Sewer Line Replacement in Platteville, CO

Platteville is a small Weld County farm town founded in 1871 after the Denver Pacific Railroad arrived, with roots in the 1835 Fort Vasquez trading post just south of town. Sewer is a Town service, and the Town publishes its own water and sanitary sewer design criteria manual, which sets standards for sewer work. The Town's pages we reviewed don't say where its sewer responsibility ends and the owner's begins, so call Town Hall at 970-785-2245 to confirm before work is priced.

What to do now

1. Cut back on water until the line is checked.
2. Check whether it's more than your house. If neighbors are backing up, call Town Hall.
3. Find the cleanout and make room around it.
4. Get the line cleared and filmed. A camera inspection shows whether there's one problem or many.
5. Plan the permit. Applications go to Town Hall, and SAFEbuilt conducts building inspections for the Town.

Symptoms and likely causes

Cost factors

• How long and deep the line runs to the Town's sewer
• Whether the line still holds its slope, which decides trench versus trenchless
• Older lots with mature trees, outbuildings or fences along the route
• Town design standards for materials and the connection
• Interior drain pipe that needs work at the same time
• Permit and inspection

Older homes in Platteville's original town are the likeliest to have clay or cast iron lines that have deteriorated along their length, and roots from mature farm-town trees are a common culprit in clay pipe. Newer homes usually have plastic pipe that fails in one spot. Either way, a camera inspection before any quote tells you which case you're dealing with and whether a section repair could do the job. If you plan to plant trees or build a shed or patio in the yard, mention it, so the new line's route and cleanout can be placed where they'll stay accessible.