Before you book, and after the screen

The pipe. Roots enter through a crack or an open joint that was already there, because the water and nutrients inside are what they are looking for. Taking the tree out does not mend the pipe, so ask us before you pay for removal.

The run from the cleanout as far as the camera goes, the video, and a written note with the distances and what we saw at each. It does not include cutting, digging or repairs. The charge is quoted when you book, and it comes off the repair if you hire us for it.

Some lines stay clear for a year or two and some need cutting every spring. The camera tells us which kind you have, and we will not promise a number we cannot see.

Usually you own the line from the house to the connection at the main, and the utility owns the main under the street. The rules differ between Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield, so ask your utility, or call and we will tell you what the camera shows at the connection.

Yes, where the locality requires one, and we tell you which before you sign. Digging and replacing a sewer line usually needs one. We list the permit in the written estimate.

A collapsed or badly offset pipe can stop it. We note the distance where it stops, and that is a finding too. We will tell you what we think is beyond it and what would show us.

A pipe made of tar-soaked wood fiber, sold for house sewers from the 1940s into the 1970s. It softens, goes oval and can collapse. If the camera shows it, we say so, because it changes which options make sense.

The quote says where we would dig, how wide, and what is put back. Sod, plantings and hardscape are listed as included or not, line by line, so there is no surprise at the end.

Ask any contractor for the license number and look it up on the state board's site. Ours is in the footer of every page, with a link to the lookup.

Sewer and drain lines only: cameras, cleaning, lining and sewer replacement. For water heaters, fixtures and water lines, call a plumber who does that work every day.

Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. After hours the phone goes to the on-call technician. If sewage is coming up in the house, you get a call back, and the night rate is quoted before the truck leaves.