Service
Sewer Repair Services
Are sewer backups or foul odors disrupting your home? We look at the line on camera first and show you every repair option in writing.
Sewer repair fixes a broken, root-damaged or collapsed side sewer with the method that fits the defect — a targeted spot repair, a BlueLight liner, pipe bursting, or a full replacement. Pro Sewer Repair cameras the line first and shows you every option in writing before a price. Open 24/7/365.
What are the signs a sewer line needs repair?
A sewer line problem rarely announces itself with one dramatic event. It shows up as a pattern:
- Several drains slow at the same time — a single clog affects one fixture; a main line problem affects the lowest ones first. See why all the drains slow at once.
- A toilet that gurgles when the shower or washer runs — air being pulled through a trap because the line downstream is restricted. See why a toilet gurgles.
- Sewage odor indoors or in the yard, especially after rain. See sewage smell outside after rain.
- A soggy, sunken or unusually green strip over the line, or a depression in the driveway.
- Water coming up the basement floor drain — the lowest opening in the house. See what that means.
- A clog that comes back a season after it was cabled — roots at a joint, a belly or a broken section, not a drain problem.
If it is backing up tonight, here is what to do first, then call (425) 478-3133.
What causes sewer lines to fail around Seattle?
Mostly age and trees. Streetcar-era and prewar houses have vitrified clay laid in short sections with mortared joints, and a century of root growth, settlement and traffic has worked on every joint. Postwar houses often have Orangeburg, a fibre pipe that softens and goes oval. Concrete loses its crown to sewer-gas corrosion. Under the slab, cast iron scales shut — see cast iron under the slab versus the side sewer. Add root-hungry firs and maples, settling fill on the hillsides, and shallow flat runs near the water that hold a belly, and the same pattern shows up across the city. The house-age pipe guide says what is probably under yours.
How do you decide between a spot repair and replacing the line?
With the camera, not a guess. The inspection records the material, the defects with distances, whether the line holds grade, and a surface trace with depths — see what happens during a camera inspection. Then the rule is simple: repair or replace the section that is actually failed, and seal or leave the rest based on its condition.
| What the camera shows | The fix that fits |
|---|---|
| One offset joint, one collapsed section, one failed tap at the main | Spot repair — a few feet of excavation at the marked spot, new pipe and couplings |
| Clay or concrete with joint problems along the run, still round | BlueLight lining from a cleanout or one pit — see sewer lining |
| Orangeburg, deformed or collapsed pipe, undersized line | Pipe bursting from two pits — see pipe bursting |
| Short shallow run under lawn, or a route trenchless cannot use | Open excavation — sometimes still the simplest correct answer |
The section-or-whole-line guide goes deeper, and sewer replacement covers the whole-line options and the transferable lifetime warranty on full replacements. Two blog posts add background on the trenchless options: how trenchless methods save time and property damage and a homeowner's guide to pipe bursting.
What does a sewer repair with Pro Sewer Repair look like?
- A real person answers, any hour, and a technician comes out — free estimate.
- Camera inspection, with you watching the monitor, and a locate on the surface.
- Every option in writing — scope, method, access, restoration and permit handling, plus the warranty terms on a full replacement. Already have a bid? The second opinion is free; the bid-comparison guide shows how to line them up.
- Permit. Inside Seattle, a side sewer permit from Seattle Public Utilities (since October 1, 2025) — the permit guide explains it; outside Seattle, the city or sewer district.
- The work, then proof. A final camera pass where it applies, and the written paperwork for your job.
Who is responsible for the sewer line — me or the city?
In Seattle the side sewer is private from the house to its connection at the public main, so repairs on it are the owner's responsibility — and where two houses share one lateral, that responsibility is shared. Who pays when a shared side sewer fails and how sewer lines work in a townhome cover the common cases; the insurance guide covers what a policy will usually pay for.
What affects the cost of a sewer repair?
We do not publish a price range, because a "sewer repair" can be a short spot repair at a marked joint or a full replacement by pipe bursting. What moves the number: how much of the line is actually failed (the camera decides), the depth and what is on top of it, whether a cleanout exists, the method, the permit and the restoration. You get every option priced in writing after the camera, never from the curb; the insurance guide covers what a policy usually will and will not pay, and financing is available through Service Finance.
Sewer repair for property managers, HOAs and rentals
About 10% of our work is commercial and property-management, and the process is the same with more paperwork: a documented camera inspection, options in writing, and the permit record. What sewer records a property manager should keep describes that file; camera inspections and drain cleaning are the usual first calls.
Why a sewer company for sewer repair?
Because sewer work is the whole job here. Pro Sewer Repair has been family-owned and sewer-first in Seattle since 2017 — sewer repair, replacement, trenchless lining and bursting, camera inspection and drain cleaning, not water heaters or faucets. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; free estimates and second opinions; financing through Service Finance. Call (425) 478-3133 or request an estimate online. The city pages below cover the pipe generations and permit authority where you live.
Sewer Repair by city
Sewer Repair: questions people also ask
How do I know if my sewer line is broken?
The usual signs are several drains slowing at once, a toilet that gurgles when the shower or washer runs, sewage odor indoors or in the yard, a soggy or unusually green patch over the line, or a backup at the lowest drain. Any one of those on its own can be a clog; together, or repeating, they point to the sewer line. A camera inspection settles it.
Will you repair just the broken section, or replace the whole line?
Whichever the footage supports. One collapsed joint, one belly or one failed tap in an otherwise round pipe is a spot repair - a few feet of excavation at the marked spot. Defects at several points, deformed material like Orangeburg, or more bad footage than good is a whole-line job, trenchless where the route allows. You see both options in writing.
Do you fix sewer lines without digging up the yard?
Often, yes. A BlueLight liner works from a cleanout or one small pit and pipe bursting from two pits, which can leave most of the yard undisturbed. Some digging is usually still involved, and a fully collapsed section cannot be lined - we say which methods your line qualifies for before you decide.
Is sewer repair an emergency?
A backup into the house is. Stop running water, keep people out of the affected area, and call - Pro Sewer Repair is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a real person answers. A slow drain or an odor is urgent but not tonight; the Learning Center's backup-tonight guide covers what to do first.
Is sewer repair warrantied?
Full sewer replacements carry a lifetime parts-and-labor warranty that transfers to the next homeowner, subject to the written terms you receive with your estimate. For repairs, lining and bursting, you get written paperwork for your job.
More of the questions we hear every week are on the FAQ page .
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Read what we would want to know first
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Let's put a camera down the line and see.
Free estimates and free second opinions, open 24/7/365 across the Greater Seattle & Puget Sound area. Call and a real Pro Sewer team member picks up.