Any sewer cleaning warrantee? sewer block due to roots twice in 4 days?

Any comments or advice are greated appreciated.

Short verison: Is it reasonable to be charged twice for two services that were 3/4 days apart for clean sewer blockage due to roots? Later camero (4 days after 2nd service) showed the line only have one small area with fine roots.

I can provide more info if anyone is interested.

A line SHOULD be clear for at least a few MONTHS after a proper clearing. Ive cleared lines Every year for some customers But never more, A camera is a good step to discover if there are additional problems.

perhaps a different plumber. They Should be using Thick cables 1" i Dia At least and the proper head selection is important.

Did they CARRY the drain auger in ? if so then they didnt use the right one for this job. ( by carry I mean 1 guy carrying the unit itself cables not included, )

A k-50 is too small for main line blockage to be Completelly fixed usually, you need the larger 1500. ( usually if severe )

Thank you for replying. Very useful info I will use that when I argue with them again.

I don't have the details about the auger unit.

Could it be that they see the first service just as clearing the blockage - as far as the blockage at that moment was gone, they do not care how much is left behind ? Is that normal in plumbing business? We talked witht he supervisor twice and that was what I got out of him . Anywhere I can complain? Thanks!

Any good reputable company should stay behind there work, they should have left you some warranty after they
completed the job unless specified.
The camera job showed no major problem or a brake only few roots.
I have been cleaning drains for more then 20 years and I always leave warranty min of 30 days unless the pipe is broken or separated.
Usually takes 8 to 12 month before another episode of backing up recur
I must agree with Liquid about how the job should have been handle.

I would contest the second payment and would hire a reputable contractor.

I've used units that clear sewer lines and I carried it in on my own, 5/8 and 3/4 (I believe) sized cable one example is my profile pic, those Spartans work well and they can be carried in with one guy. And I've used General drain cleaners as well with good results. However I don't think it's fair being charged twice that close together at all. Like liquid said yearly maybe but shouldn't be much more than that.

If they did not specifically state that a warranty of whatever length of time came with the original cleaning, then you probably won't have much luck getting satisfaction.

Personally, I offer 6 months on all drain cleaning except for augering a toilet. That is, unless I can tell something is wrong with the line that I can feel my cutters catching on and I can't get it to smooth out. That tells me that there is a break, a really big root, improper fittings, or the like. I also charge by the hour, and take the time to do a thorough cleaning.

Complaints such as this are rather common when dealing with the low priced drain cleaning companies. Either that, or they aggressively push expensive repairs and replacements that aren't always needed. Either way, no company can stay in business long doing thorough drain cleaning calls for $59 or $79.

Thank you all for replying. Very appreciated.

The first service technician mentioned the root would be back, in more than one month. No discussion about warranty (how I know better).

Talked to the head of operation of the company (James) 3 times and he refused to give any credit. He insisted that the service were legitimate work and need to be paid. He also stated that we refused to have the camera service on the 1st day so they won't know which snake head to use and if the line has been thoroughly cleared. Since he uses 'legitimate' as the criteria if a service need to be paid, I don't know what else I can say. I still have the option to talk to the owner of the company - James told me that the owner knew about this and is on his side. I can leave a bad online review (had never done that in my life).

We were charged by the hour. First time about $105. Second time (Sunday) about $210 (1.5X plus travel time). And wasted time on contest ...

The upside is I gained quite some knowledge about drain cleaning from you guys. Thank you!

Not sure how a plumber from AU is going to help in this situation but who knows.

Shelia,

I don't know what location or area you live in, but roots are foreign objects that should not be there. Every time you cut the root out it will come back eventually. My company that I am with I'd we pull back roots we cannot warranty it because that means the pipe is broken somewhere at the access of the root.

Broken line =no warranty

Once you get a camera down there for inspection and locate where or how many broken areas, you should either repair the section or replace the line.

No plumber should tell you that you should never have a problem whether he hydro Jett's it or cables it . It makes no difference the roots will come back and there will be a point in time that a plumber cannot clear it.

The only way to permanently clear roots is to replace the sewer line with plastic pipe. If you have roots, there's either breaks in the pipe or you have old clay pipe that uses no sealant. Trees are after whatever nutrients they can get outta the sewer water and will continue to thrive on it. We would die from it but it keeps trees alive for a long time

Thanks all for all the input. We hired a camera service, The root was only at one place - 'located a break approx 2' under house by the cleanout'. When they said break, it only meant they saw roots at that section. Nobody can tell if it was a crack or joint in the PVC tube. The repair plan was replacing a section of the the sewer line. The estimate to repair was around $650. I asked them go ahead and do it.

When they started the work, they found that the sewer line was going through the footer of the foundation instead of below it. They will have to dig all the way down to work under the footer. Thus the original estimate is no longer valid... they think it would likely double the cost to do the work now...

Checking into relining option now.. Any comments/suggestions are appreciated!

Re lining in my opinion would be the last option. Just because its still the old pipe. They just line it with epoxy. With the joints separation still there or the roots still there. To me it's not really a viable option.

Do it right and and do it one time. If you cheapen out or try to cut corners it will bite you.

That's just my two pennies....

Relining will be considered a permanent even if the host pipe deteriorates. Most lining materials are rated at 50 years plus, similar to pvc pipe.