Guides
Sewer line repair guides for Indianapolis homeowners
Short, practical guides to the sewer problems people actually call about: what the signs mean, what to do first, and how to think about the repair. Each one ends with what to ask the contractor you speak with.
All guides
GuideSewer backup in the basement
What to do in the first minutes when sewage comes up the floor drain, and how to work out why it happened.
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GuideSewer smell in the yard
Tracking down a rotten-egg odor outside: cleanout caps, vents, broken laterals and the public sewer.
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GuideSigns of a broken sewer line
The inside and outside clues that a lateral is cracked, root-filled or collapsing, and how to tell them from an ordinary clog.
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GuideTree roots in the sewer line
Why roots get into old laterals, how to confirm it, and the choice between clearing them regularly and sealing the pipe.
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GuideTrenchless vs excavation
How lining, bursting and open-trench repair compare, which defects each can fix, and the questions that settle the choice.
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How to use these
Start with the symptom you are seeing
If water is coming up through the basement floor drain, read sewer backup in the basement first; it covers the first ten minutes. If drains are slow everywhere or something smells wrong outside, signs of a broken sewer line and sewer smell in the yard help you narrow it down.
If roots keep coming back, tree roots in the sewer line explains the choice between clearing and sealing. When a contractor has filmed your line and you are weighing methods, trenchless vs excavation sets out what each can and cannot fix. The guides are general information; a contractor's inspection of your own line always comes first.
Each guide is written for Indianapolis conditions: older clay laterals, big street trees, combined sewers in the older city and Citizens Energy Group's permit rules. Where a guide states a fact, it cites a public source you can check, and every guide links to the service pages that explain the related work in more depth.
Prefer to ask?
Ask a local sewer contractor directly
Call and describe what is happening, from a slow tub to water at the floor drain. You will be connected with an independent Indianapolis sewer contractor on the same call, and you decide everything after that.