Sewer Line Repair in Prescott, AZ

Who owns the sewer line in Prescott

According to the City of Prescott Wastewater Collection division, property owners are responsible for maintaining and repairing the private sewer line, from the home's foundation through its connection to the city main. The city's Wastewater Operations crews maintain the public mains, manholes and treatment plants. In practice, if the problem is anywhere between your house and the main, it's yours to fix. Our camera inspection shows exactly where your section ends and where the problem is.

Backwater valves are required

The City of Prescott says all structures connected to city sewer require an approved backwater valve, referencing City Code Title III, Chapter 30, Section P3008. A working backwater valve stops sewage in the lateral from backing up into the house. Many older homes never had one, and valves that were installed are often never maintained. We check for a valve on every Prescott job and can install or service one with your repair.

Old pipe in older neighborhoods

Prescott was built early by Arizona standards. The East Prescott Historic District along Gurley Street includes buildings from 1899 to 1904, according to its National Register nomination, and the streets around the courthouse square and downtown are lined with homes of similar age. Sewer lines of that era, and many installed through the mid-1900s, were vitrified clay or cast iron. Clay pipe comes in short sections with many joints, and every joint is a place for roots to get in. Cast iron corrodes and scales from the inside until the pipe narrows and cracks. In these neighborhoods, lining the whole old line is often a better value than chasing one spot repair after another.

Granite, boulders and digging

Much of Prescott sits on decomposed granite, with solid granite and boulders close to the surface around the Granite Dells, Thumb Butte and hillside neighborhoods such as Yavapai Hills and Forest Trails. Rock presses on buried pipe, and when a line has to be dug up, rock makes excavation slow and expensive. That's why we lean toward trenchless pipe lining and pipe bursting in Prescott whenever the camera shows the line qualifies.

Ponderosa pine and oak roots

Mature ponderosa pines and oaks are part of what makes Prescott yards special, and their roots are the most common thing we find inside Prescott sewer lines. Roots follow moisture to a leaky joint, grow through it, and form a mat that catches everything flushed down the drain. Cutting them out buys time. Sealing the line with a liner, which has no joints, keeps them out.

Freeze-thaw and monsoon

At around 5,400 feet, Prescott gets real winter freezes, then heavy summer monsoon rain. Both move the soil around buried pipe, which can open joints and let sections settle into bellies where waste collects.

Permits

Sewer line replacement in the city generally needs a City of Prescott permit and inspection. We pull the permit when the work requires one and schedule the inspection.

Related: sewer line repair & replacement, sewer camera inspection, sewer repair cost in Prescott.