A homeowner who said they "absolutely cannot afford a plumber" turned to the experts in the r/Plumbing subreddit after uncovering a broken sewer line in their yard.
They were happy to learn that the repair itself might be far less daunting than the digging.
Here's what to know
Their question of "Am I screwed?" came with a photo of the damaged sewer pipe on the Reddit post.
The homeowner asked whether it could be patched "via concrete or something" or whether they should cut it out and splice in "a rubber coupling and PVC."
People who had handled similar breaks said locating the problem is often the brutal part. One commenter said "finding the actual crack was the tough part," reinforcing another reply expressing similar sentiments.
Instead of using concrete, commenters repeatedly advised trimming back to solid clay pipe and using two shielded transition couplings to connect a short replacement section, either clay-to-PVC or clay-to-ABS.
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What nobody wanted to guess wrong was the diameter. Some thought the pipe was four-inch clay, while others estimated three, four, or even six inches from the image.
"Confirm the size pipe is 4" clay," a user advised. "Even bring the section to the plumbing store to ensure the couplings fit perfect."
More background
As the homeowner explained, a pit bull uncovered the line by digging directly over it.
The dog had apparently been leaving clues before that.
"You know what sickens me?" the original poster declared. "She's been getting dirty, and a little muddy the last week. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how because my yard doesn't flood. Turns out my girl is a plumber, and wanted to bring the issue to my attention."
A concrete-based repair did surface in the discussion, but only as an example from the past involving newspapers. In contrast, the thread kept returning to a simpler, cheaper shopping list instead: two transition couplings and a short piece of PVC or ABS.
What can be done?
Most of the advice centered on replacement, not patching. One commenter said the homeowner would need to "cut that hub out and get clean pipe to work with because the couplings are sized to fit pipe and not hubs."
The recommended supplies were fairly specific. Commenters mentioned about two feet of new pipe and two shielded transition couplings for a clay-to-PVC or clay-to-ABS connection, while another reply pointed to clay-to-PVC Fernco fittings but stressed that the measurements needed to be checked.
With the digging done, next up was measuring and replacing the damaged area. Redditors also wanted a reward for the original poster's dog.
"So many extra treats," one said. "Pup smelled something gross, and wanted to play, and potentially saved you life-changing amounts of money."
Where can I learn more?
Plumbing surprises like this often send homeowners looking for cheaper fixes.
• Another homeowner watched a massive water pipe leak turn the yard into a restart project.
• On TikTok, a homeowner used a plumber-approved hack to clear a stubborn drain.
• A home inspector warned that a simple plumbing tip could stop costly hidden leaks.
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