Sewer lines
Sewer lines
The one job nobody should take on trust
A sewer line replacement is the most expensive thing on this page, and it is the easiest place in this trade for a homeowner to be told something they cannot check. So the camera goes down first, every time, and you watch the screen with the technician. If it is roots at one joint, you should not be paying for a new line.
What it costs
What it costs
The camera fee is credited against any repair over $1,000 that comes out of it. Locating, permits and county inspection are included in excavation work rather than added afterwards.
What the camera finds
Roots at a joint, not the whole line
Plenty of the older neighbourhoods in this county still have clay sewer pipe out to the street, laid in short sections with a joint every few feet. Roots do not break into a sound pipe, they find the joints, and once they are in they act like a net that catches everything going past.
That is usually a cut and a jet rather than an excavation. The line goes bad when it has settled into a belly that holds water, when a section has collapsed, or when so many joints are gone that fixing one just moves the problem. You can see the difference between those on the screen without knowing anything about pipe, which is the point of running the camera before the quote.
Signs it is the main line and not a drain
The lowest fixtures go first
A basement shower or a first-floor toilet backing up while upstairs is fine points at the main rather than any one fixture.
Gurgling in an unrelated fixture
A toilet bubbling when the washer drains means air is being pushed back through the line, which is a blockage downstream of both.
A patch of lawn that is greener than the rest
Over the line, in a dry spell, that is worth a camera. It is often the first sign of a break.
Questions
Sewer lines questions
You watch it live on the tablet with the technician, and we leave you a copy. If a company will not show you the inside of your own pipe before quoting a replacement, that tells you something.
No. It is credited against any resulting repair over $1,000.
Often, yes. Lining works when the existing pipe still holds its shape, and it costs less than replacement with almost none of the disruption. It is not an option on a collapsed or badly bellied line, and we will show you which one you have.
The lateral from the house to the main is the homeowner's, which is nearly always the section at issue. If the camera shows the problem is past your property line we will tell you, because that call is not yours to pay for.
Put a camera down it before anyone quotes
Tell us what is backing up and how old the house is. If a camera is not warranted yet, we will say so.
VA Class A #XXXX-XXXXXXX. Licensed and insured, with a 2-year warranty on parts and workmanship.