A surprising number of the sewer problems we dig out across northern New Jersey trace back to one product: Orangeburg pipe. If your home was built between 1945 and about 1972, there is a real chance the pipe carrying wastewater from your house to the street is made of it.
What Orangeburg pipe is
Orangeburg, also called bituminized fiber pipe, is basically layers of wood pulp bound together with hot coal tar pitch. After World War II, cast iron was scarce and expensive, so builders across the country ran these tar and paper pipes as sewer laterals until PVC took over in the early 1970s. It was marketed as a 50 year pipe. In the real world, many start failing at around 30, and every Orangeburg line still in the ground today is decades past that mark.
How it fails
Orangeburg absorbs moisture and slowly loses its shape. The round pipe squeezes into an egg shape, the bottom goes soft, and tree roots push through the seams looking for water. What you notice above ground is slow drains, repeat backups, gurgling, soggy or sunken spots in the yard, and a line that needs to be snaked over and over. Each snaking buys time, but it also chews up pipe that is already breaking down.
How to know what you have
A camera inspection settles it. If the camera shows a deformed, egg shaped line with blistered walls, that is Orangeburg, and lining is usually not an option because the pipe has lost its structure. The fix is replacement.
What replacement looks like
We dig out the old lateral, remove it, set new PVC at the proper pitch on a good bed, tie it into the main or the septic tank, then backfill, compact, and restore the grade. Most residential laterals are a one to two day job, and when we leave, the yard is graded and clean. If your line backs up at the worst possible time, we also answer around the clock.
What replacement costs
Because deformed Orangeburg cannot be lined, this is a replacement job rather than a repair job, which puts it in the range we lay out in what a sewer line replacement really costs in New Jersey. The two things that move it most are how deep the line runs and whether the failed section sits under the road, because the road brings a permit and restoration with it.
Common questions
What is Orangeburg pipe? Bituminized fiber pipe: layers of wood pulp bound together with hot coal tar pitch. After World War II cast iron was scarce and expensive, so builders ran tar and paper sewer laterals until PVC took over in the early 1970s. It was sold as a 50 year pipe. In practice many begin failing around 30, and every Orangeburg line still in the ground today is decades past that.
What years was Orangeburg pipe used in New Jersey homes? Roughly 1945 to about 1972. If your house was built in that window and the sewer lateral has never been replaced, there is a real chance that is what is under the yard.
How do I know if I have Orangeburg pipe? A camera inspection settles it. Orangeburg that is failing shows up as a deformed, egg shaped line with blistered walls, because the pipe absorbs moisture and slowly loses its round shape.
Can Orangeburg pipe be relined instead of replaced? Usually not. Lining needs a host pipe with structure left in it, and deformed Orangeburg has lost exactly that. Once it has gone egg shaped and soft on the bottom, replacement is the honest answer.
How long does it take to replace an Orangeburg lateral? Most residential laterals are a one to two day job: dig out the old line, set new PVC at the proper pitch on a good bed, tie into the main or the tank, then backfill, compact and restore the grade.
If your house dates to the 1940s through early 1970s and the sewer has never been replaced, it is worth a camera look before it becomes a 2 a.m. emergency. Call us at 862-268-2510 and we will tell you straight what you have and what it will take, or read how we handle the work on our sewer and water line page.
Sources: InterNACHI sewer scope inspection standards (identifying Orangeburg pipe), Orangeburg sewer piping guidance (City of Ann Arbor).
Still not sure how this applies to your property? That is what a free on-site estimate is for. Call 862-268-2510 or tell us what is going on, and we will give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you do not need us.