2:21  
All done!
Just a parting shot of the old pipe.  It's possible to see here how this stuff was put together....and how it comes apart.  Pressed cellulose (wood) fibers, embedded with bitumen/asphalt.  When it is damaged you can see the layers separate.

12:11
Clean-up phase.

Now comes the clean-up, but there is really not much mess.

 The lawn could use a little extra water and some fixing of the divots from the excavator. 

Remains of the old fence will move here shortly.  Pipe will get put with the rest of the trash.

Wait...Where is my shovel?! 

11:50
16 and a half feet of new line is all.  Less complicated (and less expensive) than anticipated.  No need to get the repair inspected.  Done in only an hour and a half.

11:40
The cleanout is installed, pipe has a good drop along the line away from the house.  Dirt is going back into the hole....bye bye pipe!  Hope to never see you again!

One final remaining item will be the breakup of the old stone/concrete fence with the excavator. 

11:28
New pipe (blue PVC) is going in.  Fortunately the problems appear to be isolated to the half of the line that is closest to the house.  That means no digging back to the fence, no worries about taking out a portion of that fence, messing with the neighbor's yard, etcetera.

It also means less damage at the checkbook I am sure.

The evidence that the rest of the line is fine comes from a little test they call a hose test:  run water into the line for a while and see that the pipe routes it all quickly and completely down to the main.

Installing a cleanout at ground level where the galvanized pipe abuts the new material. 

11:12
Behold the sweet sounds of saws through pipe.

11:09 
It's called Orangeburg Pipe. 

Can you believe there is a website dedicated to sewer history?  Of course there is.  There is a website dedicated to ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.

http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles/compon/orangeburg/orangeburg.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_pipe

11:02 

Biggest problem....but not very photogenic.

Hole in the pipe.  Look beside the shadow of the root.  

Exterminate!  Exterminate! Exterminate!

Pictures!  The one of the pipe is taken from a wonky angle, so the pipe appears to run vertically.
The material is cast iron for about 4 feet out from the house, and then is joined to something called Orange-ade or something, which is an asphalt coated pipe.  Affectionately called "that cheap crap" when I am out of earshot.

10:49
Two problems located--one smallish hole on top of the pipe and another spot where there was not only a hole in the pipe, but a rock stuck down in it.  Trench is dug back to about the spot where the edge of the deck used to be.

10:36  
They're here!  Exploratory holes are being dug, the line is located up by the house, and the excavator is in the back yard.

9:11
Well, 9 am has come and gone and no sign of any excavators.  There was a pickup truck that passed the house slowly around 8:45, which looked momentarily like someone casing the place, but I haven't seen any other unusual activity around here.  Just cats on their morning prowl and the occasional mom with a stroller going by.

8:43
Just one more "before" pic, this of the stone wall that we discovered ran under the deck all the way up to the house.  Hoping it can get dug up today, too.

8:25 am
The setting:  views of the yard after deck removal but before any digging.  Just waiting to see if the crew is coming to us for their first job at 9, or if we are going to be their second appointment of the day.

Irrigation lines are located with holiday curling ribbon.

From the sliding door looking south

From the south fence, looking north

 

And what is this, a new green mark in the grass?