What the work is
A self-leveling camera goes down the line from the cleanout or a roof vent and records the whole run. You get the video. Not a still frame chosen by whoever wants to sell you a replacement, and not a description over the phone.
With a locator we can also mark on the ground exactly where a defect sits and how deep, which is what turns a trench into a single pit.
This is the piece of work we would most like every homeowner here to buy before anything else, including from someone other than us. Everything expensive downstream of a sewer problem gets decided on the strength of what is on that recording.
What is included
- A full camera run of the main line from the cleanout or vent
- The recording, handed over in a form you can keep and send to anyone
- Locating and marking any defect on the surface, with the depth
- A plain description of what is on it, in writing
What is not
- Any repair. This is a look, and the look is priced on its own
- Running a camera through a line so blocked the camera cannot pass. That gets cleared first, and you approve that first
- A guess at remaining life. Nobody can give you a number for that honestly
Buy this before you buy a sewer replacement from anybody
A sewer replacement is one of the most expensive things that can happen to a house here, and the guide below explains why the same job costs more in this county than it does in Salt Lake. That is exactly the situation in which you want the evidence in your own hands before you decide.
If someone quotes you a full replacement without showing you footage, ask for the footage. If they will not give you a copy, that tells you something.
What to ask anyone quoting this, us included
- Do I get a copy of the recording, and in what format?
- Where exactly is the defect, and how deep?
- Is this one spot or the whole run?
