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Sewer Backups, Repair and Replacement for Centennial Homes
A sewer service line carries everything that leaves the house to the district main in the street. When it blocks, cracks or fills with roots, the first sign is usually a toilet or floor drain that backs up, and it needs attention the same day. In much of Centennial the owner is responsible for that line all the way to the tap, which makes it worth knowing exactly where your side ends.
- Licensed and insured plumbers
- Same-day service when available
- 24/7 emergency dispatch
Sewer line camera inspection: seeing the pipe before deciding
A sewer scope is a small camera on a flexible cable, sent down the line from a cleanout while a monitor records it. It answers the question every quote hinges on: what is wrong, where, and how bad. A plumber reads the footage for roots, cracks, offset joints, grease buildup and sags that hold water, and notes the distance to each so the problem can be found from the surface.
The pipe material shows on camera too. Cast iron, clay tile and bituminous fiber pipe known as Orangeburg all fail in their own ways, and which one you have changes the repair. No source ties a particular material to Centennial streets, so the camera, not a guess, decides.
| You see | It suggests | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Roots entering a joint | A joint that has opened or a tap that is not sealed | Cut the roots, then watch for regrowth |
| A sag or belly holding water | Pipe that has settled | Locate the depth and discuss replacing that section |
| Cracked or broken pipe | Damage that cleaning will not fix | Repair or replace the section |
| Grease and scale on the wall | A cleaning problem, not a break | Jet the line and set a schedule |
Sewer line replacement when the pipe has run its course
Replacement makes sense when a line has failed in several places, when a collapse or a deep sag cannot be repaired in a section, or when repeated cleanings have stopped working. The goal is a continuous pipe from the house to the tap, with cleanouts where they are needed.
Digging means calling Colorado 811 first. Colorado 811 requires at least two full business days of notice before excavation, and its marks are good for 30 days, so plan the call before the plumber books the work. Ask the plumber whether the job needs a permit and confirm with the authority that covers your address; for addresses inside the City of Centennial that is the Building Division at (303) 754-3321.
Sewage backing up? Stop the water and call now
Say which drains are affected and what you have shut off. A plumber serving your area is sent where one is available.
Pipe lining, pipe bursting and other trenchless options
Trenchless methods avoid a long trench. Pipe lining pulls a resin-soaked tube through the old pipe and cures it into a new pipe inside the old one. Pipe bursting pulls a new pipe through while breaking the old one outward. Both need a small access at each end and a pipe that is still in a line, which is why the camera comes first.
Sewage carries bacteria and gas. Keep children and pets out of the affected area, do not use fixtures that drain into the blocked line, and open windows if there is a smell. Never enter a sewer cleanout pit or crawlspace with standing wastewater.
Sewer repair for a single failed section
Not every problem calls for a whole new line. A single bad joint, a crack or a short broken section can be cut out and replaced with the camera confirming the rest of the pipe is sound. A plumber should show you the footage before and after, and tell you how far the damage runs so you are not surprised halfway through.
A sewer smell outside the house, near a cleanout or in a basement can point to a dry trap, a cracked pipe or a missing cleanout cap. Check the trap by running water first; if the smell remains, a camera look is the next step.
Need a second opinion on a sewer quote? Ask for the camera footage
A plumber can scope the line and show you what is wrong before you decide.
Sewer lateral repair: whose line is it, homeowner or district
Under Southgate's rules, the property owner looks after the whole sewer service line, tap included, and the handoff to the district does not happen at the fence, the sidewalk or the easement. Southgate adds that roots often get in at the tap, and it suggests scoping and jetting a service line that has backed up. A blockage that turns out to sit in the district main is the district's to clear, at 303-779-0261.
Other districts, including ACWWA, East Cherry Creek Valley and Castlewood, serve other Centennial addresses, and this site has not confirmed their rules one by one. Check which district serves your address on your bill before assuming the same line of ownership. Sewer service for Southgate customers is billed through the City of Englewood.
Source detail
Southgate also publishes specifications recommending cleanouts on private service lines at bends and about every 100 feet.
Sources: Southgate Districts FAQ; Sanitary Sewer System Specifications, June 2016. Accessed 9 November 2026.
Sewer cleaning and hydro jetting a main line
Cleaning clears a blockage and can be done with a cable or with high-pressure water. A cable opens the pipe quickly. Hydro jetting a sewer line scours the walls, and is often the right choice when grease or roots keep coming back. The same district advises it for service lines that have backed up.
If cleaning keeps the line open for only a few weeks, the cleaning has done its job and the pipe is the problem. That is when the repair choices above come up. Once sewage has reached the floor, extraction and drying are a separate job, described under sewage and water removal. Drain-level clogs inside the house are covered on the drain cleaning page, and a break in the yard line that carries clean water is a different repair altogether.
Sewer line questions, answered
Should I have the sewer line camera-inspected, or just have it located?
They are two different jobs. Sewer leak detection starts the same way. A camera inspection travels the pipe from a cleanout and records what is inside, such as roots, cracks, offsets and sags. Locating uses a transmitter on the camera head to mark its position above ground, which you need before any digging. Pick inspection when you are diagnosing a backup or buying a house, and add locating when a repair is already on the table.
Is a sewer scope inspection worth it?
Yes, when the line is old, when you have had a backup, or before buying a house. A scope shows the condition of the line instead of leaving you to guess, and Southgate itself recommends scoping and jetting a service line when backups occur. A clean scope on a house you are buying is worth knowing, and a bad one changes what you negotiate.
Is there a same-day emergency plumber for a sewer backup?
Southgate reports that most backups it sees come from service lines, so the blockage is often on the owner's side. Close off water use, keep people away from the wet floor and call the dispatch line, where the dispatcher checks availability at your address. A plumber who traces the blockage into the street main will point you to the district.
Trenchless lining or excavation: how do I know which one applies?
1. A camera inspection decides first, because lining only works in a pipe that is still round and continuous. 2. Check for an offset, a collapse or a bellied section, which usually call for digging. 3. Consider access: lining can avoid trenching through a driveway or landscaping. 4. Ask what is being replaced and for how long it is expected to last. One caution: lining does not fix a pipe that has already collapsed.
My main sewer line keeps backing up after a cleaning. What is happening?
Picture a basement floor drain that backs up every few months, and each cleaning clears it for a while. That pattern usually means something is reforming: roots growing back into a joint, grease building on a rough pipe wall, or a sag that holds water. A camera look after the next cleaning shows which, and the answer decides whether more cleaning, jetting or repair makes sense.
What is a sewer cleanout and should I know where mine is?
A cleanout is a capped opening on the sewer line that lets a plumber reach the pipe without opening the house. Know where it is: now, if you are in a backup, so the plumber can start at once; later, if you only want to be ready, by looking along the foundation or in the basement. Southgate recommends cleanouts on private service lines at bends and about every 100 feet.
Sewer problem in Centennial? Call the dispatch line
The line is answered 24/7. Describe the backup and what you have stopped using, and the dispatcher confirms what a plumber serving your area can do for your address.
- Licensed and insured plumbers
- Same-day service when available
- 24/7 emergency dispatch