If you would like assistance with Orangeberg sewer lines and you are in the Phoenix AZ area please give us a call. We will be happy to assist.
When you have trouble with your sewer line, you may have some warning:
- You start to smell something you don’t want to smell.
- Your lawn changes: you may see areas where there are indentations, or your grass may be very green in spots.
- You keep getting clogs or you experience a sewage backup. If it’s just happening in one pipe, then it’s probably that pipe. If it’s throughout the house, then you have a serious problem.
Once you realize you may have a problem, how do you find out where it is?
First you can look at a couple of the symptoms we just listed: is your lawn developing depressions? Are some areas more wonderfully green?
These things indicate that water has escaped and has either softened the soil or fed the grass or both.
Alternatively, you can also get a sewer camera inspection. Electronics today have been so miniaturized that you can mount a camera on the head of a cable. So no matter what’s going on in your pipe, we can run a camera down and get a very good idea.
In Phoenix, a lot of collapsed sewer lines are collapsed Orangeberg lines
What are Orangeberg sewer lines?
Orangeberg was very popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It has a lifespan of about 50 years under ideal conditions. That means, here in Phoenix, it is collapsing and time to replace it with PVC piping. Orangeberg was cheap and easy to work with. It is fibrous and breaks down over time. You can read more about it on Wikipedia here.
Locating Orangeberg sewer lines
Assuming that you do have a sewer line problem, you don’t want to dig up the entire yard looking for the line. So how do you find it?
One way is to use a locator service. A signal probe is sent down into the line from the house and is eventually run to the street.
Another person will be standing by with a receiver that will pick up the signal. They can then quickly pick up the path of the pipe and mark it, either with spray paint or flags.
Now, when the backhoe arrives, your begonias are safe (although, some people line the inside of Orangeberg lines, cheaply extending their life).
It’s also possible that you will see two screw plugs in the yard. These will be along the path of your pipe.
And sometimes when a line is installed you can see the path through the grass for several years after. You may be able to simply spy yours without looking hard at all.
