When older sewer lines demand repairs, they pose a few major challenges for their modern homeowners -- and sometimes even for the plumbing contractors that get paid for the professional jobs.

Iron was once the gold standard in plumbing pipelines, including the lateral sewer line, which drains from your home into the city sewer main. When one breaks, frequently the most prudent decision is to replace the iron with new polyethylene pipe that will not be destroyed as readily in the future.

Another modern sewer pipe replacement method is called trenchless plumbing. This method enables a professional to fix the sewer pipe without digging a trench. One variety of trenchless sewer pipe repair is called the "bursting method": Plumbers will insert a new pipe through the existing, cracked line. This further bursts the existing pipe to make way for the replacement.

Another trenchless sewer pipeline repair approach is the "lining method." Using this approach, plumbers will insert a resin-coated tube through the old sewer pipe and inflate it. This lining will then make any breaks in the existing pipe totally moot. Additionally, the lining can easily be taken out and repaired (or replaced) when future problems arise.

Even with trenchless sewer pipe repair, it is possible for nearby roots to repeat their damage. In addition to fixing the breaks in the pipe, contracters may consider blocking root growth in the direction of the sewer line for any nearby trees.

The price of sewer pipe repair drastically changes depending on the business doing the work and how much work there is to do. Some sewer lines run under garages, driveways, or landscaping. Especially under such circumstances, trenchless replacement can be a worthwhile alternative. When deciding on a plumbing company, receive quotes from two or more different companies. Make sure all of the quotes include all of the same work. Plumbers often charge very different prices for similar parts. Also be sure you get in writing the expected state of your property after the work is all done. Put another way, if a contracter does have to dig through your grass or make a mess, it should be clear whose job it is -- theirs or yours -- to get everything looking good again.

Any time you receive a price quote for a sewer fix, have a sense of whether similar fixes will have to be made in the very near future. Especially underneath older houses (or newer houses connecting to an older sewer pipe), it may be worth doing an entire replacement project instead of piecemeal fixes, so that you won't have to face a similar dilemma six months down the road. A lot of plumbing contracters such as sewer repair services Tacoma WA offer a warranty on sewer pipe replacement, some of them for as long as you own the home.