $150-200/ft. to replace it. An alternative to replacement would be sock-lining. It’s usually less-expensive than replacement, but you should get an estimate (should be free) to make sure. I don’t know what the current owners are paying for the snaking, but a new line ought to pay for itself in no time.

-Brian