Sewer quote glossary

A–ZTerms

ABS

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a black plastic drain pipe common inside Canadian homes and in some building sewers.

Access pit

An excavation dug to reach the pipe for trenchless work, repair or connection. Pit count is a major cost driver on bursting and some lining jobs.

Augering

Clearing a drain with a rotating steel cable and cutting head, also called snaking or cabling. Opens a path through a blockage.

Backfill

Soil or granular material placed back into a trench after pipe work. Should be compacted in layers to prevent settlement.

Backwater valve

A valve on the building drain with a flap that closes when sewage flows back from the municipal sewer, protecting upstream fixtures.

Basis of quote

The evidence a quote was priced from, ideally a dated camera inspection. A quote without a basis cannot be compared reliably.

Bedding

Granular material placed under and around a pipe to support it and keep it on grade.

Belly (sag)

A low section of pipe that holds water and solids. Trenchless methods generally cannot correct it; open-cut re-laying usually can.

Building drain

The horizontal drain inside the building that collects waste from fixtures and carries it to the building sewer.

Building sewer

The pipe from just outside the foundation to the public sewer or property line. Commonly called the lateral.

Call-out fee

A fixed charge for dispatching a technician, often higher after hours. May or may not be credited against the work.

Cast iron

Heavy metal drain and sewer pipe common in older homes. Corrodes internally, forming scale (tuberculation) that narrows the pipe.

Change order

A written amendment to the contract for extra or different work, stating scope and price. Should be approved before work proceeds.

CIPP (cured-in-place pipe)

A trenchless rehabilitation method in which a resin-saturated liner is inserted into the old pipe and cured to form a new pipe inside it.

Cleanout

A capped access fitting on a drain or sewer used for cleaning and camera inspection. An accessible cleanout lowers service costs.

Compaction

Mechanically densifying backfill so the surface does not sink later. Poor compaction leads to settled lawns and cracked slabs.

Contingency

An amount or allowance for uncertain conditions such as rock or groundwater. May be built into the price or listed separately.

Deposit

An upfront payment on signing to secure scheduling and materials. Large deposits before work starts increase homeowner risk.

Descaling

Removing corrosion scale from cast iron pipe with chain knockers or abrasive heads, often before lining.

Dewatering

Pumping groundwater out of an excavation so work can proceed. Usually excluded from base price and charged per day.

DR (dimension ratio)

The ratio of pipe outside diameter to wall thickness for HDPE pipe. Lower DR means a thicker, stronger wall.

Excavation

Digging to expose or replace pipe. Cost rises with depth, hard surfaces, poor soil and limited machine access.

Exclusion

An item a quote states it does not cover. Exclusions determine what could still cost money.

Frost line

The depth to which ground freezes in winter. Sewers are laid below it, which makes many Canadian laterals relatively deep.

Grinder pump

A pump in a sealed basin that grinds household waste and lifts it into a small pressure line, used when a house sits lower than the sewer it must reach. Adds equipment, electricity and maintenance to a new connection.

HDPE

High-density polyethylene pipe, joined by heat fusion. Commonly pulled into place during pipe bursting.

Holdback

Money withheld from a payment until a condition is met — for example, funds held at a home sale closing until a sewer repair is finished, or a share of a contract price held until the work is accepted.

Hydro jetting

Cleaning a pipe with high-pressure water through a nozzle that scours the pipe wall and flushes debris.

Infiltration

Groundwater entering a sewer through cracks and joints. Often visible on camera as dripping or running water.

Lateral

Common name for the building sewer running from the house to the municipal main.

Launch pit

The excavation where a pipe-bursting head and the new pipe enter the ground. Its depth and the surface above it are priced on the quote.

Locate

Marking the position and depth of a buried pipe or utility on the surface, using a sonde or utility locate service.

Mobilisation

The cost of bringing equipment and crew to site and setting up. A fixed cost that makes short jobs relatively expensive per metre.

Municipal main

The public sewer pipe, usually under the street or lane, owned and maintained by the municipality.

NASSCO PACP

The Pipeline Assessment Certification Program, a standard system for coding and grading sewer defects on camera inspections.

Offset joint

A joint where two pipe sections have shifted out of alignment. Can catch debris and let roots in.

Open-cut

Replacing or repairing pipe by digging a trench along its length. Can correct grade and alignment.

Orangeburg

Bituminous fibre pipe used mid-twentieth century in some areas. Tends to deform and blister; usually replaced rather than repaired.

Overland water

Surface water from rain, snowmelt or rivers entering a home. Insured separately from sewer backup in most Canadian policies.

Permit by owner

Quote language meaning the homeowner must obtain the permit. Shifts cost and responsibility away from the contractor.

Pipe bursting

A trenchless method that breaks the old pipe outward while pulling a new pipe into its place between two pits.

Point repair (sectional liner)

A short cured-in-place liner installed over a single defect without excavation.

Post-work video

Recorded camera footage of the new or repaired pipe, used as proof of workmanship and as a baseline for warranty claims.

Property line

The legal boundary of the lot. Commonly, though not universally, the boundary between owner and municipal sewer responsibility.

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride pipe, the most common material for new residential building sewers in Canada.

Receiving pit

The excavation at the far end of a pipe-bursting run, where the winch sits and the bursting head comes out. A second pit is the minimum for most bursting jobs.

Reinstatement

Reopening a branch connection after lining, usually with a robotic cutter. Each reinstatement is typically priced separately.

Restoration

Returning the surface to an agreed condition after excavation: topsoil and seed, sod, concrete, asphalt or pavers.

Right-of-way permit

A municipal permit to work in a public road, lane, sidewalk or boulevard. Separate from the plumbing permit.

Root intrusion

Tree roots entering a pipe through joints or cracks and forming masses that trap debris.

Rough grade

Leaving backfilled soil roughly levelled without topsoil, seed, sod or hard surface replacement.

SDR (standard dimension ratio)

The ratio of outside diameter to wall thickness for PVC sewer pipe. SDR 28 has a thicker wall than SDR 35.

Service connection

The pipe and fitting that link the building sewer to the municipal main, often in the road allowance.

Service line coverage

An optional add-on offered by some home insurers that can pay to repair or replace buried service lines on your property, including the sewer lateral, up to a limit. Separate from sewer backup coverage.

Shoring

Supports installed in a trench to prevent collapse. Required for deeper excavations under provincial OHS rules.

Sonde

A small transmitter on the camera head that lets the operator locate its position and depth from the surface.

Spot repair

Repairing a single defect by excavating one location or installing one sectional liner.

Surcharge

When a municipal sewer is running full or overloaded, pushing flow back toward connected buildings.

Time and materials

Pricing by labour hours plus materials rather than a fixed price. Needs stated rates and approval limits to be safe.

Trenchless

Methods that rehabilitate or replace pipe with minimal digging, such as CIPP lining and pipe bursting.

Unit rate

A price per unit — per metre, per hour, per pit — for work that may be needed. Caps the cost of surprises.

Vitrified clay pipe

Fired clay pipe common in older sewers. Chemically durable but vulnerable to root intrusion at joints and to cracking.

Warranty

The written promise of what the contractor will correct, for how long and with what exclusions. Only the written text counts.