When the camera shows your sewer lateral is past saving (collapsed sections, large bellies, multiple failures, or root-destroyed clay or Orangeburg pipe), it’s time for replacement. Wahl does full sewer line replacement in two ways: open-cut (traditional excavation) and trenchless (CIPP liner or pipe-bursting). The right choice depends on what the camera shows, where the line runs, and what’s above it.

This page covers the two replacement approaches at a high level. For the trenchless detail, see our CIPP liner page.

Open-cut replacement, explained

Open-cut replacement means digging a trench from your home to the property line (or to the connection at the city main), removing the old pipe, laying new pipe, and backfilling.

It is the original way sewer work has been done for 100 years, and it remains the right answer in a lot of situations. What we install:

• Schedule 40 PVC as the standard sewer lateral. Smooth-bore, joint-welded, durable.
• SDR 35 PVC in some applications.
• Cast iron where municipal code requires it (rare).
• Proper bedding under the pipe (compacted gravel), proper backfill above (compacted in lifts).
• Clean-outs at the building wall and at the property line, where code requires.

The process for an open-cut replacement on a typical Pittsburgh home:

1. Locate the line. Camera and locator pinpoint depth and route.
2. Mark utilities. PA One Call (811) ticket pulled, all utilities marked.
3. Permits pulled. Local municipality and PWSA if applicable.
4. Excavation. Machine-dug trench, manual hand-dig at any utility crossings. Depth typically 4 to 8 feet at the connection.
5. Old pipe removed. Cut at the building wall, cut at the connection, lifted out in sections.
6. New pipe laid. Bedding, pipe, grading checked with a laser level. Proper fall (typically 1/4 inch per foot).
7. New cleanouts installed. Cleanouts are the access points that make future cabling, jetting, or camera inspection possible without digging again.
8. Connection to building drain. New transition fitting, mechanical seal, code-compliant.
9. Connection to city main or septic. Per local code, often with a city inspector witnessing.
10. Inspection. Municipality and/or PWSA inspector verifies before backfill.
11. Backfill in lifts. Compacted gravel and soil, brought back to grade.
12. Surface restoration. Per the concrete and yard restoration tier you selected.

A straightforward open-cut on a typical Pittsburgh lot takes two to three days. Longer if there’s driveway, sidewalk, or street disruption.

When open-cut is the right answer

• The existing pipe is fully collapsed or has lost grade. No liner will work; the line has to come out.
• There’s a major belly (sag) in the existing line. Lining won’t fix a belly because the liner follows the existing pipe’s profile.
• The line is shallow (under 3 to 4 feet) and the surface above is grass. Excavation is cheap, no real trenchless advantage.
• Multiple failure points along the length. Lining a fully degraded pipe sometimes doesn’t pencil.
• The line ran in clay or Orangeburg and the pipe has lost structural integrity to the point that the existing pipe can’t host a liner.
• You want a new code-compliant material end to end, not a liner inside an old pipe.

When trenchless wins

We send a lot of customers to trenchless CIPP lining instead of open-cut. The conditions that favor trenchless:

• Mature landscaping, hardscape, or driveways above the line. Saving them is worth the cost difference.
• The existing pipe still has reasonable structural integrity (no major collapses or bellies).
• The line runs under a sidewalk, street, or stamped concrete patio. Open-cut means destroying and replacing all of it.
• You want the job done in a day with minimal disruption.

We don’t push one method over the other. We tell you what the camera shows and what each method costs in your specific case.

Pittsburgh-specific factors

A few things that come up on Pittsburgh sewer replacements more than other markets:

Old clay and Orangeburg pipe. Most pre-1970 homes have one of these. Both fail in characteristic ways and both usually need replacement, not lining.

Steep yards. Pittsburgh terrain isn’t flat. A lot of sewer laterals run downhill at steep grades, then transition to the city main at a much shallower grade. We’ve seen failures concentrated at those transitions.

Streets and sidewalks that won’t permit open-cut without serious restoration cost. If your line crosses under city sidewalk or pavement, the cost of street repair is often the deciding factor in choosing trenchless instead.

Older neighborhoods with combined sewers. Some Pittsburgh neighborhoods have combined sanitary and storm sewers in older infrastructure. Wahl is up to date on which neighborhoods these are and how to handle them under current PWSA rules.

Trees. Pittsburgh has glorious mature trees, and their roots have been finding clay-pipe joints for 80 years. Most of our sewer replacements involve roots somewhere in the diagnosis.

What’s included with every Wahl replacement

• Pre-job camera inspection and locate.
• Permits and inspection coordination.
• PA One Call (811) utility marks.
• All excavation, new pipe, fittings, bedding, backfill.
• New cleanouts at code-required locations.
• City and municipal inspection coordination.
• The yard or concrete restoration tier you select.
• Post-install camera verification and final report.
• Written warranty (lengths vary by scope).
• Photo documentation of every stage.

Restoration tiers (the part most contractors get vague about)

When we dig, we also restore. Wahl offers three restoration tiers spelled out in writing on every quote:

• Standard Backfill. Trench backfilled to grade, topsoil replaced, basic grass seed thrown. Honest, plain. Costs least.
• Standard + 1 Visit. Same as Standard, plus we come back in 6 to 12 weeks to top off settling, reseed bare spots, address minor sinking.
• Premier. Topsoil, sod or hydroseed, mulch around any preserved plantings, follow-up visits as needed, plus restoration of any concrete, asphalt, pavers, or landscape feature disturbed.

Full detail on the concrete and yard restoration page.

Financing

Sewer replacement is a major plumbing investment, almost always unplanned. GoodLeap, Synchrony, Wells Fargo, and EasyPay financing available. Approval takes about two minutes. We walk you through monthly payment options before you commit.