Your options
Line it or dig it
The two repairs people weigh most. Cutting and clearing is the third, and it buys time rather than mending the pipe.
| Dig and replace | Line it | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to the yard | Dig and replaceA trench along the line. We quote what goes back. | Line itA small pit at each end, usually where the cleanout is. |
| How long it takes | Dig and replaceUsually several days, longer under a driveway or a tree. | Line itUsually a day on site once the pipe is cleaned and the liner is cured. |
| What you have afterward | Dig and replaceNew pipe at the right fall, joined to the old at each end. | Line itA new pipe inside the old one, with no joints for roots. |
| When it is the wrong choice | Dig and replaceA sound pipe with one open joint that a liner could seal. | Line itA collapsed pipe, a deep belly or a pipe pulled apart. |
| Permits | Dig and replaceUsually needed. We pull it and list it on the quote. | Line itOften needed. We tell you before the price. |
What digging looks like
A trench is not always the bad news
When a pipe has collapsed or pulled apart, digging is the repair that works, and it is done once. We mark the line before we open the ground, call 811 first, and tell you the width of the trench and what is put back.
If a liner would work, we say so. If it would not, we say that too, and show you the frame that tells us.
Cut and clear
Buying time, honestly
When it makes sense
The pipe is sound, the only problem is roots, and you want to wait on a bigger job. We cut, run the camera again to check the pipe, and tell you what we saw.
A first-time backup
A house you may sell soon
When to stop doing it
If the roots are back every spring, you are paying for the same job each year. At that point the joint is the thing to fix, and we will say so.
Roots back within a year
More than one fringe on the line
Want our pick for your line?
Book the camera visit, and the note ends with the option we would choose and why.