Nobody calls about sewer repair on a good day. By the time you’re searching for it, something under your yard or slab has been failing quietly for years — and the difference between a five-foot spot repair and replacing the whole run usually comes down to catching it now versus next spring. Texas Premier Plumbing has repaired sewer lines under Houston homes since 1989. Call 713-955-1919 and we’ll tell you what’s actually wrong before anybody talks price.
Camera first. Always.
Every sewer repair we quote starts with a video camera inspection, because a repair estimate without footage is a guess with your money attached. The camera shows exactly what failed — roots at a joint, a cracked section, a belly holding water, a collapsed span — and the locator marks the spot and depth from above ground. You watch the footage with us. Then we talk about fixing what’s actually broken, not the whole line “just to be safe.”
Why Houston sewer lines fail
Three things do most of the damage. Houston’s clay soil swells with every rain and shrinks in every drought, working pipe joints apart a fraction at a time. The pipe itself in pre-1970s neighborhoods — cast iron and clay tile through Memorial, Bellaire, Meyerland, the Heights — is past its design life and rusting or cracking from the inside. And the live oaks that make those streets worth living on send roots into every gap the soil movement opens. When a storm pushes the city system hard on top of all that, the weak spot announces itself, usually through your lowest drain.
Spot repair, section replacement, or the whole line
Here’s the honest hierarchy. If the camera shows one bad joint or a single cracked section in an otherwise sound line, a spot repair fixes it — we excavate just that span, replace it, and you keep the rest of your yard. If several spans are failing but the line’s route and depth are fine, we replace the run section by section. Full replacement is the last resort, for lines that are collapsed, badly bellied, or made of material that’s done — and when that’s the truth, we’ll show you why on screen rather than ask you to take our word for it.
Roots deserve their own note: cutting them out with a hydro jetter restores flow today, but they entered through an opening and they’ll find it again. Jetting plus a spot repair at the entry point is usually the fix that stays fixed.
What sewer repair costs in Houston
It depends on depth, length, access, and what’s sitting on top of the line — grass is cheap to restore, a driveway isn’t. A shallow spot repair in the yard is a very different job from replacing a deep run under concrete. What’s constant: you get the camera footage, a written scope, and one number before a shovel touches dirt. The number doesn’t grow once we’re digging.
Sewer repair questions Houston homeowners ask
How do I know it’s the sewer line and not just a clog?
Pattern. One slow fixture is a clog. Every fixture backing up, gurgling toilets when the washer drains, sewage smell in the yard, or one suspiciously green stripe of grass — that’s the line. A drain cleaning visit that keeps repeating is the other big tell.
Will you have to dig up my whole yard?
Usually not. The camera and locator let us open the ground only where the problem is. Most repairs disturb one strip, not the yard.
Does homeowners insurance cover it?
Sometimes — it depends on the policy and the cause. Our camera footage and written findings are exactly what adjusters ask for, and we’ve documented plenty of successful claims.
How long does a sewer repair take?
A typical spot repair is a one-day job. Longer replacements run two to three days depending on depth and surface restoration.
Do you repair sewer lines outside Houston proper?
All over the metro — including The Woodlands, where the tree roots are a full-time employer, plus Katy, Sugar Land, and Memorial City. Full coverage on our service area page.
Find out what’s really under there
Backups, smells, or a wet spot that shouldn’t be there — call Texas Premier Plumbing at 713-955-1919. Camera-first diagnosis, one written price, Master Plumber License #16188, since 1989.