Mrs. Rodriguez had experienced her sewer backing up into the house over the years but never twice in one week. It was time for her to contact a licensed plumber to evaluate why her drain pipe was backing up more frequent.
First a sewer snake was inserted into the house sewer trap and could not get through at the 12’ mark, which put him directly under the front lawn. Next a large size blade was installed and was able to get a few more feet out, reaching the 22’ mark which was under the roadway. Finally a camera was installed into the pipe which displayed a large amount of roots throughout the sewer pipe, in addition to an old clay pipe with many cracks throughout. At this point it was suggested that the homeowner replace the sewer line from her house, out to the street where the city sewer was located.
She had inquired about repairing the pipe in the location where the roots were most sever, she was very concerned about the financial aspect of replacing her sewer line and thought this was more cost effective. She was quickly advised that repairing the pipe in one location would not solve her problem for good, it would serve as a temporary solution and she would end up spending thousands of dollars in the near future for another sewer repair.
The excavation for her new sewer line began the following Monday at 8AM. Mrs. Rodriguez was advised to use her water sparingly over the weekend and even sleep at a relative’s house if it was possible. The first stage of the excavation took place on her property and the new 6” cast iron pipe was installed and inspected by the DEP on the very same day.
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Digging for new sewer installation |
Installing new cast iron sewer pipe |
The next day began the roadway excavation where the on-site crew had to dig down almost 12’ in the roadway before reaching the depth of the city sewer. After all of the holes were shored up, the crew began preparing the grounds for the new cast iron pipe installation which was completed and inspected the same day.
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Safety First! |
Working around roots |
The new sewer line installation was completed in two days leaving another relieved and satisfied Queens homeowner.
What could have happened?
Many times a homeowner will ignore the warning signs and continue to “clear the sewer line” until it has truly reached the point of failure. A scenario like this requires emergency service where some NYC plumbing contractors may take advantage of this and charge a premium for “emergency services”. There is also a risk of ruining the basement if your sewer backups are bad enough and have been ignored for an extended period of time.
