Cracked sewer pipe

"Cracked" covers everything from a hairline mark visible only on a good camera to a length of pipe that has come apart. The word does not distinguish between them, and the price attached to it usually does.

What matters is not whether a crack is present but where it is, how open it is, whether the pipe has moved at it, and whether anything is passing through it.

What this page cannot establish

SewerOwner cannot tell you what is wrong with your line, and nothing on this page is a diagnosis
the words a contractor uses have no agreed definitions in this trade, and two companies use them differently
no price, range, or cost driver on this site is a quotation, and none can be
nothing here establishes who is responsible for the length of pipe being described
SewerOwner cannot establish whether any crack is passing water
a visible crack does not establish that a line has failed

The range the word covers

These are not standard terms and different companies use them differently. Ask which one is meant rather than assuming.

Hairline: A visible line in the wall with no separation. Frequently long-standing, frequently carrying flow perfectly well.
Open: A crack with a gap. What passes through it, in either direction, becomes a real question — and that is a question about the ground as much as the pipe.
Longitudinal: Running along the length of the pipe. Usually discussed in terms of loading from above.
Circumferential: Running around the pipe. Usually discussed in terms of movement or settlement.
With displacement: The pipe has moved at the crack, so the two parts no longer line up. This is closer to a break than to a crack, and it is worth having the distinction stated.

When to act, and when watching is defensible

A crack with a wet area above it, a crack where the ground has settled, and a crack the camera cannot pass are all reasons to move. So is a household that backs up repeatedly at that distance.

A hairline crack on a line that drains, with no surface signs and no history, is a documented characteristic. Get the footage, get the distance, note the date, and decide on a period to look again. What you want is a second data point, not a decision made from one.

What to ask

Which kind of crack — hairline, open, with displacement?
At what distance, from which access point, and did the camera pass it?
Does it run along the pipe or around it?
Is there any sign of water leaving or ground entering at that point?
Does the location correspond to anything visible on the surface?
What is your basis for the condition of the length you have not seen?
If we do nothing for six months, what specifically are we risking?

What would change the answer

footage of the crack, with a distance and an access point
whether it runs along the pipe or around it
whether the pipe has moved at the crack or is still in one piece
whether anything is entering or leaving the line there

What to do next

A crack is a visual claim at a stated place, which makes it one of the few things a homeowner can genuinely check.

Look at the footage against what was claimed

If your situation is different

You were told the line is collapsed: When a line is described as structurally failed
There is a wet area above the line: A wet area in the yard
Lining has been proposed: Cured-in-place lining

Separated joint
The observation cracking is most often confused with.
Cast iron
Where cracking and loss of wall get described interchangeably.
What drives scope
Reaching the crack, not repairing it, is usually the larger part of the work.
Written reports
What a report should record so a description can be checked.
Spot repair
The scope a single located crack usually maps to.
Excavation confirmation
What is and is not confirmed once the ground is opened.
Get help
A person reads it. It is not a contractor booking, and describing what you were told is often enough to work out which question is actually unanswered.