FIG. 05·Sewer Lines · St. Louis
Sewer Lines
Camera survey, locate, repair and replacement of the lateral. In a city with mature trees and clay pipe, this is the job that bites hardest.
When to call
What it looks like from your side.
- Repeat backups after the drain has already been cleared once
- More than one fixture affected at the same time on the lowest floor
- A patch of lawn that is greener or wetter than the rest of it
- A mature tree within about twenty feet of the line
The method
How we do it.
You get the price before we start, not after we finish.
01
We survey the whole run
Camera from the cleanout to the main, recorded, with depths and distances marked. You get the recording whether or not you use us for the repair.
02
We show you the specific defect
Root intrusion, an offset joint, a belly, a crack. These are four different problems with four different prices, and lumping them together as 'the sewer' is how people get overcharged.
03
We price open-cut and trenchless side by side
Trenchless is not always cheaper and not always possible. You get both numbers and what each one does to your yard.
Questions
About sewer lines.
Is the lateral my responsibility?
In most of the metro the property owner owns the lateral from the house to the main, including the part under the street. Rules vary by municipality, so we check yours before quoting.
Can roots be cleared without replacing the pipe?
Often, yes, and that buys real time. But roots come back to the same joint, so we will tell you roughly how long a cut will hold rather than sell it as permanent.
Book it
Get sewer lines scheduled.
A written price before anything starts. If it is actively leaking, call instead of filling this in.
Other services
What else we do.
Dispatch
Something leaking right now?
A person answers, day or night. If water is moving, call — that is always faster than a form.