Tapping into sewer line

[Fermion]

We are at the point where we need to tap into the 8 inch sewer line in the alley right of way (dirt) in the back of our new house build.

We have everything done to the cleanout just outside our house (4 inch schedule 40 pvc). I had a local construction company come over, one that does all sorts of work for our city and local homeowners for 30+ years.

I got a quote of about $4000 for them to trench from the house to the sewer line (which is about 6 feet deep) and lay that pipe (around 40 feet of pipe) and do the saddle connection.

Seems expensive, but then again, it isn't something I am really wanting to do. Does the price seem high? I do have an excavator but they wanted to bring their own and pretty much do all the work, which I get.

Pro tip, don't build your own home, it will cost 2x as much as buying one.

 

[calmloki]

We are at the point where we need to tap into the 8 inch sewer line in the alley right of way (dirt) in the back of our new house build.

We have everything done to the cleanout just outside our house (4 inch schedule 40 pvc). I had a local construction company come over, one that does all sorts of work for our city and local homeowners for 30+ years.

I got a quote of about $4000 for them to trench from the house to the sewer line (which is about 6 feet deep) and lay that pipe (around 40 feet of pipe) and do the saddle connection.

Seems expensive, but then again, it isn't something I am really wanting to do. Does the price seem high? I do have an excavator but they wanted to bring their own and pretty much do all the work, which I get.

Pro tip, don't build your own home, it will cost 2x as much as buying one.

December of '22 we had a line from the triplex replaced to the alley. This was a line we had replaced maybe back around 1990 by the alcoholic tenants we inherited when we bought the place. Hand dug the replacement trench and tied in just short of the alley. Probably 60' and 4-5' deep. New slick plastic pipe worked fine till it developed bellies and started plugging up.

This time we got bids from several real plumbing companies. They tied in at the alley line, replaced the light paving in the alley from the gravel parking lot they trenched through, installed the required backflow preventer and cleanouts and replaced several concrete sidewalk sections. We spent $9500, but I feel good about the grading being proper and the workmanship.

Just finishing having a 2" water mainline at the apartments bored in ~80' with 4 lateral connections to the tune of $17,000. Plumbing ain't cheap, and it's going way up fast. When we re-did our house we used to say twice as long and twice the money. Now? You're a brave man building.

 

[Fermion]

Now? You're a brave man building.

I might use other words than brave. Stupid comes to mind.

 

[skyking1]

It's a ballpark price. If there are no other utilities to dodge, and I had time to call locate before making an estimate I would beat that over here in my area. No I am not mobilizing to Spokane, I just got back from Gifford

 

[pacergal]

$4000 doesn't sound outrageous to me. A few neighbors here have had to redo their sewer lines and it was over that.
A few years ago, we had a bid, just to see the cost, due to the other homes being done and the houses are all about the same age (60+years). At that time, we were quoted about $8000 for all new pipes, house to street+ hook up
It is not something I would attempt.

 

[dmpi]

To me $4000 sounds cheap especially in Seattle. Clearly you're not going with one of those overpriced outfits that advertise on TV. If you're confident they can do the job then for me this would be a go.

 

[Kings over Queens]

A 6 foot deep trench 40 feet long, plus material.

4k doesnt seem expensive.

1 man to operate machine, 2 in the hole. Time to transport the machine. Labor and profit.

I did a major gut renovation and addition in 2005, took a 1,200 sq ft cape into a 2,600 sq ft colonial. Most fun i ever had.

Not sure id do it again today, but man, was that an experience.

 

[Car-Guy]

About 2 years ago, I had a 5 to 6 foot deep trench dug for about a ~100 feet of 4" drain pipe. I already had the drain pipe but the trenching cost me $1000. That included the trenching, laying the pipe and covering up everything.

 

[Ronstar]

$4000 doesn’t sound bad. I don’t agree with your pro tip other than the fact when I built our houses, DW was picking out things that were more expensive than those that were in existing houses.

 

[MC Rider]

When we re-did our house we used to say twice as long and twice the money.

This is looking to be about right for a pre fab steel garage we are building.

$4,000 does not sound bad at all.

 

[JoeWras]

That's reasonable. The key is 6'. If it were 2' (southern homes, this happens), then no. But at 6', it is reasonable.

 

[foxfirev5]

IMHO a real bargain. I'm assuming it's a gravity feed and you already paid for the hookup permit. My last hookup was 5k for the permit and 3k to run 60 feet of pipe. That was in 2001.

 

[Fermion]

IMHO a real bargain. I'm assuming it's a gravity feed and you already paid for the hookup permit. My last hookup was 5k for the permit and 3k to run 60 feet of pipe. That was in 2001.

Yes gravity feed.

I don't get why you guys think $4k is reasonable. It is about $300 worth of pipe and parts plus maybe 3 hours on an excavator. I could do it with my U35-4 which is only a 8,000 pound machine. The only difficult part of the trenching is getting the slope to 1/4" drop over 1 foot but I have a grade laser.

I am going to pay it because we are just running out of time and I don't have the time to learn how to do a sewer tap...that is the part that scares me, not the trenching or laying the pipe. I don't want to do an improper tap and have a leak on the mainline.

The city did the main water line install themselves. They ran from the street to the meter, had to dig up the street, trench to 4 feet deep about 35 feet, run the line, install the meter, and they brought in pea gravel to cover after they were done. We were charged $1400.

 

[Ronstar]

Well if you think $4k is unreasonable, get more quotes.

 

[Aerides]

Assume that is permitted and includes inspections? Then sounds reasonable for a job you really, really do not want to attempt yourself.

 

[Texas Proud]

What does the utility require?


I would check this out first as where I am at it is the utility that is required to make the tap... IOW, nobody but the utility can touch their pipe and they also inspect what you have for safety purposes..

 

[skyking1]

We hook into the pipe in various different municipalities as the contractor. The city, county, etc. don't do the work. They do inspect our work.
This goes also for water connections as small as a residential service and as large as an 8-in tap on a main for another main.

 

[Fermion]

We hook into the pipe in various different municipalities as the contractor. The city, county, etc. don't do the work. They do inspect our work.
This goes also for water connections as small as a residential service and as large as an 8-in tap on a main for another main.

This

Although the city does do the residential water connections (at a VERY reasonable price, it was 4 guys, most of a full day, for $1400)

 

[JoeWras]

I'll reiterate: 6 ft. is deep. You got a good price.

There's a very good chance they'll use shoring (a metal box) or excavate a slope. A 6 ft. dig is very dangerous. OSHA is really pushing on this. There are too many workers dying.

So I disagree with Fermion. This is not 4 ft. It is 6 ft. Big difference. It is also not DYI where you take on the trench collapse risk yourself.

 

[Fermion]

I'll reiterate: 6 ft. is deep. You got a good price.

There's a very good chance they'll use shoring (a metal box) or excavate a slope. A 6 ft. dig is very dangerous. OSHA is really pushing on this. There are too many workers dying.

So I disagree with Fermion. This is not 4 ft. It is 6 ft. Big difference. It is also not DYI where you take on the trench collapse risk yourself.

May have misrepresented the dig.

The whole trench isn't 6 feet deep. The sewer line comes out of our house about 3 feet below grade, where I have installed the cleanout (our situation does not need a backflow preventer). The trench would go from there, at a 1/4" per foot slope about 40 feet, at which point the trench would be around 3 foot 10 inches deep (for the required slope). It would then need to 45 degree down to the 8 inch sewer line in the alley which is around 6 feet deep according to the memory of the water guys. So the only deep part is near the main pipe. I dug 5 foot deep trenches for our foundation with my little excavator. I do agree 6 feet is getting into the unsafe zone.

 

[Texas Proud]

Hmmm, not sure if you can tap sewer or not... but the water line is a no-no... there are also inspections and fee involved...



From my water district...


All connections to the District's sanitary sewer system shall be made in accordance with the District's Rules and Regulations. No person except
the Operator or his authorized agent shall be permitted to tap or make any connection to the mains or distribution piping of the District's water system,

 

[JoeWras]

May have misrepresented the dig.

The whole trench isn't 6 feet deep. The sewer line comes out of our house about 3 feet below grade, where I have installed the cleanout (our situation does not need a backflow preventer). The trench would go from there, at a 1/4" per foot slope about 40 feet, at which point the trench would be around 3 foot 10 inches deep (for the required slope). It would then need to 45 degree down to the 8 inch sewer line in the alley which is around 6 feet deep according to the memory of the water guys. So the only deep part is near the main pipe. I dug 5 foot deep trenches for our foundation with my little excavator. I do agree 6 feet is getting into the unsafe zone.

Ah, OK. Makes sense.

Without seeing everything then, perhaps another estimate is in order to make sure this is correct ballpark.

In my neck of the woods, the problem is water lines. Across the street on the upside of the hill, everyone's line is 18" deep. Simple "ditchwitch" work.

On my side of the street, we have daylight basements. It goes from 18" to 6' deep. When they dig near the house, they have to add a shoring box. When neighbors' lines leak on the other side, it is a $800 job. When they leak on my side, it is a $3k job. Unfair!

They could have put in the line shallow, but they reuse the trench for the sewer, which is deep, so the water line ended up deep on our side.

 

[skyking1]

Hmmm, not sure if you can tap sewer or not... but the water line is a no-no... there are also inspections and fee involved...



From my water district...


All connections to the District's sanitary sewer system shall be made in accordance with the District's Rules and Regulations. No person except
the Operator or his authorized agent shall be permitted to tap or make any connection to the mains or distribution piping of the District's water system,

We are a licensed contractor and have to get licenses at the different cities and counties that we work in. Fermion's quote is probably from a local licensed contractor.
We buy the city license and post our bond with them when we work there.

 

[Texas Proud]

We are a licensed contractor and have to get licenses at the different cities and counties that we work in. Fermion's quote is probably from a local licensed contractor.
We buy the city license and post our bond with them when we work there.

It did not look like you needed to be an authorized agent to tap the sewer line as long as you followed the rules and got an inspection...


IIR I will ask who is an authorized agent next time I go to a meeting...

 

[skyking1]

The caveat is once you trench off your property and into the right-of-way, now you are working on city property. That is also why they stub to the property line with services, but Fermion's is a new home where no home existed.
i'll be crossing 30' of ROW for my personal sewer and expect to have to register with the city and license up. My boss is not against the idea.