Signs a sewer pipe has failed
Soggy or sunken yard
A wet patch that stays wet in dry weather, or ground that dips along the line, suggests water is escaping from the pipe.
Sinkhole
Soil can wash into a broken pipe and leave a void. Treat a sudden hole as unstable ground and keep people and pets back.
Several fixtures back up
If the toilet, tub and floor drain all misbehave together, the blockage or break is in the main line, not in one fixture.
Sewage smell outside
A smell near the yard or foundation, with no sewage in the house, can point to a leak underground.
Greener, faster grass
A strip of lush grass over the line can mean the soil is being fertilized by a leak.
What to do first
Stop using water
No showers, laundry, dishwasher or flushing. Every gallon you send down goes into the break or into the house.
Keep clear of the wet ground
Do not walk on sunken soil, and keep children and pets away. Avoid contact with sewage and wash your hands well if you touch anything wet.
Note what you see
Write down where the wet spot is, when it started, and which fixtures misbehave. Photos help. Do not dig to look.
Call a plumber
A camera inspection shows where and how the pipe failed. If sewage is coming into the house, say so on the call.
Digging or trenchless: the honest comparison
Nobody can choose a repair method before seeing the pipe. A sewer inspection with a camera shows the type of damage, how far it runs, how deep the pipe is and what sits above it. Then the choices become clearer.
Lining and pipe bursting avoid trenching but are not always possible. A collapsed pipe, a badly offset joint or a serious low spot that holds water usually means digging. A plumber who promises lining before looking at the pipe is guessing.
How the repair methods compare
| Method | What it does | Digging | Fits when | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open-cut excavation | Digs to the pipe and replaces the bad length | A trench along the break | The pipe is collapsed, crushed or sagging, or a fitting has failed | Disturbs the yard, driveway and landscaping, and buried utilities nearby add care |
| Spot repair | Replaces a short section at one location | One pit | One short failure in an otherwise sound pipe | The rest of an old pipe may fail later |
| Cured-in-place lining | A resin-soaked liner is cured inside the old pipe | Small access pits at most | Cracks, root entry or joint leaks in a pipe that is still round and continuous | Not suited to a collapsed or badly offset pipe, and it narrows the pipe slightly |
| Pipe bursting | New pipe is pulled in while the old pipe is broken apart | Entry and exit pits | The old pipe is too damaged to line and a full new run is wanted | Needs a clear route, and nearby lines and soil must be considered |
We show no dollar figures. The right method depends on camera findings, depth and what is above the pipe.
MISS DIG 811, permits and who owns which part
Call 811, the MISS DIG line, at least 3 business days before any digging, for any project regardless of size. It costs nothing. Utility locators mark public lines, but private lines such as a sewer lateral or a sump discharge are not marked, so your plumber locates your own line with a camera and locator.
Professional Code Inspections (PCI) handles plumbing permits and inspections for the township. Ask your plumber whether your repair needs a permit, and ask PCI about the process for your address.
Where the township's sewer ends and your responsibility begins is a question for the township utility. Ask it before you assume, ideally with camera findings in hand. We will not guess it for you.
Allendale, MI: the public system around your lateral
The township's sewer system includes a Water Resource Recovery Facility rated for 1.6 million gallons a day, with an expansion under way, about 50 miles of sewer main and 8 lift stations. Average flow at the plant runs about 1.3 million gallons a day when GVSU is in session and about 1.0 when it is out, which shows how much the campus population shapes load.
If neighbors on your street have backups at the same time, call the township utility's posted emergency number as well as a plumber.
Rural properties are different. Homes outside the sewered areas use private septic systems, and Ottawa County Health Department oversees well and septic matters. A soggy yard on a rural lot may be a septic problem, not a broken sewer pipe, and the county is the place to ask.
Source: Allendale Charter Township water and sewer page and Master Plan.
Sewage in the yard or the house?
Call the 24/7 line now. Tell us what you see, stop using water, and we will give you the clear price before work starts.
Call (855) 575-2890Repair and inspection services you might need
A confirmed break calls for sewer line repair, and the choice between a trench and a liner comes out of the camera work above. We also take sewer calls in Jenison and Coopersville, and the process is the same in each town: stop the water, inspect, then choose the method.