Newman’s Plumbing Service & Repair offers both methods. We’ve been replacing and repairing sewer lines in Portsmouth, VA and across Hampton Roads since 1994, and the honest answer to “which is better” is that it depends entirely on the condition of your line.
How traditional sewer line repair works
Traditional excavation is the old-school method. The plumber digs a trench from the cleanout to wherever the damage is, exposes the broken section of pipe, cuts it out, replaces it with new pipe (PVC, cast iron, or ABS), backfills the trench, and tries to restore the yard.
What it costs in Portsmouth: $4,500 to $15,000 for most residential jobs. Cost climbs fast if the damaged section is under concrete, a driveway, or mature landscaping.
How long it takes: 1 to 3 days for the plumbing work. Yard and landscaping restoration can add another week or more.
When it’s the right call:
- The pipe has fully collapsed and there’s no continuous line for trenchless equipment to thread through
- Multiple deep offsets or major misalignments
- The line is severely backpitched and needs full re-grading
- Local code or city sewer connection rules require full replacement
How trenchless sewer line repair works
Trenchless uses one or two small access pits instead of a long trench. There are two main trenchless methods:
Pipe lining (CIPP, cured-in-place pipe). A resin-saturated felt liner is pulled or inverted into the existing damaged pipe. The liner is inflated, cured with hot water, steam, or UV light, and forms a new pipe inside the old one. Total cost in Portsmouth: $80 to $250 per foot. Time: 4 to 8 hours for most residential jobs. Works for cracks, root intrusion, small holes, and corroded sections as long as the original pipe has not fully collapsed.
Pipe bursting. A bursting head is pulled through the old pipe, breaking it outward into the surrounding soil while simultaneously pulling new HDPE pipe in behind it. Total cost in Portsmouth: $90 to $200 per foot. Time: 6 to 10 hours. Used when the pipe is too damaged for lining but still has a continuous path. Can also upsize the pipe diameter, which is useful for older 4-inch lines being upgraded to 6-inch.
How to know which one you need
This is what the camera inspection is for. Before you commit to any repair method, you need to see exactly what’s wrong with the line. Newman’s Plumbing Service & Repair runs a high-definition video camera through your line, locates the issue, measures the depth, and confirms whether the pipe is intact enough for trenchless or not. You see the footage on the screen with us.
Here’s the rough decision framework based on what the camera finds:
- Tree root intrusion in otherwise intact pipe: Trenchless lining, plus hydro jetting to clean the roots out first
- Cracks, fractures, or small holes: Trenchless lining
- Bellied or sagging section in otherwise sound pipe: Spot excavation or pipe bursting
- Total collapse or major offsets: Traditional excavation
- Need to upsize pipe diameter: Pipe bursting
- Connection to city main needs replacing: Traditional excavation
What older Portsmouth homes typically need
Portsmouth has a lot of housing stock from the 1940s through the 1970s, plus newer subdivisions out toward Western Branch and Churchland. Older homes typically have:
- Clay tile sewer lines (cracking, root intrusion, joint separations)
- Cast iron house drains (corroded, scaled, narrowed)
- Orangeburg pipe in some 1950s-60s construction (deteriorating, collapsing)
Trenchless lining is the right call for most of these unless the pipe has fully failed. Newer homes from the 1990s onward typically have PVC, which holds up well and rarely needs full replacement, though it can still suffer from root intrusion at joints.
Get a free camera inspection first
Before you spend a dollar on sewer line repair in Portsmouth, get a camera inspection. Newman’s Plumbing Service & Repair will tell you exactly what’s wrong, show you the footage, and give you honest options. Call (757) 465-0883 to schedule.