Best 3 Home Warranty Companies for a Sewer Line (2021)

House Method created a guide to find the best home warranty that offers sewer line coverage for your home. In our guide you will find:

• Top home warranty companies for Sewer line warranty 
• Common sewer line issues
• Sewer line coverage options 
• Why Choice Home Warranty is the best choice for sewer line coverage
• Sewage maintenance tips

Water and sewer line issues can be some of the most expensive and inconvenient repairs you face because they often involve digging up your yard and part of the street. Depending on the situation, you could be looking at a bill that ends up costing you several thousand dollars. 

Thankfully, there are insurance and warranty options that help cover the costs of such water and sewer line disasters which can give you some peace of mind. Read on to discover what sort of sewer line plans are available and to see if you could benefit from them.

Do I need a sewer line warranty?

Buried beneath your lawn, there are pipes that bring clean water into your house and take out dirty water and sewage. These pipes are known as sewer and water lines, and they run from your house to the municipal water and sewer lines under the street. If you aren’t connected to the municipal sewage system, your sewage line runs to your septic tank.

Many people incorrectly assume that the utility company is responsible for any problems that arise in water and sewer lines, but in reality, homeowners are responsible for the lines running through their property and into their house and any home repairs costs that arise.

Your homeowners insurance probably isn’t going to cover these kinds of problems, either, unless you purchase a special rider for your policy that covers sewer backups or similar problems. For that reason, many municipal utilities urge their customers to purchase a warranty for protection.

Common sewer line issues

Do you need to worry about the water and sewer lines to your home? The answer depends on what the lines are made of and how old they are. Newer homes typically use PVC pipes, and PVC pipes are less likely to break than other pipes. Homes built in the 1960s and 1970s usually have pipes made of cast iron, which can be damaged by corrosive soils. Pipes that were laid in the decades before the 1960s are often made of more fragile materials that are even more prone to damage.

As the local water infrastructure ages, line breaks become more common. A Utah State University study found that water main breaks rose by 27% from 2012 to 2018 in the United States and Canada. For cast iron pipes specifically, breaks were up by 43% in that period.

Luckily, not every issue with a sewer line involves a break. The Georgia Plumbers’ Trade Association reports that clogged lines often just need to be unclogged rather than replaced. Prices for unclogging a sewer line, commonly referred to as snaking the line, can vary widely, depending on accessibility to the clog, the length of the line, and the cause of the clog, but most cost $200-$250.

Sewer line coverage options

If you are worried about your sewer lines, you have several options for coverage:

A rider on your homeowners insurance policy. 

Damage from sewer backups aren’t covered under a typical homeowners policy. You might be able to purchase an endorsement from your service provider that provides coverage for sewer lines or sewer backups for an additional amount each month.

Water line insurance. 

Some companies offer a policy that specifically covers your water line. If your home is older or you’ve had plumbing issues in the past, you may want to consider this policy.

Service Line Warranties of America. 

This company specializes in water line and sewer line repair plans. The company maintains a 24/7 call center and has a list of pre-screened plumbers it can call if you’re in need of a repair. There is no deductible for covered repairs, and customers can make monthly or annual payments.

A water or sewer line warranty offered through your utility company. 

Some municipalities offer water and sewer line warranties by partnering with a warranty company. New York City, for instance, has partnered with American Water Resources. The warranty plan is similar to other warranties, but the advantage of the city partnership is that customers can pay the monthly premium as part of their utility bill.

A home warranty that includes a sewer or septic option. 

These protection plans are also service contracts designed to offset repairs costs. If the basic home warranty doesn’t cover septic elements, you might be able to add them as optional coverage.

Home warranty coverage for sewer lines and more

A home warranty can be a good way to protect yourself from the unexpected expense of a plumbing stoppage or septic issue. House Method recommends Choice Home Warranty, which offers plumbing stoppage coverage as part of both its Basic Plan and Total Plan. Choice Home Warranty also provides coverage of septic lines with its septic system add-on that you can tack onto either plan.

Unlike a sewer line insurance plan, which only covers those lines, a home warranty provides coverage for many other systems and appliances that may experience problems due to normal wear and tear. If you have an issue with a covered system, such as a plumbing stoppage, you can call the warranty company, who will send a qualified technician to your home for diagnosis and repair. All you have to pay is a service fee for the technician’s visit and be aware of any coverage limits.

Choice Home Warranty’s plumbing stoppage coverage includes stoppages and clogs in the drain and sewer lines up to 100 feet from the access point, as long as there is an accessible ground level cleanout and the clog can be cleared by cable. It doesn’t cover broken lines outside the main foundation or clogs due to roots. The optional septic system coverage includes a variety of pumps, the septic tank, and the septic line from the house.

Top 3 Home Warranty Providers for Sewer Line Warranty

For home warranty plans that cover sewer lines, House Method has used research and reviews to recommend the top three choices:

1. Choice Home Warranty
2. Select Home Warranty
3. Liberty Home Guard

1. Choice Home Warranty

Choice Home Warranty is an industry veteran with over 11 years of experience and a B rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Choice Home Warranty offers two coverage plans, the Basic Plan and the Total Plan, both of which include plumbing and plumbing stoppages/clogs in the sewer line up to 100 feet from the access point.

House Method score: 9.7 / 10

To get a free quote from Choice Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 929-400-6164.

For more information, read our Choice Home Warranty Review.

2. Select Home Warranty 

Select Home Warranty is one of the top competitors for home warranty policies and is well-known for its affordability and unique offerings. Select Home Warranty offers three coverage plans: Bronze Care for appliances, Gold Care for systems, and Platinum Care which is a combo plan. Platinum Care and Gold Care both cover plumbing stoppages in sewer lines up to 100 feet from the access point.

House Method Score: 9.6 / 10

To get a free quote from Select Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 888-370-3953.

Read our Select Home Warranty review to learn more.

3. Liberty Home Guard

Liberty Home Guard is a provider that offers great home warranty plans at an affordable cost. It is a relatively newer provider but has earned itself an A+ rating with the BBB. Liberty Home Guard offers 3 plans: the Gold Appliance Plan, the Gold Systems Plan, and the Platinum Combo Plan. Plumbing with coverage on stoppages in sewer lines up to 100 from the access point is offered on the systems and combo plans. 

House Method Score: 9.4 / 10

To get a free quote from Select Home Warranty, fill out this online form or call 866-507-7356.

To learn more information, visit our Liberty Home Guard review.

Why we recommend Choice Home Warranty as #1

House Method researched and reviewed the best home warranty companies and compared their coverage. House Method recommends Choice Home Warranty, which offers coverage for plumbing system stoppages and optional septic system coverage. 

Choice Home Warranty offers comprehensive coverage of a broad range of home appliances and major systems at a competitive price, and has a B rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Their plans allow you to cover all the important systems in your home, not just your water lines. The company provides two plans plus optional add-ons.

Choice Home Warranty’s pricing is competitive. The Silver Combo Plan runs at $45 per month ($560/year)  and the Platinum Combo Plan costs $53.33 per month ($660) per year. The service call fee is $85 per month. 

Read our in-depth Choice Home Warranty review for more information on how Choice Home Warranty is the best provider to protect your home systems.

For a free quote from Choice Home Warranty, call 929-400-6164 or fill out this online form.

Sewer maintenance tips

While water and sewer line insurance and warranty plans can provide some relief if you experience problems with your pipes, it’s best to try to prevent a backup from ever happening.

• Don’t pour grease down the drain. Grease solidifies and can cause clogs in your drain or sewer line. Instead, pour used cooking oils into a heat-resistant container, let it cool, then put it in the trash.
• Keep most paper products out of your pipes. Paper towels, disposable diapers and wipes, and feminine hygiene products don’t deteriorate like toilet paper does and can clog sewer lines. Put them in the trash instead of flushing them.
• Manage tree roots. If tree roots are intruding into your water and sewer pipes, get a professional to trim the roots.
• Put in plastic piping. Replacing old pipes with PVC pipes will keep the tree roots out of the pipes and eliminate the issues that come with aging pipes.
• Install a backwater prevention valve. These valves are installed in basement sewer lines and prevent sewer water from back flowing into your home. We recommend calling a qualified plumber to install this device.

Tips for a backed-up sewer line

Sewage backing up into your home is more than yucky. It can lead to disease, electrical malfunctions, and mold. Take these steps as soon as you discover a backup in your sewer line:

• Keep kids and pets away from the area.
• Turn off electrical power to the area if any electrical appliances or fixtures are in contact with standing water.
• Turn off running water and don’t flush the toilets.
• Notify the local water and sewer utility in case the backup is more extensive than just your house.
• Contact your insurance company or home warranty company.
• Consider hiring a professional to clean up if the area is large or if the spill occurred more than 24 hours before you discovered it.

*Terms and conditions apply. Be sure to review complete limits of liability and any exclusions. CHW offers service contracts which are not warranties.
**See policy for specifics on response times.
***CHW reserves the right to offer cash back in lieu of repair or replacement in the amount of CHW’s actual cost (which at times may be less than retail) to repair or replace any covered system, component or appliance.
****In the event a claim is denied, and a customer seeks to have Us review that denial, We have the right to request routine maintenance records in reviewing its decision.

House Method home warranty provider ranking methodology

At House Method, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader. That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each home warranty provider according to our methodology.

We’ve done the homework for you and have researched over 50 home warranty companies so you can have the information you need to make the best choice for your home. Additionally, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader.

That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each home warranty provider according to our methodology. Our team spent hours on the phone speaking to representatives from each home warranty company to get information right from the source. We also dug into the fine print on each company’s service agreement to make sure no detail was left out.

To make the most of our research, we developed a formula to objectively determine the best home warranty companies based on the following criteria:

• Plans: Do they provide a variety of plan options? We looked at the number of plans each company offered and the flexibility of adjusting the plan.
• Prices: How reasonable are the monthly fees and service fees in comparison to the industry average? We compared the costs of each company to competitors.
• Coverage: How many items are covered in each plan? We looked at the number of items each company covers. We dig into all service contracts available to get all the details.
• Customer service: How is the customer experience when calling the providers? Based on our phone calls, we were able to judge each company’s customer service.
• Trust: What do customers rate the company? We looked into what customers are saying about their experience with the company.
• Nationwide availability: How many states does the company cover? We found the number of states covered by each company.
• Unique perks: Does the company offer discounts or cover special items? We looked for perks offered by each company that sets them apart from the competition.

How do we keep our data up to date?

We want to make sure we’re providing you, the consumer, with the most current data available for every home warranty company we’ve researched and rated. That takes significant effort but we feel that’s vital to providing you thorough and trustworthy reviews.

With that in mind, we have dedicated staff members who regularly update our database of home warranty research.