Sewer Line Repair in Sicklerville, NJ

Three possible water suppliers

Water is even more divided. Depending on your address, it can come from Winslow Township's Department of Municipal Utilities, Aqua New Jersey or New Jersey American Water. If we're replacing a water service line, the supplier determines who marks and operates the curb stop and whose requirements the new service has to meet.

Your water bill settles it. We confirm the supplier at the start of any job that involves the water line.

Where your responsibility ends

In both townships the homeowner generally owns the lateral from the house to the public connection, and the township utility owns the main. The CCMUA treats the wastewater but doesn't repair private lines. If the camera finds a defect at or near the connection, we confirm responsibility with your township before excavating.

If neighbors on your street are backing up at the same time, call your township utility first — that usually points to the main.

What we see in subdivision laterals

Much of Sicklerville is subdivision housing, and subdivision laterals tend to fail in predictable ways. Pipe laid in trench backfill settles and forms low spots that collect solids. Joints pull apart where the ground moved. Lines get crushed under driveway widenings, patios and sheds added after the house was built. Roots from yard trees find any open joint.

• Bellies that hold water and cause recurring slow drains
• Separated joints letting in roots and sand
• Crushed sections under later driveways or patios
• Problems at the cleanout or house connection

Camera inspection decides the scope

We don't dig on a guess. A camera run locates every defect by distance and depth and shows whether the problem is a single section or the whole line. One bad section gets a targeted repair; a line failing throughout gets replaced to the public connection at correct slope.

Sandy ground needs support

Sicklerville sits on sandy coastal-plain soil. It's quick to excavate but runs as soon as a trench wall gets tall, so we slope or shore deeper excavations rather than counting on the sand to stand. New pipe is bedded on a firm, even base and backfill is compacted in lifts, which keeps the lawn or slab above it from sinking later.

Restoring what we open

When the trench crosses a driveway, walk or patio, we self-perform the concrete work so the restoration is matched and finished properly. Lawns are backfilled, graded and left ready for seed or sod.

Water and sewer lines side by side

In subdivision construction, the water service and sewer lateral often leave the house near each other. With up to three different water suppliers in Sicklerville, it's worth being careful about which line is which before anything is cut. We have public utilities marked, trace the private lines, and keep the required separation when new sewer pipe goes in near a water service.

If the water service crosses our trench, we support it in place so it isn't stressed while we work beneath it.

What to expect on repair day

The sequence is the same every time: utilities marked, access protected, trench opened at the located defect, failed pipe removed, new pipe coupled and set to grade, inspection, compacted backfill and restoration. Before we start, we'll tell you which fixtures to avoid and roughly when you'll have full service again. Most homeowners never need to leave the house.

Permits and inspection

Lateral repair needs a permit from your township — Winslow or Gloucester — and an inspection before backfill. Work in the street needs road-opening approval. We file, schedule and hold the trench open for the inspector.