Sewer Line Repair in Cherry Hill, NJ
Cherry Hill Township, Camden County. Family-owned, licensed and insured, and self-performing every stage of the work since 1979.
We repair and replace sewer laterals across Cherry Hill Township, Camden County, from our own base in town. Every job starts with a camera inspection so we dig once, in the right spot. We pull the township permit, fix or replace the failed pipe, and restore the lawn, walk or driveway we opened.
Free written estimates. Licensed and insured. Every site is quoted individually.
Free estimate in Cherry Hill, NJ
A hometown crew for Cherry Hill sewer problems
Our yard is in Cherry Hill, so a sewer call here is the shortest drive we make. That matters most on the bad days, when a basement drain is coming up and the family needs the water back on. It also matters on the quiet jobs, because we know how Cherry Hill Township handles sewer permits and inspections and we don't have to learn it on your project.
Most of the township filled in between the mid-1950s and the early 1970s. Split-levels, ranches and colonials on quarter- to half-acre lots were built with clay or early cast-iron sewer laterals that run thirty to eighty feet out to the street main. Those pipes are now well past the life they were designed for, which is why so much of our work here is on original laterals.
How a failing lateral usually announces itself
Old laterals rarely fail all at once. The joints separate a little at a time, roots find the gap, and the pipe slowly narrows. The early signs are easy to write off as a plumbing quirk.
- A basement floor drain or lowest shower that drains slowly, then slower.
- Gurgling from a toilet or tub when the washing machine empties.
- A sewage smell near the floor drain or the cleanout outside.
- A soft or unusually green strip in the lawn between the house and the street.
- Water backing up at the lowest drain in the house — the sign that the line is close to fully blocked.
Sewage backing up right now? Call (856) 488-2227 — 24/7 emergency service.
Emergency sewer repair in Cherry Hill ↗We look before we dig
A camera inspection is the first step on every Cherry Hill sewer job. We run a camera through the lateral from a cleanout and record what it sees: the pipe material, root masses, cracked or offset joints, low spots that hold water, and the exact distance to each problem. That recording tells us whether you need a repair at one spot or a full replacement, and it tells you what you are paying for.
It also keeps the hole small. Instead of opening a long trench to search for the failure, we mark the spot on the surface and dig there.
Repair one section, or replace the whole line?
If the camera shows one broken joint or a single root entry point in an otherwise sound pipe, a section repair can make sense. We cut out the bad length and tie in new pipe with proper couplings, bedding and slope.
If the line is cracked or root-filled along its length, patching one spot only moves the next failure a few feet down the yard. On many of the township's original clay laterals, full replacement to the street connection is the better use of your money, and we will show you the footage so you can see why.
What older sewer pipe is made of
Homes of different ages across South Jersey were built with different pipe. Vitrified clay was common for decades; it resists chemicals well but its short sections and rigid joints let roots in. Cast iron was used both inside homes and outdoors and tends to corrode and scale from the inside over time. Orangeburg, a pipe made of wood fiber and tar, was used roughly from 1945 to 1972 and is known to soften and deform as it ages.
We don't assume what is under any particular Cherry Hill yard. The camera tells us, and that answer drives the plan.
Roots and mature trees
Decades-old trees are part of what makes many Cherry Hill streets pleasant, and they are also the most common reason we find a clay lateral packed solid. Roots go after the moisture leaking from a joint and keep growing once they are inside. Clearing them restores flow for a while, but they come back through the same opening. A replacement in modern pipe with tight joints is what ends the cycle. Where a tree you want to keep sits near the trench line, we plan the dig to protect it as much as the job allows.
Who owns the lateral, and who runs the sewer
Sewer service in town is the Cherry Hill Township sewer system, and wastewater is treated by the Camden County MUA (CCMUA). In most cases the homeowner is responsible for the lateral from the house to the point where it connects to the public system, and the township is responsible for the main in the street. The exact dividing point can vary, so if the camera shows the trouble near the street, we confirm where the responsibility changes before anyone digs.
If several houses on your block are backing up at the same time, the problem may be in the main, and the township's sewer system is the first call. When it is just your house, it is almost always the lateral.
Permits in Cherry Hill
Sewer lateral work in town goes through the Cherry Hill Township construction office, and we pull the permit ourselves. If the work reaches into the street or the area near the curb, additional township approval may be needed, and we handle that too. The new pipe is inspected before it is covered. You don't have to call the township or wait on hold; we schedule everything and tell you when the inspector is coming.
Water service lines, too
The same era of construction that left Cherry Hill with aging sewer laterals also left older water service lines, sometimes galvanized steel. A wet patch in the lawn that never dries, a jump in the water bill or weak pressure when two taps run can all point to the water service. Water in Cherry Hill comes from New Jersey American Water or the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission, depending on your address, so check your water bill to see which one serves you. We replace the private side of the water service line with the same care we give sewer work.
Putting the yard back
We backfill in compacted layers so the trench doesn't sink next spring, then restore what we opened. Lawn gets topsoil and seed. Where a lateral runs under a walkway or driveway, we saw-cut a clean opening and pour the replacement section on a proper stone base, at the right thickness, so you don't end up with a patch that cracks out along its edges after a few winters.
Recent projects near Cherry Hill.
- Cherry Hill, NJ
Chapel Ave Concrete Driveway
Full driveway replacement — old surface removed and hauled off, subgrade excavated and compacted, then formed, poured, and finished with a new apron and sidewalk section tied into the street.
- Cherry Hill, NJ
Maple Commons Drainage Repair
Complete drainage system repair and installation for the Maple Commons residential complex. Extensive stormwater work integrated with existing utilities.
Cherry Hill questions, answered.
Yes. Call (856) 488-2227 — we answer emergency sewer calls 24/7, and because our yard is in Cherry Hill this is our fastest response area. Until we arrive, stop running water anywhere in the house so you don't add to the backup.
Usually under an hour once we have access to a cleanout. You can watch the screen with us, and we explain what each section of pipe shows before we recommend anything.
Sometimes. Responsibility usually changes where the lateral meets the public system, but the exact point varies. If the camera puts the problem near the street, we confirm who owns that section before digging so you don't pay for work that isn't yours.
For a lateral that age, it's a reasonable check. A camera inspection costs far less than an emergency dig and shows whether roots or separated joints are already building toward a blockage, so you can plan a replacement instead of reacting to one.
Only if the lateral runs under it, which we confirm before quoting. When it does, we cut a neat rectangle, replace the pipe and pour the section back on a proper base rather than patching it.
Other services in Cherry Hill.
Sewer & Water Line Repair — Cherry Hill, NJ