Best Home Warranty Companies for Sewer Lines (2023)

Homeowners insurance protects your house from structural damages caused by various incidents, but it won’t cover home repairs incurred from regular wear-and-tear damage. You’ll need a home warranty to cover the cost of system and appliance repair or replacement.

If you’re concerned about repair costs for your home’s sewer lines, a plan that covers your plumbing system and septic tank could give you peace of mind. Here’s what to look for in a sewer line warranty, plus our picks for the best home warranty for sewer line coverage.

Best Home Warranty Companies for Sewer Line Coverage

• American Home Shield: Best Coverage Caps
• Liberty Home Guard: Best Customer Ratings
• America’s First Choice Home Club: Best for Customization
• First American Home Warranty: Best for Buying a Home

Please note that the quotes below are for a home that’s less than 5,000 square feet in Cleveland, Ohio. Pricing and coverage details will vary by location, so be sure to get your own customized quote.

Summary of the Best Home Warranty Companies for Sewer Line Coverage

What To Expect From a Sewer Line Warranty

Unfortunately, no home warranty covers all potential sewer service line or plumbing problems. Here’s the sewer line coverage you can expect from most top-rated home warranties:

• Water service line leaks, breaks, and stoppages within the main foundation
• Mainline and lateral drain line blockages up to 100 feet from the main access point
• Access to pipes behind unobstructed walls/ceilings/floors returned to a rough finish (usually subject to a benefit amount limit)

However, not every provider includes every coverage option in a company’s basic protection plans. Here are coverages that are typically add-ons to existing plans for an extra fee:

• Septic tank pumping (once per year or contract term)
• Septic tank systems, including sewage ejector pumps, jet pumps, and aerobic pumps

Finally, here the coverages providers typically exclude from most home warranty sewer line plans:

• Stoppages caused by collapsed/damaged drain lines, tree roots, or freezing
• Damage due to sediment, rust, or corrosion in pipes and water lines
• Leaks or stoppages outside of the main foundation
• Septic tank waste disposal or chemical cleanout

Now that you know what to look for, we’ll list our top picks for plans that cover sewer lines. Then, we’ll show how each company compares to the standards above.

American Home Shield

American Home Shield (AHS) is another solid choice for sewer line home warranty coverage. It offers comprehensive coverage for standard home systems and appliances alongside sewer line coverage. Unlike most other companies, it will cover damage from sediment, rust, and corrosion. Its $1,000 pipe access repair limit is also twice what many other companies will pay.

Here are some key details of American Home Shield’s sewer line coverage:

• Standard coverage for mainline and drain line stoppages (within 100 feet of an access point, within the main foundation, excludes roots and freezing)
• Includes damage due to sediment, rust, and corrosion
• Limit for repairing pipe access: $1,000
• Add-on coverage for septic pumping and sewage ejector pump (first-year customers only, not renewable): $50 per year

American Home Shield’s plans come with adjustable service fees and monthly premiums. The higher your service fee, the lower your premium, and vice versa. Here are some sample prices for plans with a $100 service fee:

• ShieldSilver: $49.99 per month
• ShieldGold: $59.99 per month
• ShieldPlatinum: $89.99 per month

For details about American Home Shield’s coverage and to receive a free quote, fill out this quick AHS quote form or call 844-529-9298.

Liberty Home Guard

Liberty Home Guard offers solid sewer line protection alongside affordable premiums and service call fees, solidifying its place at the top of our list. In addition, Liberty Home Guard is a trustworthy company and consistently scores high ratings from the Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot, and Google Reviews.

Here are some key details of Liberty Home Guard’s sewer line coverage:

• Standard coverage for stoppages clearable by a snake (within 100 feet of an access point, within the main foundation, excludes roots and freezing)
• No coverage for repairing pipe access or sewage ejector pump
• Add-on coverage for once-yearly septic pumping: $129.99 a year ($200 coverage limit)

Liberty Home Guard assigns your account a service call fee between $65 and $125. This fee will depend on your location, add-ons, and selected plan. Here are some sample prices for each plan:

• Appliance Guard: $49.99 per month
• System Guard: $54.99 per month
• Total Guard: $59.99 per month

To find out how much a Liberty Home Guard plan will cost you, call 866-452-9107 or fill out LHG’s easy form.

America’s First Choice Home Club

America’s First Choice Home Club (AFC Home Club) offers standard coverage for your sewer line at a competitive price point. AFC Home Club offers four plan options, three of which cover plumbing. The Platinum Plan offers the most comprehensive coverage, including plumbing stoppages.

Here are some key details about AFC Home Club’s sewer line coverage:

• Covers visible interior leaks and breaks of water supply pipes, drain, vent, waste, and utility lines (up to $500 per plan term)
• Covers toilet tanks and bowls (will replace with builder-grade materials)
• Covers unobstructed access to stoppage within the confines of the home’s foundation from the access point (will pay up to $250 to restore access point to rough finish)
• Offers septic system coverage as an add-on for $50 per month

Like AHS, AFC Home Club offers a flexible service call fee model. You can choose a $75, $100, or $125 service call fee. The higher your service call fee, the lower your monthly fees will be.

• Silver Plan: $32.08–$36.67 per month
• Systems Plan: $39–$43.58 per month
• Gold Plan: $45.83–$50.42 per month
• Platinum Plan: $50.42–$55 per month

To request a free quote, fill out AFC Home Club’s quote form or call 877-755-1115.

First American Home Warranty

First American Home Warranty is only available in 35 states. Nevertheless, it offers excellent sewer line coverage. The company will pay to clear clogs within 125 feet of access points, farther than most companies. Although the company has a low limit for repairing damage needed to access pipes, it also covers rust and corrosion damage.

Here are some key details of First American Home Warranty’s sewer line coverage:

• Standard coverage for stoppages (within the main foundation, excludes roots and freezing)
• Extends coverage to stoppages within 125 feet of an access point
• Includes damage due to rust and corrosion
• Limit for repairing pipe access: $500 in Essential Plan – $1,000 in Premium Plan
• Add-on coverage for septic pumping and sewage ejector pump: $75 a year

First American charges a service call fee ranging from $75 to $125 per claim. Here are some sample prices for each plan:

• Starter Plan: $42.00–$58.00 per month
• Essential Plan: $52.00–$68.00 per month
• Premium Plan: $62.00–$88.00 per month

First American’s coverage and prices vary by region, so fill out First American’s quick form or call 800-891-9778 to find out if it’s available in your area.

Our Conclusion

Sewer lines play an important role in your home functioning properly. A home warranty protects your home’s plumbing and sewer lines from inconvenient breaks, leaks, and stoppages, giving you peace of mind. 

We recommend Liberty Home Guard due to its $2,000 coverage limits and 60-day workmanship guarantee on completed repairs. We also recommend American Home Shield because it covers rust, corrosion, and sediment damage. Finally, First American Home Warranty covers miscellaneous repair fees in its Essential and Premier plans.

Before signing up, request three quotes from different providers to compare their coverage terms, costs, exclusions, and limitations.

Our Rating Methodology

The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each provider. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts from each company, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys. We then score each provider against our review standards for coverage, value, trustworthiness and transparency, availability, and customer service to arrive at a final score out of 100.  

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.