Sewer line repair in St. Paul

Sewer lines in St. Paul

Mac-Groveland, Merriam Park, Summit Hill, St. Anthony Park and the older parts of Highland Park were built between 1890 and 1940, which means vitrified clay laterals with a joint every few feet. Dayton's Bluff, Payne-Phalen and the West Side have the same pipe, often shallower on the bluff-side lots and deeper at the bottom of the hill. Como and the north end got a mix of clay and, in the 1950s, some Orangeburg. The 1950s and 60s ranches out toward Roseville and Maplewood are where cast iron and tar-paper pipe show up most.

St. Paul's hills matter. A lateral running downhill from a house on Summit Avenue to a main at the bottom of the grade is long and steep; one running from a house below street level up to the main in the street can have very little fall at all, and those are the ones that belly. The camera inspection shows which one you have.

The frost line is the same as across the river — past five feet in a hard winter — so St. Paul laterals are deep. The owner is generally responsible for the service line from the house to the main, including the section under the street; confirm for your address with the city. Sewer work in Minnesota is licensed work: check a contractor's license with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and with St. Paul. Sewer work normally needs a permit and an inspection — confirm with the city's Department of Safety and Inspections. The contractor who does the work pulls the permit; ask for the permit number.

Sewer services in St. Paul

• Sewer line repair — spot repairs of root-broken and offset clay joints
• Sewer line replacement — new PVC to the main, with or without a street cut
• Trenchless sewer repair — lining under the boulevard trees on Summit, Grand and the Highland Park parkways, pipe bursting where Orangeburg has gone oval
• Camera inspection — including pre-purchase scopes during the inspection period
• Hydro jetting — root maintenance on sound clay, grease on Grand Avenue restaurant lines

Street trees and Dutch elm

St. Paul lost most of its elms in the 1970s and replanted with ash, which is now coming out for emerald ash borer, and with lindens and maples. The stumps of the old elms are still sending root fragments into laterals along Fairview, Cleveland and Cretin, and the young replacement trees are growing roots toward the same joints. Root intrusion is a leading reason for a sewer line repair in St. Paul, as it is in Minneapolis.

What a St. Paul job costs

The ranges are similar to Minneapolis: a camera inspection $250–$500, a spot repair $1,500–$4,000, a full replacement or lining $6,000–$15,000 on an average lot, more where the street has to be opened. Hillside lots with a long lateral run to the main sit toward the top. The figures on the cost page are a fair guide on this side of the river too.

What to check on a St. Paul house

Before you ask anyone for a price, a quick look around the house tells you a lot.

• Where does the house sit against the street? Above it, the lateral runs downhill and usually drains well. Below it, the pipe may have very little slope, and a sag is more likely.
• Is there a cleanout? Many pre-1930 houses don't have one. That changes how the camera goes in.
• Is there a backwater valve? If the basement has flooded from the floor drain before, ask about one during any dig.
• What is on the boulevard? A large maple, linden or old elm stump means roots are likely. A newer young tree means they are coming.
• Has the foundation had work? Lifting or anchoring a wall can open the joint just outside it.

How a typical St. Paul job goes

1. Scope and locate. A camera from the cleanout to the main, with each fault located and its depth marked on the lawn.
2. Written options. Spot dig, lining, bursting or replacement, with the permit, street work and restoration listed separately.
3. Locates. Gopher State One Call (811) marks buried utilities before any digging.
4. The work. One day for most spot digs and lining jobs, two or three for a full open trench, more if the street is opened.
5. Inspection where the city requires it, then backfill and restoration.
6. Final video. A recorded pass so you can see the finished pipe. Keep it with the permit number.

Comparing estimates on this side of the river

Hillside lots make St. Paul quotes harder to compare, because depth can change a lot from the house to the street. Ask each contractor to work from the same video and to write down the depth at the deepest point, the footage, the method and what restoration covers. A steep yard may need retaining or erosion control after a dig, so ask whether that is in the price. If one estimate is far below the others, it is usually missing the street work, the permit or the restoration.

Mistakes to avoid

• Letting a line be snaked several times a year without ever getting it on video
• Accepting a whole-line replacement when the footage shows one bad section
• Forgetting the part under the street, which is generally the owner's to fix
• Removing a boulevard tree to stop roots, without first checking with the city and without fixing the open joint the roots came through

Nearby

Roseville, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Maplewood, West St. Paul and South St. Paul.