Sewer Line Repair & Replacement in Gainesville, FL

When the main line under your yard starts failing, you usually find out the hard way.

Rather text? Send a photo of the problem to 352-377-9447 and we’ll tell you what it sounds like.

Licensed Florida Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748

Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor. Certified statewide, working here. NuFlow Certified Contractor. Start with a camera inspection.

Flat service fee to come out and look. Waived on larger jobs.

$ 69

Parts and labor warranty, with the manufacturer warranty on top.

2 yr

Gainesville homes are almost always on cast iron drain lines.

Pre- 1975

Sewer line repair in Gainesville, FL starts with a camera inspection to find the break, the belly, or the root intrusion. First Choice Plumbing relines failing pipe from the inside with no demolition and replaces collapsed lines when relining will not hold. Homes built before 1975 are usually on cast iron. Licensed contractor CFC1430748. Call or text 352-377-9447.

Is It Just a Clog, or Is the Line Broken?

Here is the honest answer: you cannot tell from the top of the drain, and neither can anybody else. A one-time clog and a cracked main line look identical from your bathroom floor. The difference only shows up on camera.

What we can tell you is which symptoms point past a simple clog. If more than one of these is happening, the line itself is usually the problem, not the drain.

Signs the line, not the drain, is the issue:

The same drain backs up every few weeks no matter how many times it gets cleared.
Two or more fixtures act up together, like the toilet bubbling when the shower runs.
The lowest drain in the house goes first, usually a guest bathroom or a floor drain.
There is a soft, always-green patch in the yard, or a spot that stays wet with no rain.
Water pools in the yard along the run between the house and the street.
You hear gurgling from a fixture nowhere near the one you are using.

The frustrating part is not the mess. It is being told it’s fixed, paying for it, and watching it come back. That is what makes people stop trusting plumbers, and it is fair. You deserve to know exactly what is wrong before anybody quotes you a repair.

Not sure yet? Start with a camera inspection and see the line for yourself.

Who Owns the Line, and Do You Need a Permit?

The lateral is yours

The line running from your house out to the utility’s main is called the lateral, and in almost every jurisdiction it belongs to the property owner, including the part that runs under the right of way out front. The utility maintains the main in the street. Everything on your side of that connection is your responsibility and your bill. If you are on a private system instead, that is a different animal, and we handle those too.

Yes, replacement needs a permit

Florida requires a permit to alter, repair, remove, convert or replace a plumbing system, and a sewer line replacement is squarely in that. The part that trips people up here is jurisdiction. Unincorporated Alachua County permits through the Growth Management Building Division. Inside Gainesville city limits, and in the other municipalities, it goes through that city’s building office. We pull the permit, we schedule the inspection, and we do not hand you a stack of paperwork on your way out the door.

Find your cleanout now, not later

It is usually a capped white pipe sticking a few inches out of the ground near the house, often on the side where the bathrooms are. Knowing where it is saves time on the first visit and gives us access without pulling a toilet.

The Guy Who Quotes It Is the Guy Whose Name Is on the License

Will Harrod is the owner and the Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor behind CFC1430748. He runs the estimates himself, which means the person telling you whether that line can be lined or has to come out is the person who is accountable for the answer.

First Choice Plumbing is locally owned and based out of Hawthorne. It is a small crew on purpose. You get the same faces, and you get the owner on the hard ones.

What the Camera Actually Shows Us

We run a camera from the cleanout down the line and watch it on the monitor with you. Five things account for almost every failure we find in this area.

You get the video either way. It is your line and your house.

Roots.

Florida grows roots year round, and they find the joints. A root ball gets cut out and grows back within a year unless the joint gets sealed or replaced.

Corroded cast iron.

Cast iron scales from the inside. The bore narrows, the bottom of the pipe channels out, and eventually it gives. Gainesville's building boom was the 1960s and 70s, so most older homes here are running original cast iron.

Bellies.

Sandy soil and a high water table let a section settle. Water and waste sit in that low spot instead of running out, and that is where every clog starts. A shallow belly can sometimes be lined. A deep one has to be dug and re-graded.

Offsets and separations.

Two sections shift apart at a joint. Soil comes in, flow slows, and the pipe keeps eroding around it.

Old failing materials.

Orangeburg, a tar-paper pipe used from the 1940s into the 1970s, softens and collapses under its own weight. If we find it, replacement is not really a choice.

Repair or Replace? Here Is the Honest Tradeoff

Not every bad line needs to be replaced, and we will tell you when it doesn’t. Three paths, and the camera decides which one you are on.

Spot repair

One bad section, everything else sound. We open up that section, cut out the damaged piece, and tie in new pipe. It is the smallest, cheapest fix and it is the right call more often than people expect. If your line only has one problem, we are not going to sell you a whole new one.

Reline it from the inside

The pipe is corroded or leaking at joints, but the shape and grade are still good. We pull an epoxy liner through the existing pipe and cure it in place, which creates a new pipe inside the old one. No trenching across your yard, no jackhammering a slab. We are a NuFlow Certified Contractor and NuDrain is the product we use.

Replace it

Collapsed pipe, a deep belly that has to be re-graded, back-pitched line, or a material like Orangeburg that will not hold a liner. Then we dig, and we do it in the shortest run that solves it. Excavation is not a failure, it is just the right tool sometimes. What matters is that nobody digs your yard up because it was easier to quote.

Want to see whether yours can be lined instead of dug? Trenchless pipe lining

How a Sewer Job Works With Us

We come out and look. $69, flat.

No mystery pricing over the phone. That fee gets a licensed plumber to your door, and it is waived once the job crosses into the larger work. Kim schedules by area so you are not waiting on a truck coming from the other side of the county.

We camera the line and show you the video.

You see the break, the roots, or the belly on the screen. Then we tell you which of the three paths fits, and why, in plain words. You get the price before anybody starts.

We do the work and patch behind us.

Permits pulled where the job needs one. Two year parts and labor warranty on our work. Every hole we cut gets patched by a professional drywall contractor. We do not paint, and we will say so upfront.

The Difference Is in the Details

What Matters	First Choice Plumbing	Typical Large Plumbing Outfit
Diagnosis	Camera first, every time, and you watch the footage	Quote from symptoms, camera sold as an add-on
Trip charge	$69 flat, waived on larger jobs, published on the site	Usually not published anywhere
Repair vs replace	We recommend the smallest fix that actually holds	Full replacement quoted by default
No-dig option	NuFlow Certified Contractor, lining done in house	Subbed out or not offered
Cleanup	Every hole we cut gets professionally patched	Patching is "not included"
Who shows up	Locally owned crew, owner runs the estimates himself	Rotating techs on commission
Warranty	Two years parts and labor, manufacturer warranty on top	One year or less is common

None of that costs you more. It just means you find out what is really wrong before you spend anything. Our warranty

What Happens If You Keep Clearing It Instead of Fixing It?

Nothing dramatic, at first. That is the trap. You pay to clear it, it works for a month, you pay again. Two or three of those and you have spent more than the repair would have cost.

What actually gets expensive is what happens around the pipe. A leaking line washes soil out from under the slab and the driveway. A line under a paved area that fails later means cutting concrete instead of digging dirt. A backup that reaches finished floors turns a plumbing bill into a restoration bill, and most homeowner policies do not cover damage from wear, roots, or a backup unless you carry the specific endorsement.

The cheapest version of this job is almost always the one you do while the pipe is still holding together. Emergency plumbing

Camera first

We put a camera in the line and show you the video on the screen with you standing right there.

Diagnosis second

We tell you straight whether that pipe can be repaired, relined, or has to come out.

Price third

You get the price before anybody starts. Financing is available on jobs over about $500.

Every hole we cut gets patched

Patched by a professional drywall contractor. Two year parts and labor warranty on our work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my sewer line is broken instead of just clogged?

Repeat backups are the tell. A one-time clog clears and stays clear. If the same drain backs up every few weeks, or two fixtures act up together, something is wrong with the line itself. A camera inspection settles it in about an hour.

Can a sewer line be fixed without digging up my yard?

Often, yes. If the pipe still holds its shape and grade, we can pull an epoxy liner through it and cure it in place, which gives you a new pipe inside the old one with no trench. If the line is collapsed, badly bellied or back-pitched, lining will not hold and we dig. The camera tells us which one you have.

Who is responsible for the sewer line, me or the utility?

The lateral from your house to the utility main is yours, including the portion under the right of way. The utility maintains the main line in the street. If you are on a private system rather than city service, the whole thing is yours.

Does homeowners insurance cover sewer line repair?

Usually not for the common causes. Most policies cover sudden damage from a covered event and exclude wear, corrosion, root intrusion and backups unless you carry a service line or backup endorsement. Check your declarations page. If your claim involves a leak we can document, we write everything up for the adjuster.

Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line in Alachua County?

Yes. Florida requires a permit to repair or replace a plumbing system. Unincorporated Alachua County permits through the Growth Management Building Division, and the City of Gainesville and other municipalities permit through their own offices. We pull it and schedule the inspection.

How long does a sewer line repair or replacement take?

A spot repair is often a same-day job. A lining job typically runs one to two days. A full excavation and replacement depends on length, depth and what is on top of it, and we give you a real timeline after the camera, not before.

What causes sewer lines to fail around Gainesville?

Roots at the joints, corroded cast iron in pre-1975 homes, and bellies from sandy soil settling. Older materials like Orangeburg fail on their own eventually. We see all four regularly.

What does it cost to come out and diagnose it?

$69 flat for the service call, waived once the job moves into the larger work. Leak detection is $375 and you are guaranteed we find it. If we don't find it, you don't pay. Financing is available on jobs over about $500.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my sewer line is broken instead of just clogged?

Can a sewer line be fixed without digging up my yard?

Who is responsible for the sewer line, me or the utility?

Does homeowners insurance cover sewer line repair?

Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line in Alachua County?

How long does a sewer line repair or replacement take?

What causes sewer lines to fail around Gainesville?

Roots at the joints, corroded cast iron in pre-1975 homes, and bellies from sandy soil settling. Older materials like Orangeburg fail on their own eventually. We see all four regularly.

What does it cost to come out and diagnose it?

Camera first

We put a camera in the line and show you the video on the screen with you standing right there.

Diagnosis second

We tell you straight whether that pipe can be repaired, relined, or has to come out.

Price third

You get the price before anybody starts. Financing is available on jobs over about $500.

Every hole we cut gets patched

Patched by a professional drywall contractor. Two year parts and labor warranty on our work.

Where We Run Sewer Work

We are based in Hawthorne and we cover Gainesville and the towns around it, including the rural east side that a lot of Gainesville outfits will not drive to.

Gainesville, Hawthorne, Alachua, High Springs, Newberry, Archer, Jonesville, Micanopy, Waldo, La Crosse, Melrose, Keystone Heights, Interlachen, Starke, Brooker, Lake Butler, Williston, McIntosh, Citra, Anthony, Sparr and Fort McCoy. All service areas

Find Out What Is Actually Wrong Down There

One camera inspection ends the guessing. You see the line, you get a straight recommendation, and you decide what to do with it. If the smaller repair is the right call, that is what we will tell you.

Licensed Florida Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748. Locally owned, out of Hawthorne. Every hole we cut gets patched.

Call Now: (352) 377-9447 or Book a Camera Inspection. Leaks don’t stand a chance.

Tell us what's going on and we'll take it from there

You get a real person, a $69 visit, a flat price before we start, and a company that patches what it cuts and answers the phone when you call back. If a smaller fix is the right call, we’ll tell you that too.

First Choice Plumbing is a locally owned, owner led plumbing company working Gainesville, Hawthorne and Greater Alachua County. Leak detection, repipes, water heaters, drains, trenchless lining, well water filtration and septic. We find it, we fix it, we guarantee it.

Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748

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