Why is there a mound of dirt in my yard after a sewer line repair?

Your sewer line is repaired but now you have a tall mound of dirt in your yard. What is going on? Do you move it? Will our plumbers return to clean it up? Is the job finished? Having these questions is not unusual. There is a good reason why there’s a mound of dirt after a sewer repair. First thing to know: Don’t try to move it!

During excavation, the soil is disrupted, meaning all the minerals that have been compressed for years have become unsettled. Why is this important to the process? Settled, compacted soil adds stability to your foundation. All those small particles of stone, gravel, and other debris mixed with air and water compresses the soil to make it stable to bear the weight of foundation footings, concrete slabs, etc. 

Now that once compacted soil is unsettled with larger pockets of air and water between the particles, causing the surface to be unstable and not leveled. That big dirt mound we left in your yard is there to allow the soil to settle once again. 

Before we finished the job on your property, our plumbers took additional steps such as backfilling to ensure your yard is leveled once the soil is settled. However, it will take at least two months for air between the mineral particles to reduce and settle the soil.

If you are in a hurry to get your yard back to normal, you can aerate the soil (poking holes in the mound and run water through a hose to eliminate air pockets), but our recommendation is to let the mound sit. 

In addition, we offer landscape restoration services at a discounted rate if you have done the excavation with us.

Your Indianapolis plumbing heroes are ready to tackle any plumbing challenge. Request an appointment today.