The sewage pipe of my 50+ year old house was clogged again last Friday night. This is the 3rd time it happened in the last year and half. The previous plumber just used snake to clean the pipe, and charged $600 in total. This time I decided to try a different plumber to get a different opinion. I called one plumber who has the biggest ads on the Yellow Page, but he didn’t show up on time, when I called to follow up, my talk was cut, then I called again, I was put on hold indefinitely. So I called Mr. Rooter because I remember my next door neighbor used this company before. So we made an appointment for next day at 9:30am. Almost an hour later, the 1st plumber showed up, took a quick look, used the camera, and of course, could not see anything due to murky water in the pipe. He did some investigation, marked the place where the camera stopped, and told me the pipe could not be cleaned, had to be dug out and replaced, which would cost $2000. I decided not to proceed because I was not satisfied with the investigation. I need to know what caused the problem, since the last time the plumber cleaned out the pipe was only 5 months ago! I decide to wait for Mr. Rooter.
Next day morning shortly before 9:30am, I got a call from Mr. Rooter to confirm the plumber was on the way, which made me feel good – professional! At 9:30am, Sean Moreland from Mr. Rooter showed up right on time. I told him everything, including the 1st plumber’s work, and I told him I don’t want to pay another $200 for camera inspection. But Sean told me he needed to see inside the pipe and would not charge me for the camera. Of course same result, Sean could not see anything either. So he went outside and found the breather. He opened up the cap and took a quick look, then to my surprise; he told me he was confident he could clean the pipe for me at no charge. Then he brought out a long plunger from his van, inserted into the breather, and plunged many times. All of sudden, the water in the pipe got drained. Then Sean used the camera again. This time, the camera clearly showed the condition inside sewage pipe. And I could see why the camera stopped at 40ft. There was a U trap right outside my house foundation, and that explained it! The U trap is full of tree roots and mud, literally clogged the trap! It has to be dug out! I was very satisfied with the finding, and Sean also patiently explained to me that the cost of replacing the pipe could be reimbursed by the city. So the decision is a GO.
A couple hours later the crew came onsite to dig. It took 2 big guys a good few hours to reach the pipe (about 9 ft below). They not only replaced the sewage pipe trap, but also 5 ft storm water and weeping tile (which I didn’t expect), and installed 2 cleanouts. So basically, for the same price of $2000, they fixed the sewage, storm water, and weeping tile. During the work, they used rubber covers to protect the wall, so there is little dirt left.
After the pipes were replaced, but before the back fill, Sean used camera through the newly installed cleanout to show me the condition of the remaining pipe, which was also invaded with tree roots. He gave me an estimate to replace the remaining 18ft clay pipe. But due to the high cost, I decided not to go for it. But Sean didn’t stop here. He told me there is a less expensive option after back fill, which is to line the inside of the clay pipe through the clean out. I was very please to know at least I have an option in the future, in case the tree roots situation gets worse, or my financial situation gets better.
Here is another surprise, the next day morning, Sean called me to follow up to ensure the job was done to my satisfaction, and checked if the city inspector showed up or not.
Basically, I am very satisfied with the professionalism and the work that Mr. Rooter, especially Sean Moreland, has done to solved my problem. I definitely will share my experience with, and recommend Mr. Rooter (especially Sean) to my neighbors who also have the same tree root problem.
