A sewage backup is an emergency, and our dispatch line at (855) 575-2890 answers 24/7. While you wait, stop all water use, keep people away from the affected floor, and call Wyoming Public Works first if the problem may be on the city's side.
Sewer line repair in Wyoming means fixing the pipe that carries waste from your house to the city main. The repair might be a short section dug out and replaced, a liner installed from inside, or a full new run. Which one makes sense depends on where the pipe has failed and how long the damage extends.
Whose pipe is it: city side or private side
Wyoming accepts responsibility for the sanitary sewer mains and for the residential connections within the right of way. If a backup begins on that side, Public Works coordinates the repair at no cost to you. Staff are on call 24/7 for sewer backups at 616-530-7260, and the city asks you to call before you call a plumber.
If Public Works finds the problem on your private side, you hire a plumber and pay for the repair. That is where we come in. Calling the city first can save you a bill you do not owe, and it costs a few minutes on the phone.
Sewage backing up in your house
Raw wastewater in a basement or tub is a health hazard as well as a mess. Treat it as urgent even if it is the middle of the night or a holiday weekend, because we dispatch around the clock with same-day appointments when available.
We handle the plumbing side only. Cleanup of contaminated flooring, drywall and belongings falls to a water damage restoration company, and we do not do that work.
- Stop using every drain, toilet, washer and dishwasher in the house.
- Call Wyoming Public Works at 616-530-7260 before calling a plumber.
- Keep children, pets and bare feet out of any standing water.
- Move valuables and electronics off the floor if you can do so safely.
- Shut off power to a flooded area only if the panel is dry and you can reach it safely.
- Call (855) 575-2890 if the city says the problem is on your side.
Spot repair, lining or full replacement
Three approaches cover most failed sewer lines. Which one applies depends on camera findings, not on a guess.
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Spot repair | One broken or offset section | Needs digging at that point, but the rest stays |
| Pipe lining | Long cracks, root-prone joints, sound shape | Cannot fix a collapsed or badly bellied pipe |
| Full replacement | Collapsed, crushed or failed along most of its length | Most disruption, most lasting result |
| Clean and monitor | Minor roughness, no structural damage | Needs periodic cleaning to stay clear |
Every choice starts with a camera inspection, so the repair matches what the pipe is actually doing.
Cast iron and clay from the 1950s boom
Wyoming grew fastest during the post-war 1950s, and houses from that period were commonly built with cast iron or clay sewer pipe. Both lasted a long time, but neither lasts forever. Cast iron corrodes from inside and can flake or crack, and clay is brittle and joins in short segments with many seams.
Those seams give roots places to enter, and shifting ground can pull joints apart. A pipe like that may still drain, but it will often clog more frequently. If your home is from that era and backups keep returning, the pipe may be telling you it needs repair rather than another cleaning.
Sewage backing up? Call the city, then us
Public Works takes the first call for sewer backups, and we take the next one if the pipe is yours.
Roots in the line
Root intrusion is one of the most common reasons a private sewer line fails. Roots enter at a loose joint or small crack, grow into a mat, and then catch paper and waste until the line stops. Cutting them out clears the line for a while, but the opening they used is still there.
If the pipe is otherwise sound, a liner can seal those joints from the inside and keep roots out. If the pipe is cracked through, a section replacement is more honest. Our hydro jetting work can clear the roots first so the camera sees the true condition of the pipe.
How we repair a failing sewer line
Pipe lining
A resin-soaked liner is pulled through the old pipe and cured in place. It forms a smooth inner pipe without a long trench, and it works best when the host pipe is round and still intact.
Epoxy coating for short sections
A thin epoxy layer can seal small leaks and rough interiors. It suits limited problems, not a structurally failed pipe.
Open-cut spot repair
We dig down to the damaged section, cut it out and splice in new pipe. This is a direct fix when only a few feet have failed.
Cast iron section replacement
Where cast iron is corroded through, the damaged stretch is replaced with modern pipe and tied to the sound part of the line.
Full line replacement
When the pipe has collapsed along its length, a new line is the dependable answer.
Permits and Kentwood-side questions
In Wyoming, replacing drain piping needs a plumbing permit from the city's Building Inspections office before the work starts. That is something we plan for, and it means a repair should not begin on a handshake. The city also inspects the work after.
Neighboring Kentwood runs its own permit office, which takes plumbing permit applications online. If your property sits on that side of the line, our Kentwood plumbing page explains how we cover it, and we can tell you which office applies to your address.
A short, honest word on septic
Almost everyone in Wyoming is on city sewer, so septic is the exception here. It applies in some outlying areas, such as parts of Byron Center, where homes may use private septic systems. In Kent County, the county's septic and well program issues permits for on-site systems, so that is where such work begins.
If your home has a septic tank, a backup may be a full tank or a failed drain field rather than a broken sewer line. We can help with the plumbing inside the house and tell you honestly when the problem belongs to a septic specialist.
What drives the cost of a sewer repair
Sewer repair is one of the most variable jobs in plumbing. You get a clear price before work starts, and these are the factors behind it.
Standard homeowners policies often exclude sewer line wear, though some cover resulting backup damage with an added endorsement, so ask your insurer before work begins.
Call (855) 575-2890 and we will give you the real number once we know what the camera shows.
Questions about sewer line repair in Wyoming
Yes. Our dispatch line is open 24/7, including overnight and weekends. Call (855) 575-2890, and we book a same-day appointment when one is available.
The city repairs its own sanitary sewer mains and the residential connections within the right of way at no cost, and Wyoming Public Works coordinates that repair. Cleanup and damage inside your home are not part of that. Call them at 616-530-7260 before you call a plumber.
If the backup is in the house and the city confirms its main is clear, the issue is typically on your side. A camera inspection pinpoints the location.
Often yes, if the pipe is still round and not collapsed. Lining repairs cracks from inside with a small access point, while a collapsed pipe usually needs digging.
Wyoming is on city sewer, so most homes do not have septic. For outlying properties, we handle in-house plumbing and refer septic tank and field work to a septic specialist.
Replacing drain piping requires a plumbing permit from the city before work starts. Cleaning and some inspection work do not.
Get the sewer line fixed properly
Call (855) 575-2890 any hour for dispatch and a clear price before digging or lining begins.