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Having a clogged sewer lateral will always bring on unwanted stress to a homeowner. Sewage coming up in the basement. Countless of plumbing companies to choose from. Having to call off work to sit around and wait for said plumbing company to finally show up, three hours after their arrival window. This is never a fun experience. This stressful experience can easily become a nightmare when the drain technician informs you their efforts of clearing the clog has been unsuccessful. Even worse, you’re told they are getting mud or massive roots on their cable. Two things that should never be getting into a sewer line.
Now what? You’re out a couple hundred bucks for the cabling. You still have sewage in your basement. What’s next? Well, first step is getting eyes in the line. Get a camera in line to make a video and to locate where the issue is. Hopefully, the drain technician has this capability. Once the line and issue has been located, for St. Louis and St. Charles areas, you will have two separate routes that can be taken. Route one is if the issue is under the foundation of the home the costs of repairs and responsibilities fall solely on the homeowner. Unless you have homeowners’ insurance that has coverage specifically for this type of repair. You will need to contact a licensed plumber to give you a bid on the repairs on your own accord.
The second route taken will be if the issue is located outside of the foundation. St. Louis and surrounding areas take a sigh of relief if this is the case. The municipalities and counties have mostly adopted some form of a sewer lateral program that helps homeowners with the costs of repairing their sewer lateral. The sewer lateral will be the sewer that starts outside the house and goes to the MSD main.
These programs have a wide range of coverage depending on what municipality or county you are in. Most cover 75-100% of the costs from $3000 to up wards of $15,000 in some municipalities. If your property taxes are paid up, you can apply for this coverage. The parameters of these programs also vary, but most will cover any broken line outside the house or excess amounts of roots that must be cleared more than once a year. You will need to show receipts for proof. Unincorporated St. Louis County does require a Master Plumber to sign and submit the application, but the other programs do not require that. A quick internet search of your city’s sewer lateral program will tell you everything you need to know to get started. Take advantage of these programs. Your home and your wallet will thank you!
