When tree roots bust your sewer drain, you don't have any choice but to fix it. If you don't, sewer contents will leak into your yard and create a sanitation hazard. All the water that goes down your drains will leak into your yard too. A broken sewer line is an emergency situation, but you may have a choice in how it gets fixed. Here are your options.

Dig Up The Pipe

One way to get the broken pipe out of the ground is to dig it up. To do this, you need to dig a trench in your yard that matches the length of the pipe. Once you pull the old pipe out, you can drop in a new pipe. This is the traditional way of repairing a sewer line. If you don't have expensive landscaping and the sewer pipe is fairly short, then this method might work for you. Imagine the problems that might come up if your sewer line runs under a shed or under your garden. Plus, repairing the damage to your yard adds to the cost of repairing the drain. For these reasons, many people choose a trenchless method of drain repair.

Insert A Pipe Liner

If you don't like the idea of digging a big trench in your yard, talk to your contractor about inserting a pipe liner instead. This is a popular method of trenchless repair that doesn't require removal of the broken pipe. However, not every situation is a good match for this method of drain repair. Your contractor will probably look inside the pipe with a sewer camera to see if a liner can be pulled through. If the pipe is collapsed on itself, it may not be possible to get a liner through it. With this method, the contractor digs a hole at each end of the pipe. A liner is fed in one end as it is pulled out the other. After that, the liner is inflated so it takes on the shape of the pipe. It then hardens in place and becomes a drain within a drain. This eliminates cracks and crumbles, and it keeps tree roots out too.

Bust Up The Old Pipe

The other type of trenchless drain repair is pipe bursting. This is similar to installing a pipe liner, except in this case, the old pipe is busted apart as the new pipe is pulled through. This leaves you with a sewer drain that has a larger diameter than you get with a liner. The new pipe is attached to a bursting head that is narrow on one end. This narrow end is pulled through the old pipe and the force of the larger end busts open the old pipe as the new pipe is put down in its place. This type of drain repair is much quicker and less messy than digging a trench, so it has its advantages.

Your contractor has to consider the position of your sewer line as well as the extent of the damage when deciding on the best way to repair your line. It may not be possible to make trenchless repairs on your property, and if it isn't, you'll have no choice but to dig up your yard. However, even though it is disruptive, it's necessary because you can't live in your home comfortably if the sewer line is out of service. To learn more, contact a company like Roto-Rooter Sewer And Drain Cleaning Service.