Frequently Asked Questions

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A cleanout is a pipe opening that is required to be installed on a sewer pipe for the purpose of cleaning, unclogging, and maintaining your sewer. There are different types of cleanouts in different areas of your home. The sewer cleanout that is most helpful for your sewer system would be one that would be located just outside your foundation and has an opening to the surface. Sometimes this cleanout will be in an access box which is flush with the surface. Through this cleanout, we can insert a video camera in order to check your sewer system and diagnose any problems. We can also use this cleanout to insert a hydro jetter or a drain cable for clearing or cleaning your sewer for maintenance or for unclogging it when it is backed up. Even though you may have cleanouts inside your home, having a sewer cleanout outside your foundation is highly recommended. It is important for diagnostic purposes, it is good so that if your sewer pipe backs up it will typically allow your sewer to overflow outside of the house instead of backing up inside your home. 

A sewer system inspection is typically an inspection of your sewer pipes under and possibly outside your home and all the way to the sewer mainline in the middle or the street. During the purchase of a home, a sewer system inspection is highly recommended. A cleanout outside the house on the sewer pipe is the most convenient and effective opening in the sewer system that can be used to access the sewer system. Most companies supply a written report of the condition of the sewer as well as a video recording which can be viewed on youtube or a DVD is sometimes provided. This is essential if you want a second opinion or if someone needs to determine the condition of the sewer and whether or not repairs are needed. 

A backup of sewage in your home is one of the most unpleasant experiences you will have as a homeowner. There are many different causes of sewer backups. Here is a list of various causes and how to avoid them:

1. Low flow toilets: Low flow toilets are one of the leading causes of backups across the nation. The problem with low flow toilets is that the amount of water flushed most of the time does not push the solid waste and paper all the way to your sewer mainline or to your septic system. The solid waste and paper sitting in your pipe will then cause what we call a soft clog and water will back up. The best way to avoid backups from a low flow toilet is this simple rule: If you go number one, flush once. If you go number two, flush two or three times afterward in order to provide enough water to force the solid waste and paper all the way out of your house and down the pipe to its intended destination.
2. Roots: Roots are a continual problem with older sewer pipes. Bad connections, old pipe that deteriorates, and aggressive tree roots can cause backups in your sewer pipe and into your home. The most prudent proactive strategy for maintaining your sewer system is to have it checked with a sewer video camera at least once a year. If roots are observed in your pipe, our best recommendation is to use our Hydro Jetter to thoroughly clean the entire four inch diameter pipe. The Hydro Jetter uses high pressure water to cut and clean the roots inside the pipe. The other option is to identify the location of the root intrusion and then simply repair the pipe at that location.
3. Other causes: Sometimes backups will be caused by objects that get into the sewer pipes that should not be there. We have pulled out toys, drink lids, rags, wet wipes, hygiene wipes, feminine products and other debris that can cause a backup. Grease is a big problem and can also cause backups. Never pour grease down your sink as it will solidify and restrict the flow in your pipes. Also, old cast iron pipe can rust and have buildup that restricts the flow and causes backup in a sewer pipe as well. Old cast iron pipes can be replaced with newer ABS Sch 40 sewer pipe that does not have problems with buildup.
4. There can be other causes as well that are unique and difficult to diagnose. Sometimes the sewer pipe will be damaged by someone digging outside your home and breaking or unknowingly damaging the pipe.

An onsite private sewer is the pipe or pipes that connect from your home to the sewer lateral at your property line. This pipe is typically a 4-in diameter sewer pipe and depending on when it was installed, is made of different materials. From the early 1900’s to the 1970’s, the typical material used would have been vitrified clay pipe, and sometimes cast iron pipe was used. Both kinds of pipe are prone to root intrusion over the years as it settles, cracks, and roots enter the pipe. Around 1970 both ABS and PVC style of pipe were introduced and since then a lot of the onsite sewer connections were installed using these style pipes, which have better types of connections and typically last much longer. 

 A sewer lateral is normally 4 to 6-in diameter sewer pipe, which extends from the city mainline sewer pipe, located typically in the middle of the street, to your front property line. The sewer lateral is a city owned pipe that serves your property only. Most cities require that a homeowner be responsible to maintain, repair, or replace the sewer lateral that serves their property. Even though the city owns the lateral, most cities do not maintain each individual sewer lateral. They only clean and service the mainline sewer in the middle of the street. Sewer laterals can be made from Vitrified Clay pipe, or sometimes they allow PVC SDR 35 pipe or ABS Sch 40 pipe, depending on which city or county has jurisdiction of that particular street. Sewer laterals can also be located at the back or side of a property, depending on where the sewer mainline pipe is located. Most cities and counties have sewer maps and know the locations of the sewer laterals. Special Public Works Permits are required to be obtained whenever a contractor repairs or replaces or installs a new sewer lateral. 

 A mainline sewer pipe is a large pipe, 8-in diameter or larger, located in the center of a street usually, which is a city or county installed and maintained pipe that collects sewage from the properties on the street that are connected to it by a sewer lateral. This mainline pipe is part of the overall network of pipes that collect sewage from the community and transports it to the sewage treatment plants owned and maintained by the city. 

A Hydro Jetter is device that employs a high pressure water jets which is proven technology for clearing pipes. This technology is much more effective than traditional sewer cable machines. It consists of a trailer or truck with a large water tank and a powerful pump, which pumps water through a hose at up to 4000 psi. On the end of the hose, there is a special head that rotates. This cutter head has laser drilled holes, which propel the jetter hose through the pipe and the forward holes pierce the clog or roots as the head slowly turns. With this technology, we are able to thoroughly clean the entire diameter of the sewer pipe. The effect of the Hydro Jetter is that it shreds the roots and cuts them into small pieces as it flushes it out of the pipe. 

A Pipe Video Camera is a high tech video camera specifically designed to be able to withstand the environment of a sewer pipe and give us the ability to see the condition of your sewer, drain, or leach line pipe. We use the camera to accomplish these two important functions.

1. Use with the Hydro Jetter: When Hydro Jetting, we use the camera to ensure that the pipe is completely clear. If we see a section that needs more work with the Video Camera, we line up the Hydro Jetter, pull the Video Camera back and then complete the cutting of the roots. Once the job is complete, we can check and document that the pipe is indeed clear and free of roots.
2. Sewer Pipe Video Diagnostics: This Pipe Video Camera is the best and most reliable way to inspect an existing sewer pipe. Often times, we can pinpoint the area that needs to be repaired, saving a tremendous amount of time and money. We also use the Electronic Locator (Sonde) with the Video Camera in order to determine the exact location of the problem area.

The Electronic Locator is a separate device that we use in conjunction with the Pipe Video Camera. When using the Pipe Video Camera, if we see a particular area of pipe that needs to be repaired or if you simply want to know where the pipe is located or where it runs, then we use the Electronic Locator above the ground to determine exactly where the pipe is. The way it works is that there is a transmitting device attached to the Pipe Video Camera lens and when the camera is in the pipe, we are able to locate and determine the depth of the pipe below the surface and the direction of the pipe. We especially use this when we encounter a broken, collapsed or damaged pipe and need to know exactly where to excavate, how deep the pipe is, and the direction the pipe is heading. 

A septic tank is a rectangular concrete box like structure, or a fiberglass submarine shaped structure, that normally has two chambers, a primary settling chamber and a secondary settling chamber. The main purpose of a septic tank is to separate the solid waste from liquid waste and to allow for bacterial digestion of solid waste. This is usually the closest unit to the house and the waste lines from the house flow into it. Some cities or counties require that an advanced high technology septic tank be installed. Tanks can go bad over time and will need replaced. That would be a good time to think about having your sewer hook up to your municipal sewer system if applicable.

 A riser is a large circular opening which is typically located on top of a septic tank, on a sewer pipe, on top of a distribution box, usually 18-24-in in diameter with a cast iron or plastic opening up to the surface or just below the surface, which give access to the unit below the surface for maintenance, inspection and pump-outs.  

There are many different types of drainage systems. Most drainage systems around a home collect the surface drainage and drainage from your roof downspouts and other runoff into drain pipes and then either to a larger storm drain or to the curb. There are also specialized drainage systems like French Drains. See below. In the area of surface drains there are many different types of collection systems. There are drain boxes both large and small, special trench drains, terrarium drains, and many other styles of drains. Most importantly, there will be pipes that connect these drainage collection devices to the area of disposal. 

A French drain is a special type of drain system that is usually installed behind a retaining wall or around a basement, or behind a lower garage wall or other subsurface structures, which allows any water that may accumulate behind the wall to flow into a perforated pipe and then out by gravity to a lower level for dispersal or to a pump system that will pump the water to a dispersal location. The French drain is a system that contains both gravel and a perforated pipe at the bottom of the trench. The gravel allows water to drain to the bottom of the trench and then into a perforated pipe. The perforated pipe carries the water to its intended location. If you need more information, feel free to call us at (509) 539-7130