Queens sewer trouble looks different from block to block, because Queens is several kinds of housing in one borough: row houses in Ridgewood and Jackson Heights, detached and semi-detached homes in Bayside, Fresh Meadows and Howard Beach, apartment buildings in Forest Hills and Astoria. We camera the line first, then repair the failed section or replace the house sewer out to the city sewer.
In much of Queens the house sewer runs under a front yard or a driveway before it reaches the sidewalk, so a repair can mean lifting pavers or lawn as well as concrete. Older lines are clay tile or cast iron, and street trees find their joints here as everywhere.
In parts of southeast Queens the water table sits high, so a deep trench can take on groundwater and has to be pumped while we work. Near the water, in Howard Beach and the Rockaways, the soil is sandy and the trench is shored.
One of these is a warning. Two or more, together, usually mean the line itself.
We find out what is wrong before anyone digs. A sewer camera inspection is a paid service: you get the video and a written report, and the repair is priced from what the camera found. Anyone who quotes a sewer repair over the phone is guessing, and you pay for the guess later.
Repairs and replacements are done in extra-heavy cast iron or NYC-approved PVC, with a new house trap and cleanout where they are needed. Where the line allows it, trenchless repair leaves less of the sidewalk or yard open. More on NYC sewer line repair and NYC sewer line replacement.
A snake clears a blockage. It does not fix a broken pipe. If a backup clears and never comes back, you probably did not need us. If it keeps coming back, the line is usually cracked, sagging or full of roots, and the camera will show which.
In New York City the house sewer belongs to the property owner all the way to the connection at the city sewer, including the part under the sidewalk and the street. DEP maintains the city sewer itself, and when it finds a defect on the owner's side it can send a sewer defect notice. We handle those too: see DEP notices and compliance.
The digging is the quick part. The permits set the calendar.
Our customers took these photos on recent sewer jobs in New York City and posted them with their Google reviews.
“Victor from Lady Liberty was so so kindhearted and knowledgeable about how to address my sewer backup issue.”
R M, Google review
“They came in a timely manner on the initial request and kept me updated on the process of pulling the permits and when the job was going to be completed. The workers were professional and restored back my front yard in a clean manner plus put seeds down.”
Von W., Google review
We work across Queens: Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, East Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, South Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Fresh Meadows, Flushing, College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Oakland Gardens, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates, Hollis, Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Far Rockaway, Arverne, Rockaway Beach, Breezy Point.
We also work in Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and Manhattan.
The property owner. In New York City the house sewer is private from the building to the connection at the city sewer, including the part under the sidewalk and the street. DEP maintains the city sewer itself.
Yes. It is a paid inspection, and you keep the video and a written report. If the line needs work, the repair is priced from that footage.
If several buildings on the block back up at the same time, the city sewer may be the problem: report it to 311. If it is only your building, it is usually your line, and the camera will show where.
Sometimes. The city treats recently resurfaced streets as protected: opening one needs DOT approval, comes with stricter restoration rules, and some work has to wait. We check a street's status before we quote, so you know before anything is scheduled.
Only over the section that failed, which the camera finds first. Where the line allows it, trenchless repair can avoid opening the driveway at all. Whatever we lift, pavers, concrete or lawn, we put back.
Yes, across all of Queens, including Jamaica, St. Albans, Laurelton, Rosedale, Howard Beach and the Rockaways. Where groundwater is high, pumping the trench is planned into the quote.
Sewer trouble in Queens? Call (718) 965-3500. A person answers, 24/7/365.
Water main trouble instead? See water main repair in Queens.
A burst service line in Astoria or a sewer backup in Bayside does not wait for business hours. A person answers the phone at any hour, and a licensed crew is dispatched across Queens for emergency water main and sewer repair, 24/7.
