Sewer Line Repair by Where the Lateral Has Failed
The private lateral runs from the house to the MAWSS connection, and the owner maintains it. Where along that run the pipe has failed decides how much digging the fix needs, which method fits, and in one case who pays.
Break at the Foundation Exit or Building Cleanout
The first few feet outside the wall are where the building drain turns into the building sewer. A camera run from the building cleanout shows whether a crack or separated joint sits outside the wall or back under the floor. If the video puts it under a slab, the job becomes under-slab sewer line replacement. A missing or broken cleanout at this spot is worth fixing in the same dig; Mobile's code rules for it are on sewer cleanout installation.
Cracked or Root-Filled Joints in the Yard
Along the yard run, MAWSS reports that roots are generally found in the defective laterals in its service area, and that owners often end up paying for root cutting repeatedly before the lateral gets replaced anyway. Defects can also open holes in the yard where the pipe pulls soil in. HomeGuide draws the line this way: small roots or a clog need a basic repair, while broken pipe and large cracks need partial or full replacement. For the failure itself, see tree root sewer line repair, clay sewer pipe replacement or, where water stands in a low spot, sewer line belly repair.
Defects Near the Property-Line Cleanout
MAWSS's own diagram puts two cleanouts on the private side: one at the building and one at the property line. The stretch near the outer one is where the owner's pipe meets MAWSS's. Inside the City of Mobile, where curb, sidewalk and buildings adjoin, MAWSS's side generally begins at the back of the curb; elsewhere in the city and county it begins at the property line. If the main runs through an easement on private land, the owner's responsibility runs all the way to the main, connection included. Whoever digs, MAWSS requires a licensed plumber to make the joint between the private and public lateral.
Broken Pipe Under a Driveway or Walk
HomeGuide says a line under a driveway or sidewalk costs more to fix than one under sod or bare soil. Ask the plumber to mark the break's position from above with the camera's locator before anyone cuts, so the opening is no bigger than it needs to be. For a longer run under concrete, compare trenchless sewer line replacement, which lists what concrete removal and driveway repair cost.
Problems on the Public Side
The public lateral and the main are MAWSS's to maintain. If the camera shows the break past your handover point, the pipe is MAWSS's to repair, and its 24-hour Customer Care line is 251-694-3165. One catch: MAWSS's policy makes the owner responsible for clearing any blockage anywhere from the building to the main. Ask for the video to show the footage count at the property-line cleanout so the handover point is clear.
Why Mobile homeowners, landlords and businesses call Mobile Sewer Line Replacement
- One licensed plumber gets the request, not a bidding list
- No charge to you for the introduction
- Ask to keep the camera video from before and after
- Alabama plumbing licenses can be checked online
Sewer Line Repair or Full Lateral Replacement?
Where the lateral is older clay, iron or concrete pipe, MAWSS's experience is that the pipe and joints have deteriorated along their length, and it recommends replacing such a lateral entirely rather than patching one spot and returning for the next. What the video has to answer is whether the damage is one spot with sound pipe either side, or the whole run. Two steps help:
Get the whole line filmed first
A sewer camera inspection gives you footage any plumber can quote from.Price both options
Ask for a written quote for the section repair and for the full line. Cost guides' figures for one-section fixes are on sewer line spot repair, and full-line prices are on the homepage.
Sewer Line Repair After a MAWSS Defect Letter
MAWSS tests parts of its system where too much rain and groundwater is getting in. When a private lateral fails, the owner, and the tenant if there is one, gets a certified letter. What follows:
Who pays
the owner. The 180-day clock starts with the letter, MAWSS won't pay the plumbing bill, and it expects to be told once the repair is done.The letter isn't a full diagnosis
MAWSS says it hasn't assessed the lateral's overall condition and tells owners to have a licensed plumber inspect it.Penalties for a resident owner
three months at $25 a month, three more at $50, then a possible shut-off of water and sewer service.Proof
the plumber's itemized invoice, the plumbing permit, and, for a full replacement, the city inspection approval sticker.Re-testing
MAWSS can re-test the line at any time. If it finds the repair wasn't done, whatever remained of the 180 days restarts from its new notice.
MAWSS also offers grants, or a delayed deadline while grant money is found, to low-to-moderate income households.
Sewer Repair Licensing: Checking the Plumber's Alabama License
In Alabama, anyone who contracts for plumbing must hold a master plumber certificate, a company must register with a Principal Master, and a journeyman can't act as their own contractor. A building sewer connected to the public sewer must be done by a plumber certified by the state board. To pull a Mobile permit, the city requires an Alabama master license and a business license, and each plumbing contractor keeps a $10,000 license and permit bond on file with the city. The exception is a homeowner personally doing the work on the home they live in. Homeowner permits normally require a competency test from the code official, but repairing or replacing an existing sewer line is exempt from it. MAWSS still requires a licensed plumber to connect the private lateral to the public one.
- Look up the license on the state board's online search, by number, name or county.
- Ask whose master license the permit will be pulled under.
- Get a written bid for the whole job, and follow the board's advice: go carefully with cash, and with paying ahead for work and materials.