Sewer Repair

Sewer Repair Done Right

Before we even begin discussing sewers, please note: DO NOT FLUSH WIPES-any kind of wipes. Toilet paper should be the only paper product being flushed. WIPES WILL CAUSE MAJOR ISSUES.

Over time MANY sewers experience blockages or breaks in the pipe that cause sewage to back up into a home or cause the inability to flush toilets or use water without back-ups occurring. Herr Construction specializes in prompt repair to get your water flowing freely again.

Homes Built in 1985 or Before are Vulnerable to Root Infiltration

Many homes built in 1985 or before could have clay tile sewer. Clay tile sewer is a pipe that is installed in short sections of only two or three feet long each. Short sections mean MANY joints. Joints increase the potential for root infiltration into the sewer. The joints in a large percentage of sewers fail allowing roots to infiltrate the pipe. Once roots get into a pipe (drawn by the water and ‘nutrients’ in the water) the roots grow fast and can cause blockages that are so large, and so bad, the only way to remove the blockages is with excavation.

When root growth is caught earlier, we have many TRENCHLESS methods of removing the roots WITHOUT excavation and we can perform these methods through the pipe. The trenchless methods include the cutting of roots, removal of roots, annual chemical treatment to prevent root growth, and lining, or permanently sealing the joints that are compromised and allowing roots in.

Sewer Camera Inspection Recommended for Homes Built Before 1985

Homes built in 1985 or before we highly recommend a sewer inspection with our state of the art sewer camera in an effort to catch problems early before they become an even bigger problem. If a root issue can be caught early, cut out, and sealed or chemically treated, it is much better than letting roots grow so thick that trenchless tools will not be able to help and excavation would be required.

Not all sewers are clay tile. But other older pipes have issues as well.

Concrete pipe also was installed in short sections, with lots of joints. These joints too are a weak link that allows root infiltration.

Cast iron pipe, a pipe used for MANY sewers has a host of issues that cause many blockages that Herr Construction is called to fix. Cast iron pipe becomes extremely rough on the inside, causing debris to collect and blockages to easily occur and re-occur. Things that accumulate very easily in cast iron pipe and cause blockages are grease, toilet paper, and WIPES. Cast iron pipe also can accumulate mineral deposits that are so hard you could not chisel them out of the pipe, it’s as if the mineral deposits ‘grow onto’ or become part of the pipe.