More Than Half of Dallas Homes Predate 1980, and Their Sewer Pipes Are Aging

City data shows 300,000 Dallas housing units were built before 1980, the era of cast iron sewer lines. Many of those pipes are now past their expected life.

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — More than half of the housing in Dallas was built before 1980, when cast iron was the standard material for residential sewer lines. Those pipes are now between 46 and more than 75 years old, and many are at or past the age where they begin to fail.

City of Dallas housing data counts 573,597 housing units in the city. Of those, 300,184, or 52.3 percent, were built before 1980. About 205,500 were built before 1970, which means any original sewer line under them is now more than 55 years old.

Why the age of the pipe matters

Cast iron was used for home drain and sewer lines through most of the twentieth century. PVC replaced it in new construction from roughly the late 1970s onward. Buried cast iron sewer lines are commonly estimated to last 50 to 75 years, with the lower end more likely where soil shifts and tree roots reach the pipe. The pipe corrodes from the inside, the walls thin, and joints open up.

Nuflow DFW, a Plano-based plumbing company that repairs sewer lines across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, has published a homeowner guide on how long cast iron pipes last and what affects that range.

“Most homeowners learn their sewer line is cast iron on the day it backs up,” said Ryan King, owner of Nuflow DFW and a licensed Texas Master Plumber. “A camera inspection shows where the pipe stands before that happens.”

Signs an older sewer line is failing

– Drains that back up again and again
– Slow drains in more than one fixture at the same time
– Sewer odors inside the house or in the yard
– Soggy patches in the yard with no rain

Repairing the pipe without digging

For decades, replacing a sewer line under a house meant trenching through the yard or breaking through the slab. Cured-in-place pipe lining, known as CIPP, repairs the pipe from the inside. An epoxy-saturated liner is placed inside the old pipe and cured, forming a new pipe within it. Most residential lining jobs are completed in one day.

Lining does not suit every pipe. A liner needs a host pipe that is still round and aligned. When a camera inspection shows a collapsed section, a sag that holds water, or joints shifted far out of line, a section repair or replacement is the correct fix for that part of the line.

What Dallas homeowners can do

Owners of homes built before 1980 can ask for a sewer camera inspection, which shows the pipe material and its condition and gives the owner the footage. An inspection is also useful before buying an older home, since a sewer line is not part of a standard visual inspection.

Nuflow DFW provides trenchless sewer repair in Dallas and across the Metroplex. The company performs a camera inspection first and gives a written estimate before any work begins.

About Nuflow DFW

Nuflow DFW is a locally owned plumbing company based at 800 Fulgham Rd Ste 14, Plano, Texas, founded in 2021. Its main work is trenchless sewer and pipe repair using CIPP lining, along with sewer camera inspection, hydro jetting, drain cleaning, and water leak detection. The company is licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners under RMP# 46694. Service is scheduled Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Call (469) 701-0597 or visit nuflowdfw.com.

Source: City of Dallas, Department of Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization, “2024 General Obligation Bond Program Technical Criteria,” Community Bond Task Force presentation, June 13, 2023 (housing stock by age).

Ryan King
Nuflow DFW
+ +1 469-701-0597
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