What is under Kansas City, Kansas
KCK's east side, Strawberry Hill, Riverview, Armourdale, Argentine, Rosedale, the Northeast, is 1880s to 1940s housing: shotgun houses, workers' cottages, bungalows and brick foursquares built for the packing houses and rail yards, on narrow lots with old trees. Every one of them drains through vitrified clay in 2-foot sections, and because the neighborhoods climb the bluffs above the Kansas and Missouri rivers, the mains were laid deep to hold grade. A lateral in Strawberry Hill can leave the house at 5 feet and hit the main at 13. West of I-635, the 1950s to 1970s neighborhoods toward Turner, Welborn and the 78th Street corridor are ranches with cast iron under the slab and clay outside. The Legends, Piper and the far west are 1990s and later, on PVC.
Deep clay and roots: the KCK standard job
A 1915 bungalow in Argentine: 4-inch clay, 30 joints, roots at half of them, 12 feet deep at the main under a brick street. Digging that up means a shored trench, a street cut with Unified Government right-of-way permits and traffic control, and a bill at the top of the range. Lining it means a day: jet the roots, camera it, invert the liner from the basement cleanout to the main, cure, done. Depth does not change the lining price. That is why trenchless lining is the majority of what we do on KCK's east side. Where a section has collapsed, usually the last few feet at the main, bursting from a pit at the sidewalk reaches it without opening the street.
Cast iron on the west side
The postwar ranches west of 635 have 60-year-old cast iron under their basement floors. Bottom-channel corrosion, scale, slow drains throughout the house. Descaling brings back flow immediately; the camera pass after descaling tells us whether the wall will hold a liner. Most do. Section replacement through the slab is for the stretches with no bottom left.
Combined sewers and storm backups
Parts of older KCK are on sewers that carry stormwater as well. In a heavy rain the main surcharges and pushes up into the lowest basements on the block. If your neighbors have it at the same time, it is the main and the Unified Government responds around the clock. Protection on your side is a backwater valve on the lateral. A cracked clay lateral also lets groundwater into your own line and makes the surcharge worse, one more reason lining pays for itself.
Permits and jurisdiction
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas runs the sewer system, issues plumbing permits through building inspection, and issues right-of-way permits for any work under the sidewalk or street. The lateral is the homeowner's to the main, street included. We pull both permits and handle traffic control when a street cut cannot be avoided. More on responsibility.
Response and pricing in KCK
Average response about 45 minutes, 24/7, from crews that are in KCK most days. Same-day camera inspection $249, credited toward the repair. Lining $80–$200 per foot, bursting $90–$220, excavation $50–$250 with depth and street work as the big variables. Calculator on the cost page; active backup, the emergency page.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call about sewer permits in KCK?
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas issues plumbing permits and right-of-way permits and inspects the work. The lateral is the homeowner's to the main. We pull the permits for you.
Why are KCK sewer lines so deep?
Topography. Much of the older city sits on bluffs above the Kansas and Missouri rivers, and mains were laid deep to keep grade down steep streets. Laterals in Strawberry Hill or Rosedale can be 10 to 14 feet at the street, which makes lining far cheaper than digging.
Do you serve all of Kansas City, Kansas?
Yes: the east side neighborhoods, the west side out to the Legends and Piper, and everything between. Average response is about 45 minutes.