Any Experience: Trenchless Sewer Line Repair Re-Piped?

[Nifty]

Here's the foaming root killer I'm going to try: http://amzn.to/1OsJgub

The reviews are really good and I'm hoping it will keep the roots away. For $20 every 6 - 12 months, it's hopefully going to be a great pro-active fix!

 

[Nifty]

Hmm... since we just got our sewer line cleaned I'm wondering if I should wait until there is a bit more growth before applying this stuff or just do it now?

 

[Britesea]

It sounds as if this is the right time to use it. A lot of the reviews mentioned that it doesn't work to dissolve a root mass, but is more of a preventive product.

 

[baymule]

Hmm... since we just got our sewer line cleaned I'm wondering if I should wait until there is a bit more growth before applying this stuff or just do it now?

I would probably use it a little more often to make sure the roots don't grow back in the line.

 

[Nifty]

A quick update:

I did my 2nd treatment of the root killer foam about a week ago.

There's really no way to know if it's working... I mean, maybe after a few years of constant treatment goes by without any problems I could assume it's doing the trick.

 

[Nifty]

Ugh, I got lazy and paid the price (which was $70)

I kept putting off doing more treatments. I kept thinking "oh, I'll do it when the roots are growing during the Spring" or "I'll do it after the roots have grown"... etc. So, the roots grew and the line backed up yesterday. I had to call out the rooter / snake to free it up.




While they were here, they offered to inspect my line with a camera and give me a quote on trenchless replacement. The terracotta pipe was in BAD shape and there were lots of places in the connections where roots were coming into the line.
The job is 66 feet of sewer line replacement and three connections (two by the house and one at the street). The quote for the work was $8,600

I really should get the line replaced, but part of me keeps thinking I could maybe get-by if I stuck to the cleaning / chemical process on a more regular basis.

 

[Britesea]

Well, y'know... the price will just go up, the longer you wait (just like everything else). We just had our septic tank pumped this year (managed to go nearly 8 years before we had to) and the price has more than doubled. Partly because there's only one place in the county they can dump now-- and it's 3 hours' drive away.

 

[Nifty]

Good points.

I'm going to get a few different bids. Hopefully I can find something a little less expensive than $8,600!!

 

[Nifty]

The lowest bid I've received is $5,500. The most recent company did a camera / video of the line and said it actually doesn't look terrible except for the root entry at various points in the terracotta line.

I'm very tempted to just pay to have the line rooted / snaked each year (regardless of if it's backing up) vs. having this whole job done right now. At $100 a time (even if I have to do it 2x a year) it's a lot cheaper than $5,500!

 

[Nifty]

Well, the $5,500 guy lowered his bid because:

1) We live on a private unpaved road, so his costs to repair the road went down
2) He was between projects and if I could get him in next week he'd do it for cheaper.

Due to this, he offered to do it for $4,500.

My brother had a good point that I'd have to get it done at some point if/when I sell the house, and it will be more expensive because a guy that's building houses down the street will be paving it, so the #1 item above isn't going to be a saving.

So, I had it done. Here's a pic of the pipe being pulled through the line: