Mr. Oliver had experienced his third sewer backup in a 60 day period. This was completely unexpected as the sewer line was replaced just three years prior. He decided to have the sewer line inspected with a video camera, to determine the root of his problem (See video above).
The video inspection showed that the pipe had separated 26’ out from the house trap, which puts you underneath the roadway. It seems as if the pipes were not installed properly and the joints began to separate over time. As the sewage seeped out of the sewer pipe it continued to undermine the surrounding soil and began to cause a small sinkhole in the roadway.
The Sinkhole |
The NYC DEP became aware of the sinkhole and ended up issuing a Cease & Desist Notice to the homeowner which required him to have his sewer line repaired on an emergency basis.
Sample Cease & Desist |
Mr. Oliver attempted to contact the company that he had hired to install the sewer line to find out that they had gone out of business one year prior. To avoid this problem from occurring again, he was seeking a company with a minimum of 30 years in business to avoid a similar situation from occurring in the future.
Luckily for Mr. Oliver, he was introduced to Harris Water Main & Sewer Contractors who not only had a great deal of experience working in his neighborhood, but had also been in business for 99 years. Harris began working on the sewer repair immediately after receiving all DEP and DOT permits.
Excavating for sewer |
First the ground was excavated with a backhoe before reaching the pipe which was located 9’ below street level.
Installing new pipe |
After the shoring boards were installed for safety, the repair work was completed by one of the field workers.
Ready for DEP |
And finally ready for the DEP inspection.
