Watch a Sewer Main Line Repair, Start to Finish – Almco Plumbing on Video

By Vlad Khorenko

Nov 3, 2023  ·  Updated Jun 27, 2026  ·  7 min read

A sewer main can go without any warning — backups, flooding, the works. Once it breaks, water gets into your property and mold sets in, and that’s a real health problem. See water seeping up from the ground, or puddles that won’t drain? Call a pro before it turns into damage. A licensed plumber from Almco Plumbing inspecting the line early saves you the big bill later. They’ll check for cracks and breaks and swap the bad parts for new ones that’ll hold up the next 15–50 years. Below we walk through sewer line repair in detail, and there’s a video of the Almco Plumbing crew fixing exactly this. Stick around to the end to see what happens when you get a good plumber on your main sewer.

Video of Sewer Main Line Repair with Epoxy Lining from Almco Plumbing

Here’s the sewer main job, start to finish:

1. Set the two-way cleanouts
2. Descale the cast iron pipe
3. Re-line the cast iron with epoxy liner, lay the artificial grass back

Want to see the whole main sewer fixed in one day with epoxy lining? Hit play.

What Is Main Sewer Line?

A sewer system’s really two parts — the main and the lateral lines that branch off it. The main’s the one that matters most: every fixture in the house runs through it. It ties your toilet, shower, sink, washing machine, all of it, to the street sewer. Those pipes carry wastewater out to the public treatment plant. When the main’s not doing its job, you get flooding and backups.

When part of that line gives out, water gets into the house and starts eating at the structure. Puddles show up inside or out in the yard, there’s a smell, and living there gets rough. Drag your feet on calling a plumber and the repair bill climbs. Bottom line — a leaking main sewer needs fixing now.

Main Sewer Line Possible Breakdowns

A main sewer pipe can burst. Usual culprits:

• deep freezes — water in the line freezes, swells up, and splits the pipe;
• shifting dry soil, the kind you get in a long, hot stretch;
• tree roots working their way into the pipe;
• cast iron, which tears a lot easier than PEX;
• pipe over 40 years old — worn out, and it gives way often.

When the main lets go, here’s what you’ll run into:

• puddles sitting in the yard;
• weak pressure at the shower or sink;
• slow-draining toilet when you flush;
• damp walls inside;
• rotten-egg smell;
• mold starting up.

None of that’s just a property problem — it’s a health one too. So if the main breaks, get a plumber on the phone right away, and while you wait, open the place up to air it out and steer clear of any spot where mold’s taken hold.

Ways to Repair Main Sewer Line

Fixing a sewer pipe sounds pricey — and it is, if you dig up the whole yard to reach it. Good news: there’s another way, trenchless repair on the main line. The plumbers open just a small pit, usually no bigger than 4×4 feet. No money spent putting the yard back together either, because the crew fills it in themselves and lays the grass back on top. You end up with new pipe and a yard that looks like nobody was ever there.

A few ways to do trenchless sewer repair:

1. Structural Pipe Lining or Cured-In-Place-Pipe Lining (CIPP)
2. Pipe Bursting
3. Epoxy Lining & Brush Coating
4. Slip Lining

Case: A Main Sewer Line Repair with Epoxy Lining In 1 Day

The Almco Plumbing crew can handle just about any sewer line problem — and here’s the proof, a real trenchless main sewer job. Quick rundown of every step.

Step 1. Detecting a Problem

A San Diego homeowner called Almco Plumbing — puddles in the yard, a water bill through the roof, and a smell. We rolled out, took a look, ran a sewer camera, and found cracks in the main sewer pipe. We pitched her a trenchless repair with epoxy lining, and she gave us the go-ahead. We went that route because it’s a one-day job, it barely touches the yard — no digging the whole thing up — and it’s easy on the wallet.

Step 2. Digging a Small Tunnel for Pipe Access

The crew got right to it and dug a small pit down to the pipe. Turned out she had old cast iron that had rusted clean through over the decades. The plumbers found a big hole in it, and the iron crumbled at the lightest touch. Wait another 3 years on this one and it’s a whole different bill — a full dig-up of the yard.

Step 3. Sewer Line Hydro-Jetting

We pulled the corroded section and opened up access to the rest of the house’s plumbing. The camera showed more than cracks — there were blockages too. So first we scoured the buildup and clogs off the pipe walls with a Picot machine, descaling at 4,000 psi. Once the hydro-jetting was done, there was more room inside the pipe, which let us drop in the new layer.

Step 4. Sewer Line Epoxy Lining

We cast the pipe with epoxy and let it cure. Then we eased the new layer into the old sewer — a full re-line of the main, sealing every hole and crack with the epoxy lining.

Step 5. Final Sewer Camera Inspection

Last step, we filled the pit back in, tamped the ground down, and set the artificial turf back where it was. When we left, the yard looked just like it did before we showed up. The plumbers ran one more camera pass and walked the homeowner through the result — and she was happy with it.

Call for Almco Plumbing to Repair Sewer Main Line in San Diego

Almco Plumbing’s a name you can trust on main sewer lines. Over 10 years in the trade and a reputation to match. We run every trenchless method there is — the ones that save you money. Looking for a good plumber for sewer repair? Here’s why folks call Almco Plumbing:

1. We do the job right. We’ll pick the simplest, most reliable fix for your plumbing.
2. You come first. We’ll find a fix that works for you on both quality and price.
3. Fixed price, no surprises. We quote the cost after we inspect the breakdown, and that’s the number you pay when we’re done.
4. We show up fast. We’re there at the time we said. Got an emergency? Our plumbers roll out and get you sorted quick.
5. We leave it clean. The place is tidy when we go — nothing for you to deal with after us.

So if your sewer line needs repair or replacing, reach out to Almco Plumbing. We work all over San Diego — Southcrest, Carmel Valley, Kensington, Mid City, Miramar, San Carlos, Tierrasanta, and plenty more.

Vlad Khorenko. Started at Almco Plumbing in January 2016, and by 2018 he owned the place. He’s built a solid team — and the way Vlad tells it, that team’s his greatest treasure. He and his wife have three sons and are building a family-owned business, with one mission: to be honest and fair with the good people of San Diego. Down the road, Vlad wants to grow Almco into a plumbing franchise across other California cities.