Cable Boring Damaged My Sewer Line

[fasted59]

Washington State: Our Cable Company was boring a cable line in our front yard and the vibration from the boring machine vibrated our sewer line to the point that our pipes and downstairs toilet were shaking. They bored right on top of our sewer line but did not penetrate the line. We alerted the crew and they temporarily stopped the machine and told us not to worry about it. They continued on with the process. About 10 days later would sewer backed in the through the downstairs toilet and filled our bathroom/laundry room with the worst smelling sewage you could imagine and left about an inch of water. It damaged the hallway carpet leading to our family room. Our sewer line is 45 years old and is asbestos concrete. The pipe broke about 10 feet away from our house.

The cable company paid for the clean up and we are pretty sure they will pay for the damage to the inside of the house but we are not sure about the sewer line. Are they only responsible for the part of the sewer line that was damaged? Isn't there some negligence on the part of the cable company for boring on top of our sewer line? Couldn't they have gone around it? We are looking at replacing the sewer line with a pipe in pipe lining so we don't have to dig a trench that would require more labor at an increased cost. The pipe in pipe lining will cost about $5,000.00. We got two estimates, one for $5,000 and one for $9,000. Who's responsible and for what?

The temporary fix cost $7,300.00 which we have submitted to the cable companies insurance company.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

I would strike a deal with them to get them to pay for a portion of it.

 

[justalayman]

were they actually boring or were they using a vibratory slitter? Directional boring should not cause much, if any, vibration unless they were boring through your sewer pipe itself, or at least have come into contact with it. A vibratory slitter will shake the bejesus out of the ground and everything close to it. If it comes into contact with the line, it could break it.

If they did not contact the line itself, they may have no liability at all. Basically, if your house is all set to fall down, just because somebody comes and leans on it and it falls down due to that minimal act, that person is not liable for your house falling down. Same thing with a sewer line.

Are they only responsible for the part of the sewer line that was damaged?

yes. Why would they be liable for damage beyond what they caused?

Isn't there some negligence on the part of the cable company for boring on top of our sewer line?

maybe, maybe not.



Were they installing the line for you?

Did they request a location of any underground installations they needed to be aware of? If so, who gave them the locations?

The temporary fix cost $7,300.00 which we have submitted to the cable companies insurance company.

temporary fix? Either the damage is repaired or it isn't. What is a temporary fix?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

It sounds like OP has tiles which collapsed. His contention is the vibration caused them to collapse. I think we know what the cable companies position will be. They might be nice though.

 

[justalayman]

It sounds like OP has tiles which collapsed. His contention is the vibration caused them to collapse. I think we know what the cable companies position will be. They might be nice though.

depending on all of the facts, cable company may or may not have any liability here. I'm leaning towards none or at most, repairing the actual damage only and that could include all of the consequential damage inside the house as well.

 

[fasted59]

were they actually boring or were they using a vibratory slitter? Directional boring should not cause much, if any, vibration unless they were boring through your sewer pipe itself, or at least have come into contact with it. A vibratory slitter will shake the bejesus out of the ground and everything close to it. If it comes into contact with the line, it could break it.

If they did not contact the line itself, they may have no liability at all. Basically, if your house is all set to fall down, just because somebody comes and leans on it and it falls down due to that minimal act, that person is not liable for your house falling down. Same thing with a sewer line.





yes. Why would they be liable for damage beyond what they caused?


maybe, maybe not.



Were they installing the line for you?

Did they request a location of any underground installations they needed to be aware of? If so, who gave them the locations?


temporary fix? Either the damage is repaired or it isn't. What is a temporary fix?

Yes, they were doing the job for me.

It must have been a vibratory slitter. The pipes and toilet were shaking like crazy. We haven't had any problems for 21 years then they use this vibratory slitter and the sewer backs up. The plumber said there were hairline cracks all along the pipe. Guess that part might be hard to prove.

They don't mark sewer lines here. They did have a map from our water utility that showed where the sewer line was. Why they didn't go around it I don't know. The claims adjuster came out and took pictures of our bathroom and family room along with the trench where the repair was made.

Being that the sewer line is 45 years old it makes sense to replace the whole line while it's open. They have access to do the pipe in pipe lining. Hence the temporary fix.

 

[justalayman]

It must have been a vibratory slitter. The pipes and toilet were shaking like crazy. We haven't had any problems for 21 years then they use this vibratory slitter and the sewer backs u

directional boring uses a machine that sets in one place. It has a stack of pipe on it. It spins the pipe and pushes it into the ground. A vibratory slitter "walks" along shaking a blade behind it and feeds the cable into the slit as it moves from point A to point B.

. The plumber said there were hairline cracks all along the pipe.

and you're trying to blame them for that? Just like that house that is about to fall if somebody touches it, your sewer line was in bad shape before they even started their work.

They don't mark sewer lines here.

it wasn't a matter of marking it. It was a matter of whether anybody had told them where it was at all. A general idea is better than no idea.

They did have a map from our water utility that showed where the sewer line was.

then they knew where the line was.

Why they didn't go around it I don't know

. around it? since the sewer line runs from the house to the street, going around it isn't possible unless they go all the way around the house. Not going to happen.

Being that the sewer line is 45 years old it makes sense to replace the whole line while it's open.

don't expect the cable company to pay for the entire thing unless they want to be nice about it. They are only liable for the damage they did and from your description of the sewer line, unless they actually hit it, it really is not their fault at all.