Orange Pipe? Some kind of asphalt product?

What is Orange Pipe? The city came out and check out our sewer drain pipes since we have had 2 backups in 6 mos that occur past the house. They camera'd the lines (for free, we have an awesome city) and said that we have PVC drains up to a point, then under the driveway (of course) the PVC merges into "what we [city water employee] call orange pipe". Said our orange pipe has a dip that tends to hold water.

I could have heard him wrong. I made him repeat and he explained it was an asphalt like pipe that lasts a while but erodes and crumbles over time (40 yr old home).

Guess we're going to have to get that fixed at some point. The plumber who snaked the lines the night before said he felt something around the same area that the city employee mentioned, that it would be something to checkinto, but it was not the cause of the backup this time 'round.

Anybody know what the heck orange or asphalt like pipes are?

I'm afraid there is bad news. The pipe you have is called "Orangeburg" it was an attempt to make inexpensive sewer pipe, and it failed badly. There is no repair that will make this any better. Thousands of people were burned by this product, much of it failed long ago. The only answer to your problem is to complete replace the entire line. It is definitely not a DIY project.

non professional opinion

Clay maybe.

The following is from Wikapedia. Note, Orangeburg is not longer an acceptable product.

Orangeburg pipe was made in sizes from 2 to 18" ID out of wood pulp sealed with hot pitch. Joints were made in a similar fashion and, due to the materials involved, were able to be sealed without the usage of adhesives. Orangeburg was lightweight, albeit brittle, and soft enough to be cut with a handsaw. Orangeburg was a low cost alternative to metal for sewer lines in particular. Lack of strength causes pipes made of orangeburg to fail more frequently than pipes made with other materials. The useful life for an orangeburg pipe is about 50 years. It has been taken off the list of acceptable materials by most building codes.

It was observed in early usage that, similar to modern PVC piping, orangeburg was susceptible to deformation from pressure. Thus, manufacturers urged the usage of "bedding" the pipes to prevent rupture in much the same fashion that PVC pipes are bedded today.

Here is a little informational link on Orangeberg Pipe...
http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles/compon/orangeburg/orangeburg.htm

As Gary has pointed out already the line is toast and the entire Orangeberg section needs to be replaced. It was last used in the late 60's and had a lifespan of 20-30 years... That leaves you as being one of the lucky ones not to have had a problem already.

Yes, you do have a great city that they will come out and camera your line for free. I know of only one in our entire state that will do that here...

I feel your pain. I just had my orangeburg drainline replaced last week.
I had to bust up part of my driveway. I currently am working on filling in the 60ft trench.

I saved a lot of money buy digging it out myself. My plumber was great and once I had the pipe exposed, he replaced it in a few hours.

but it has to be done. some tree roots busted through mine BTW.