SewerOwner

Spot repair

Repairing a defined length of the line rather than the whole run.

What this page cannot establish

  • SewerOwner cannot establish whether spot repair is appropriate for your property
  • this approach cannot establish the condition of the rest of the line
  • this approach cannot establish that no further work will be needed
  • this approach cannot establish that the identified condition was the cause of a symptom

What it attempts to do

Address a condition at one identified location, leaving the remainder of the line as it is.

When contractors may discuss it

These are circumstances in which the approach comes up, not a checklist that makes it correct. There is no situation in which one method is universally right.

  • when a condition has been identified at a specific location
  • when the remainder of the line has been inspected and is being left in place
  • where access at that location is practical

What has to be known before applicability can be judged

If a proposal for this work is priced without these, it is priced against assumptions. That is not necessarily wrong — but the assumptions should be written down.

  • the location of the condition, and how it was measured
  • what is known about the rest of the line
  • the depth and surroundings at that location
  • what surfaces sit above the work area

Access and site considerations

  • requires excavation or an access point at the location
  • surfaces above the work area will be disturbed
  • utility locating is required beforehand

What to clarify in a proposal for this work

These are the details that most often differ between two proposals for what sounds like the same job.

  • the length being repaired, stated as start and end points
  • what the proposal assumes about depth and soil
  • what happens if additional conditions are found once open
  • what restoration is included, surface by surface
  • whether an inspection follows the work

What to keep afterwards

  • photographs before backfill
  • the permit and its closeout
  • post-work footage
  • warranty terms as written

Alternatives worth asking about

Asking why one approach is proposed rather than another is a reasonable question, and the answer tells you what the contractor believes about your line.

Sectional lining

Lining a defined length within the line rather than its full run.

Place a liner across one identified length, leaving the rest of the line as it is.

Cannot establish: the condition of the line outside the placed length; that the identified condition was the only one present; that no further work will be needed.

Traditional excavation

Digging along the line to expose and replace pipe directly.

Expose the line so that pipe can be removed and replaced, and so that what is uncovered can be observed directly.

Cannot establish: the condition of any section outside the excavation; that no further conditions exist elsewhere; that the new installation will perform for any stated period.

Cured-in-place lining

Installing a liner inside the existing pipe that hardens in place.

Create a new pipe wall inside the existing line, using the existing pipe as the host, without excavating the full route.

Cannot establish: that lining is appropriate for a given line without inspection; the condition of the ground around the host pipe; that the host pipe’s surroundings are unaffected; that this method is preferable to any other for a given property.

What would change the answer

  • the location of the condition, and how it was measured
  • what is known about the rest of the line
  • the depth and surroundings at that location
  • what surfaces sit above the work area

What to do next

Spot repair and replacement quotes are rarely comparable line for line, and the differences are in the stated scope.

Compare what each proposal actually covers

If your situation is different

Related, and why