Excavation Contractors That Replace Sewer Lines - Colorado Springs Consumer Alert

Online, April 24, 2011 (Newswire.com) - One of the least glamorous parts to owning a home can be proper maintenance of the plumbing, especially the sewer and drain lines leading away from your property to the main sewer or septic system. Excavation contractors that advocate replacing sewer lines sometimes face a conflict of interest. Every homeowner should be aware of certain things before allowing the digging to begin. Excavation contractors are often called to inspect sewer lines after a drain cleaning service is unable to clear a clogged drain. Since the piping is underground the condition of the line can not be visually inspected without the aid of special equipment. Miniature cameras can be inserted in the line giving the plumber critical information about any blockages or breaks in the line itself.

"It's not unlike a colonoscopy for your home," says Robert Schubert of Affordable Rooter Inc., a plumbing and drain service in Colorado Springs that also specializes in the excavation of sewer, drain, or water lines. "We can see with amazing accuracy just what's going on in the customers drain system and what the extent of the problem is. It does take some training and experience to identify certain things that may not be obvious to the customer, however" Schubert explains.

This is where the sage advice of getting a second or third opinion becomes critical. If your excavation contractor says the line is broken and needs to be replaced then he is considered the expert, right? Unfortunately, he may either misdiagnose the problem, or, there can be a conflict of interest due to the large amounts of money that can be made on such a project. Lisa Schubert, co-owner of Affordable Rooter, remarks, "I can't count how many homeowners have called us for help after they were told their sewer line would need to be replaced at an astronomical cost". I always ask them if they were charged to run a camera through the line, and if so, did they get a DVD copy that we can review for them? Their answer is almost always, "Yes, we were charged for that service, but we never received a video copy for us to keep."

In order to give a proper second opinion, Affordable Rooter Inc., of Colorado Springs, will run their own camera, review it, and give the customer a copy. They are then able to confirm the original opinion, or offer other alternatives. "It's like anything else these days, Mr. Schubert remarks, you want to get as much life out of a car, or appliance, that you can. Sometimes replacing the line is necessary, and we will beat any written estimate to give our customers the best value. But in many cases, the life of the system can be lengthened through more frequent rootering."

So, especially in this recession, homeowners should be aware of the alternatives when faced with a major plumbing repair. They should always get a second, or even a third, opinion before authorizing work to be started. A special comment from Robert is that the same logic applies to what is known as "trenchless" sewer line replacement. So excavation contractors in Colorado Springs, beware, we'll be watching you!