Glossary

Definitions here are general. Where a proposal, report, or ordinance defines a term for its own purposes, that definition governs for that document — which is itself worth checking.

What this page cannot establish

a definition describes a concept; it establishes nothing about your property
terms are used differently by different companies and authorities — where a document defines a term, that definition governs

All terms

Backwater valve work: Installing, replacing, or servicing a device intended to resist reverse flow. Read more
Building drain and building sewer: The plumbing inside and immediately outside the building that collects fixture flow before the lateral. Read more
Camera video: A recording made by a camera pushed through the line. Read more
Cleaning before inspection: Clearing the line first so a camera can see more than debris. Read more
Cleaning invoice: A bill describing cleaning work performed on the line. Read more
Cleanout: A capped access point that lets a professional get equipment or a camera into the line. Read more
Cleanout installation or replacement: Adding or replacing an access point on the line. Read more
Connection repair: Work at the point where the private line meets the public system. Read more
Cured-in-place lining: Installing a liner inside the existing pipe that hardens in place. Read more
Dye testing: Introducing a coloured dye at one point and watching where it appears. Read more
Easement: A recorded right for someone to use part of a property, often for utility access. Read more
Engineering or specialist review: A qualified specialist assessing a question beyond ordinary scope. Read more
Excavation confirmation: Digging to expose the pipe so it can be seen directly from outside. Read more
Footage or distance markers: Distance readings displayed by the camera equipment during an inspection. Read more
Homeowner recollection: What you remember, where no document exists. Read more
Homeowner responsibility: The portion of the system a property owner is expected to maintain and repair. Read more
Hydro jetting: Using high-pressure water to clear material from inside the line. Read more
Locating and sonde work: Using a transmitter in the line and a receiver above ground to trace its route. Read more
Locating marks: Surface marks placed where equipment indicated the line runs below. Read more
Marked locations: Notes or marks identifying where along the line something was observed. Read more
Measuring approximate defect position: Tying an observation inside the line to a distance and, sometimes, a surface point. Read more
Municipal or utility notice: A letter or notice issued by an operating authority. Read more
Municipal or utility responsibility boundary: The point at which responsibility passes between a property owner and the operating authority. Read more
Municipal record review: Asking the operating authority what its own records show for an address. Read more
Permit and inspection context: The approvals and official checks that may attach to sewer work. Read more
Permit inspection: An official check of work while it is open or after completion. Read more
Permit record: An official record that work was permitted. Read more
Pipe bursting: Pulling a new pipe along the existing route while displacing the old one. Read more
Pressure or leakage testing: A controlled test of whether a section holds what is put into it. Read more
Prior owner statement: Something a previous owner said about the property. Read more
Private sewer lateral: The pipe that carries wastewater from a building to the public sewer main or other disposal point. Read more
Property connection: The point where the pipe serving a property joins the public system. Read more
Property disclosure: A statement made during a transaction about known property conditions. Read more
Proposal: A written offer describing work a contractor would perform. Read more
Public program or reimbursement context: Programs some systems operate that may affect what an owner pays. Read more
Public sewer main: The shared sewer pipe, usually under a street or easement, that collects flow from many properties. Read more
Repair invoice: A bill describing repair or replacement work performed. Read more
Rerouting: Installing the line along a different path rather than the existing one. Read more
Restoration after access or excavation: Putting back the surfaces and features disturbed by the work. Read more
Root cutting: Using cutting equipment to clear root material from inside the line. Read more
Routine cleaning: Clearing the line with mechanical equipment to restore flow. Read more
Sectional lining: Lining a defined length within the line rather than its full run. Read more
Sewer camera inspection: A camera pushed through the line to record what it passes. Read more
Shared lateral: One line serving more than one property or more than one unit. Read more
Smoke testing: Introducing a testing vapour into a system to see where it emerges. Read more
Spot repair: Repairing a defined length of the line rather than the whole run. Read more
Still images: Photographs taken from the footage or on site. Read more
Traditional excavation: Digging along the line to expose and replace pipe directly. Read more
Unknown or disputed responsibility: A legitimate state in which nobody has yet established who is obligated. Read more
Utility map or responsibility document: A record from an operating authority showing routes or stating responsibility. Read more
Visual site review: A professional looking at the property, fixtures, and accessible plumbing. Read more
Warranty terms: The written terms of any guarantee offered. Read more
Written inspection report: A document describing what an inspection covered and observed. Read more

How information is labelled here

These labels appear throughout the tools and on every printed brief.

You recorded this: You entered this yourself. It reflects what you noticed or what you were told, not a verified finding.
A contractor reportedly stated this: You recorded this as something a contractor said. SewerOwner has not confirmed it and cannot confirm it.
An inspector reportedly stated this: You recorded this as something an inspector said. SewerOwner has not confirmed it and cannot confirm it.
A municipality or utility reportedly stated this: You recorded this as something a municipality or utility said. Confirm anything that affects responsibility or permits directly with that office.
A document reports this: You recorded this as appearing in a document you hold. The document itself is the record, not this summary of it.
SewerOwner general information: General educational information from SewerOwner. It is not specific to your property and establishes nothing about it.
Source not recorded: The source of this information was not recorded.
Unknown: You do not know, and it is not recorded whether anyone has looked.
Not checked: Nobody has looked at this yet, so nothing follows from it.
Looked, did not observe: You looked and did not see it. That is a real observation about what you could see — it does not establish that the condition is absent everywhere in the line.
Not applicable: This does not apply to your situation, so it is not an open question.

System components and boundaries

Public sewer main

The shared sewer pipe, usually under a street or easement, that collects flow from many properties.

If a problem is in the main rather than in the pipe serving your property, the party you need to contact and the party responsible for the work may be different from the one a contractor is proposing to bill.

Cannot establish: whether the main is the source of a problem you are experiencing; where the main sits relative to your property line; who is obligated to repair it in your jurisdiction; whether a backup you experienced originated in the main.

Private sewer lateral

The pipe that carries wastewater from a building to the public sewer main or other disposal point.

Most of what a homeowner is asked to pay for concerns the lateral. Its material, depth, length, slope, and connection condition drive what methods a contractor will discuss — and none of those are visible from inside the house.

Cannot establish: the condition of the pipe without a physical inspection; the material or age of the pipe from symptoms; where responsibility for the lateral ends in your jurisdiction; whether the whole lateral shares the condition of any one section.

Building drain and building sewer

The plumbing inside and immediately outside the building that collects fixture flow before the lateral.

A problem confined to one fixture and a problem in the shared run downstream produce different symptoms and call for different work. Knowing which part of the system a contractor is describing changes what their proposal actually covers.

Cannot establish: which section of pipe is causing a symptom you noticed; whether interior plumbing or the buried line is involved; where one contractor’s definition of "building sewer" stops and another’s starts.

Cleanout

A capped access point that lets a professional get equipment or a camera into the line.

Which cleanout a professional works from determines what part of the line they can reach and see. An inspection performed from one access point does not necessarily cover the section reached from another.

Cannot establish: that the whole line was inspected because a cleanout was used; that no cleanout exists because none has been found; the condition of the line beyond what equipment reached from it.

Property connection

The point where the pipe serving a property joins the public system.

The connection is frequently where responsibility boundaries are drawn, and it is often the most expensive part of the line to reach. Proposals differ sharply in whether they include work at the connection.

Cannot establish: the condition of the connection without inspecting or exposing it; that the responsibility boundary sits at the connection in your jurisdiction; whether a proposed method can reach the connection.

Shared lateral

One line serving more than one property or more than one unit.

If a line is shared, a blockage may originate at a neighbouring property, repair may require agreement between owners, and the cost allocation question is separate from the technical one.

Cannot establish: that a line is shared because a neighbour has a similar problem; that a line is not shared because no record was found; how costs must be divided among the properties served.

Easement

A recorded right for someone to use part of a property, often for utility access.

An easement can change who must be notified before work, what surface restoration is owed, and whether a proposed route is permissible at all.

Cannot establish: that an easement exists because a pipe crosses a property; what an easement permits without reading the recorded document; who pays for restoration within an easement.

Municipal or utility responsibility boundary

The point at which responsibility passes between a property owner and the operating authority.

This single question can change who pays for the work, whether a permit is needed, and whether a repair must be performed by a particular category of contractor.

Cannot establish: a boundary rule that applies everywhere; that a boundary described for one system applies to a neighbouring one; that a contractor’s description of the boundary is accurate for your address.

Homeowner responsibility

The portion of the system a property owner is expected to maintain and repair.

The extent of the obligation determines the scope of any work an owner must fund, and it is frequently assumed rather than checked.

Cannot establish: that a homeowner is responsible for the entire buried line; that a homeowner is not responsible because the pipe is beyond the property line; the obligation from the location of a defect alone.

Unknown or disputed responsibility

A legitimate state in which nobody has yet established who is obligated.

Treating an unresolved question as settled — in either direction — leads owners to fund work they may not owe, or to delay work while assuming someone else will act.

Cannot establish: who is responsible, by definition; that a dispute will be resolved in the homeowner’s favour; that a contractor’s view of responsibility is authoritative.

Permit and inspection context

The approvals and official checks that may attach to sewer work.

A permit and its closeout produce a record. That record can matter later — at sale, in a dispute, or when a warranty is invoked — and its absence can be difficult to remedy after backfill.

Cannot establish: that a specific job requires a permit; that work was compliant because a permit was issued; that no permit was required because none was mentioned.

Public program or reimbursement context

Programs some systems operate that may affect what an owner pays.

A program can change the order of operations. Some require application or approval before work starts, and work performed first may not qualify afterwards.

Cannot establish: that a program exists for your address; that you qualify for any program; that a program described previously is still operating or funded; what a program covers, without its current published terms.

Inspection and evidence methods

Visual site review

A professional looking at the property, fixtures, and accessible plumbing.

To establish what is visible without equipment: which fixtures behave how, where access points are, what the site allows, and what is worth investigating further.

Cannot establish: the condition of buried pipe; the cause of any symptom; the route or depth of the line.

Sewer camera inspection

A camera pushed through the line to record what it passes.

To record what is visible inside the line along the path the camera travels from a given access point.

Cannot establish: the condition of sections the camera did not reach; ownership or legal responsibility; structural capacity; code compliance; that a specific repair method is appropriate; the significance of a visible feature without professional context.

Cleaning before inspection

Clearing the line first so a camera can see more than debris.

To remove material that would otherwise obscure the lens, so that an inspection records the line rather than its contents.

Cannot establish: what the line looked like before it was cleaned; that removed material explains the symptom; that the condition will not return.

Locating and sonde work

Using a transmitter in the line and a receiver above ground to trace its route.

To mark on the surface where the line appears to run, and sometimes at approximately what depth.

Cannot establish: exact pipe position or depth; the condition of the pipe; the location of other utilities.

Measuring approximate defect position

Tying an observation inside the line to a distance and, sometimes, a surface point.

To establish where along the line an observation sits, so that work, second opinions, and responsibility questions can refer to the same place.

Cannot establish: a precise property coordinate; which side of a responsibility boundary the position falls on; the depth at that position.

Dye testing

Introducing a coloured dye at one point and watching where it appears.

To establish whether two points are connected, by observing whether dye introduced at one reaches the other.

Cannot establish: the condition of any pipe; the absence of a connection, from a negative result alone; the route between the two points.

Smoke testing

Introducing a testing vapour into a system to see where it emerges.

To reveal openings connected to the system by observing where the vapour appears above ground or inside a building.

Cannot establish: the condition of a pipe; the responsibility for any opening found; that no opening exists where none was observed.

Pressure or leakage testing

A controlled test of whether a section holds what is put into it.

To assess whether a defined, isolated section retains water or air under a controlled procedure.

Cannot establish: the condition of sections outside the tested length; the cause of any result; compliance, unless the applicable authority says so.

Excavation confirmation

Digging to expose the pipe so it can be seen directly from outside.

To observe the pipe and its surroundings directly, which no remote method can fully substitute for.

Cannot establish: the condition of the line away from the excavation; that no other conditions exist elsewhere.

Municipal record review

Asking the operating authority what its own records show for an address.

To find out what the authority holds: connection records, permit history, maps, and its own statement of where responsibility sits.

Cannot establish: the physical condition of the line; that records are complete; a boundary for a different address or authority.

Permit inspection

An official check of work while it is open or after completion.

To have an authority observe the work against whatever it requires, producing a record independent of the contractor.

Cannot establish: the quality of workmanship beyond what was inspected; that the installation will perform over time.

Engineering or specialist review

A qualified specialist assessing a question beyond ordinary scope.

To bring a qualified opinion to a question that inspection and contractor judgement have not resolved.

Cannot establish: anything beyond the scope actually commissioned; that a dispute will resolve a particular way.

Work approaches

Routine cleaning

Clearing the line with mechanical equipment to restore flow.

Restore flow by removing material from inside the line using equipment fed in from an access point.

Cannot establish: the condition of the line; that the underlying situation is resolved; that the problem will not recur; that repair is or is not needed.

Root cutting

Using cutting equipment to clear root material from inside the line.

Remove root material from the inside of the line so that flow is restored through the affected section.

Cannot establish: that the pipe is damaged; where roots entered the line; that roots will not return; that replacement is required.

Hydro jetting

Using high-pressure water to clear material from inside the line.

Clear material from the pipe wall and carry it out of the line using pressurised water delivered through a nozzle.

Cannot establish: the condition of the line; that the pipe is sound; that the result will persist.

Spot repair

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

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

Cannot establish: the condition of the rest of the line; that no further work will be needed; that the identified condition was the cause of a symptom.

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.

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.

Pipe bursting

Pulling a new pipe along the existing route while displacing the old one.

Replace the pipe along its existing route by drawing new pipe through while the existing pipe is displaced outward, using pits rather than a full-length trench.

Cannot establish: that the route is suitable without site-specific assessment; the position of other buried services; that this method is preferable to any other for a given property.

Cleanout installation or replacement

Adding or replacing an access point on the line.

Create a usable access point so that future inspection and cleaning can be performed from a known position.

Cannot establish: the condition of the line; that the access point reaches the full line.

Connection repair

Work at the point where the private line meets the public system.

Address a condition at or near the connection between the private line and the public system.

Cannot establish: who is responsible for the connection in your jurisdiction; that the authority will agree with a contractor’s view; the condition of the public system.

Rerouting

Installing the line along a different path rather than the existing one.

Establish a new route for the line where the existing route presents difficulties that a same-route method would not resolve.

Cannot establish: that a new route is permissible without checking; that the new route avoids all obstructions.

Backwater valve work

Installing, replacing, or servicing a device intended to resist reverse flow.

Install or maintain a device positioned to resist flow returning toward the building from the downstream system.

Cannot establish: that a device will prevent any particular event; that a device is required or permitted in your jurisdiction; that a device removes the need for other work.

Restoration after access or excavation

Putting back the surfaces and features disturbed by the work.

Return disturbed surfaces to a stated condition after the work below them is complete.

Cannot establish: that a restored surface will match the surrounding area; that settlement will not occur later; that an omitted surface is included.

What would change the answer

none

What to do next

Definitions are most useful applied to the specific document in front of you.

Take the terms back to your document

Understand the system
The components explained at length.
Trenchless and excavation
The methods explained at length.