Cities We Serve
Austin Area:
San Antonio Area:
Not seeing your area? Give us a call at (833) 656-4056
Excavation
Clay on One Side of Town, Limestone on the Other
Digging in Central Texas is two different jobs depending on which side of the interstate you live on. East of it, the Blackland Prairie clay is sticky and heavy when wet and hard as brick when dry, and it moves with the seasons, which is why so many of the lines we dig up are broken at a joint that the ground pushed out of place. West of it, in the Hill Country and the limestone neighborhoods of both cities, there may be only a few inches of soil over solid rock, and reaching a sewer line means a breaker or a rock hammer, not a shovel. We have been digging in both since 1999.
Every excavation starts with knowing exactly where to dig. A camera and locator put a mark on the ground over the break with its depth, and buried utilities are located and flagged before the first cut. That turns “dig up the yard” into a pit a few feet across in the right spot. For a full sewer replacement, the trench follows the marked route and no wider. For a break under the house, we tunnel beneath the slab from an outside pit so the repair happens under your floor rather than through it, and the tunnel is backfilled when the work is done.
Restoration is spelled out before you agree to anything. The quote says what we set aside and put back, how the trench is filled and compacted so it does not settle, and what happens if a section of driveway or patio has to be cut. It is accurate, has no hidden fees, and is honored for 72 hours under the Home Comfort Guarantee. The same crews handle water service line digs, and financing is available on the larger jobs.
- Located before we dig The break is marked from the camera, and gas, water and electric lines are flagged, before anything is opened.
- Tunneling instead of cutting floors Under-slab breaks are reached from outside where possible, so your tile, wood and cabinets stay where they are.
- Restoration in the quote What gets put back, and what does not, is written down before you sign. No surprises when the crew leaves.
When It Is Needed
The Problems That Cannot Be Fixed From Above
We dig when nothing else will work. These are the findings that get us there.
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A collapsed section on camera
The camera stops at a wall of soil or crushed pipe. Nothing goes through it and nothing coats it. That section has to come out.
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A belly that holds water
A sag in the line collects sediment no matter how often it is cleared. Fixing it means re-bedding that length at the correct slope.
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A joint pushed out of line
Clay soil moved the ground and the pipe went with it. An offset severe enough to catch a cable will not seal from the inside.
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A break under the foundation
A drain leaking beneath the slab washes out the soil that supports it. Reached by tunnel or, when the run is short, through the floor.
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A water service line leaking in the yard
A soft, wet patch between the meter and the house, or a bill that doubled. The line is pressurized and the leak is found with leak detection gear, then dug and repaired.
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A pipe crushed by roots or a driveway
A mature tree or the weight of vehicles over a shallow run can flatten old pipe. It has to be replaced, and the route sometimes moved.
What We Do
Every Kind of Hole a Plumbing Repair Needs
Sized to the problem, dug by the crew that does the plumbing, and closed by the same people.
- Spot-repair pits A small opening over a located break, for a sewer repair that replaces one section and leaves the rest of the yard alone.
- Full-run trenches The trench for a complete sewer or water line replacement, following the marked route from the house to the tap.
- Tunneling under slabs Hand-dug tunnels beneath the foundation from an exterior pit, so under-slab drains are repaired or replaced without cutting the floor.
- Rock excavation Breakers and rock hammers for the limestone and caliche that sit just under the topsoil on the west side of both cities.
- Water service line digs From the meter to the house, for a water line repair or a full replacement of a corroded or root-crushed supply.
- Backfill and restoration Filled in lifts and compacted so the ground does not sink, with sod, gravel or pavers that were set aside put back where they came from.
How It Works
What an Excavation Job Looks Like
Marked, quoted, dug, inspected and closed, in that order.
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Locate and mark
The camera and locator mark the break and its depth. Buried utilities are located and flagged so nothing else gets hit.
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A written quote that includes restoration
The dig, the plumbing, the backfill and exactly what gets put back, priced together and honored for 72 hours.
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Dig, repair, inspect
The crew opens the marked area, makes the repair, and where a permit applies, the hole stays open until the inspector has seen the work.
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Verify and close
The camera confirms the line, the hole is filled and compacted in lifts, and the surface is restored as the quote describes.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
Been Told It Has to Be Dug Up?
Get a second look on camera and a quote that spells out the hole and the cleanup. Austin and San Antonio.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
I had Radiant Plumbing replace my tankless water heater, damaged in the Feb. 2021 snowmageddon storm with a new unit. The process was smooth and professional from start to finish. The plumber, James, was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly explained my options to me. The cost and time to perform the installation were just as estimated. When he was done, James explained how to maintain the system, what service would be needed and how to perform it, and answered all of my engineering geek questions. It was a thoroughly positive experience. I have used several different plumbers in Austin over the past 15 yrs, but my search is over - I will not hesitate to call Radiant next time and would recommend them unreservedly.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
★★★★★
We called Radiant Plumbing after we noticed a water leak in our kitchen. We were in a time crunch and they were able to schedule us quickly, before we left for vacation. They sent their representative, Preston Nichols, and he was excellent to deal with! He was on time, skillful, friendly, and very professional. It turned out to be a problem with our dishwasher but Preston was quick to diagnose it and set our minds at ease. While he was here, we mentioned that our one year-old water heater needed to be flushed. Preston was quick to take care of that, as well, saving us time and money in the process. Radiant charged us almost half the price another plumber quoted us for that service! While Radiant Plumbing isn’t our usual plumber, they gained a new customer. We won’t hesitate to call Radiant again in the future based on our VERY positive experience with them.
★★★★★
I had a clogged drain that was slowly getting worse. Radiant was timely in communication and arriving. I was presented with the options to unclog drain without any pressure. Even though I went with the cheapest option to snake the drain, they were thorough and after discovering there may be bigger issues, the manager was sent out and video scoped the pipes at no cost to show (while I watched) the actual issue, which was a half filled slow draining pipe due to foundation issues and the pipe rising. The location was pinpointed and was exactly where we had floor tiles crack due to ground fluctuations. All in, they were here for about three hours and I was only charged for the drain cleaning service and I now know my options for a long term solution. Again, all of this with no sales pressure not even to fix the ultimate issue after an estimate was given. Highest recommendation for their service, especially in an industry where it can be hard to find someone you trust.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
Excavation Questions
Do you have to dig up my whole yard?
Almost never. The reason we run a camera and locator before quoting any dig is so the hole matches the problem. A single broken joint or a rusted-out section means a pit a few feet square directly over the mark. A full sewer replacement means a trench along the marked route, which is narrow and follows the existing line, usually along the side of the house and out to the street. Where a line is intact but leaking, a trenchless pipe coating can skip the trench entirely. What we will not do is start digging to find the problem. If a quote you have been given involves opening the yard to look, ask for camera footage first.
How deep are sewer lines buried in Central Texas?
Most residential laterals sit somewhere between a couple of feet and roughly six feet down, and the depth changes along the run because the pipe has to keep falling toward the city main. Where the main is deep or the lot slopes toward the house, the connection end can be deeper still. On the limestone side of Austin and San Antonio, the line is often shallower simply because that is as far as the original crew could dig, which also means it is more exposed to root pressure and vehicle loads. The locator reads the depth at every point of interest during the camera run, so by the time we quote, we know how deep the hole goes and whether it is soil or rock the whole way.
What happens to my landscaping, driveway or patio?
It depends on what the line runs under, and you will know before you agree to the work. Sod is cut and set aside, then put back. Gravel and pavers are lifted and reset. Plants in the path are moved where that is practical. Where a sewer line runs under a concrete driveway, patio or sidewalk, that section usually has to be cut, and the quote says plainly whether pouring it back is included or is something to arrange separately. In many cases a trenchless coating or a tunnel lets us avoid cutting concrete at all, and we will tell you when that option exists. The trench itself is backfilled in layers and compacted, which is what keeps the surface from sinking a year later.
Can you dig under a slab foundation instead of breaking the floor?
Yes, and it is our preference when the layout allows it. A tunnel is dug by hand from a pit outside the foundation, following the drain line beneath the slab to the break, and the repair or replacement happens in that tunnel while your flooring, cabinets and walls stay untouched. The tunnel is backfilled and compacted when the work is done. It takes longer than cutting the slab and costs more per foot, but it saves the tile, the hardwood and the mess, and for a kitchen or a finished bathroom that is usually the better trade. When the break is a short distance in and the floor above is easy to replace, cutting through can be the cheaper answer. We price the one that makes sense for your house, and both when it is close.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.
