How Much Does a Sewer Pipe Replacement Cost in Denver?

Replacing a sewer pipe in Denver can be a significant investment. While the cost can vary greatly, there's a chance a plumber might be able to repair the existing line, reducing the overall expense.

However, if a complete sewer line replacement is necessary, several factors can influence the final cost. Let's explore what those factors are:

1. The pipe replacement method
2. The contractor you hire to do the job

Let’s go into more detail about each of these factors and how they affect price.

Cost factor #1: The pipe replacement method

Your home’s sewer line is located underground—under your lawn, and possibly your carport—which makes it difficult to repair. However, professionals can do 1 of 3 repair methods to fix your pipes:

1. Excavating
2. Lining
3. Bursting

Let’s go into each of these repair methods in more detail…

Excavating

Our team performing a necessary sewer line excavation

Excavating is generally the costliest way to replace a pipe. It involves digging up ground (which can include concrete carports) to reach the pipe.

From there, the replacement process is relatively simple: the plumber will manually remove the broken pipe and replace it with a new pipe.

The cost to replace pipe by excavating is usually calculated per foot of pipe. If the broken area of the pipe is small, the cost would be smaller. But for longer runs (50+ feet of pipe) you’d pay quite a bit more.

Of course, the BIGGEST expense of excavating is the additional cost of restoring your lawn/carport after the plumbers dig it up. The cost to do this can vary greatly depending on how much the plumbers had to dig.

Lining

Lining is usually less expensive than excavating because it doesn’t involve putting back together a torn-up lawn/carport. It’s called a “trenchless” form of replacement because there’s very little digging involved.

Lining involves drilling a hole near the old pipe and blowing/pulling a resin-coated, flexible pipe into the interior of the old pipe. The lining inflates and settles inside the new pipe, creating a new pipe in the process.

The lining adds one-quarter inch of space to the inner lining of the pipe, but it doesn’t negatively affect the pipe’s ability to carry out waste. In fact, the lining offers a slippery surface that increases waste flow in the sewer line.

Bursting

Similar to lining, bursting is another “trenchless” form of repiping that doesn’t require you to dig up the entire line of pipe—which cuts down on landscaping costs.

Instead, bursting involves running a cone-shaped “bursting” head through the old pipe, which breaks up old pipe and pulls new pipe into its place.

“Which repiping method is right for me?”

You’ll need to contact a professional to assess your particular situation and help you decide which method is right for your situation. That’s because choosing a pipe replacement method depends on factors like:

• How deep the pipes are
• The material of the old and new pipe
• Landscaping features that could prevent digging
• How much pipe needs to be replaced
• How close the pipe is to utility lines like gas
• How quickly you want the job done (bursting and lining are usually faster than excavating)

Cost factor #2: The contractor you hire

Not all contractors are alike. Plain and simple, some contractors do a better job than others. A general rule of thumb is: the better quality the contractor, the more they’ll likely charge for their labor.

So don’t let price deter you from hiring a quality contractor, especially since this project greatly affects your home’s plumbing system and requires a significant amount of labor and skill.

Look for these things when you are determining if a contractor is quality:

• Verify they’re insured and licensed. With such a big project, you’ll want your contractor to be insured and licensed. Ask the contractor to provide proof of insurance, which you can then independently verify with the insurance company. Then, visit www.denvergov.org and search for a contractor to make sure they’re authorized to perform plumbing work in Denver (look for the term “ROW excavator”).
• Make sure they don’t have any complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
• Check out their online customer reviews. If most others had a positive experience with the company, you will likely have a good experience with them too.

Obtain a written estimate from the contractor so that they’re bound to the price they quote you.