OMG! I was getting so overwhelmed by trying to deal with this 1940's plumbing and the drain back…read moreups. I decided it was time to do something about it. I had cleaned up human excrement for the last time! I'll stick with dog poop in the yard, thnk you very much! I had my normal place come out to clear it out, and he told me that he could not get past a large root clump this time. He maybe had weakened it a little so that it will slowly drain, but not cleared. So I went on the mission of how much is this nightmare going to cost me, and EFF homeownership! My estimates started from $1600 all the way up to $28,000 for clearing and lining or repairing/replacing, etc. The whole array of services. So who tf do I believe? After many arguments, err I mean conversations with my husband (who "thinks" he can fix things, ahem), I made an executive decision to start with hydrojetting, and see what we can clear out and what,if any, damage there actually is to repair, and how bad the situation actually is.
That's how I came to Drain Mob. Actually, that's a big fat lie. One of the places I had come over for an estimate told me about them. So that's when I called Drain Mob. I set up an appointment, and in the beginning was a little frustrated that my window had passed and the technician still had not shown up. The company was in contact with me and let me know that the job prior was runnung longer. Whatever, I'm just zoning out anyway. Once he showed up, he introduced himself, Caleb. He apologized for the delay and said that the job was a lot more involved than anticipated. I laughed and told him this one would also be.
Caleb was AWESOME! After I explained everything I knew to him and everything that had already been done/tried/DIY'd, he explained the procedure to me and got to work. He explained every step as we went along, and described everything we were seeig on the camera. HOLY S&%$ Batman! My drains were horrendous! I have a good amount of large trees and shrubs, and it certainly shows inside them. Also, it was discovered that I still have original 1940's terracotta pipes! WT-actual-F?! He was able to clear all those stupid Holly roots out of the way, and clear it to the city sewer line. Now I have an idea where it runs also. We then went the other way since the cleanouts we were working on were kinda midline. Going the other direction towards the house, it was disovered (again) that there was a cap, and the line had a Y connector. Putting ttwo and two together, this must have been the "root plug" the other guy couldnt get past. Huh. Caleb was able to angle the camera up the Y connection and follow it into the SLUUUUDGE. Herego, kitchen drain. I went inside and started running various faucets until he saw it on the camers so we could see exactly where everything was connecting to the main line. He of course hydrojetted this portion as well.
Turns out, the old cast iron clean out and pipes that would flood the backyard that we all thought was the original problem, wasnt the problem at all. That system appears to be a safety backflow to flood the yard instead of the house if there is a back up. As it did. No one had looked into anything else. I just kept being told that replacement or lining the pipes was what needed to be done. Thank you, Caleb! You took the time to explore it all and make sure we knew exactly where and what everything was. The delay was worth it. The time you took to make sure you had everything cleared out was to my own OCD/ADHD standards!
If you need your drains cleared of roots, call these guys, and request Caleb (sorry to anyone else I didn't work with)! You might wait a little longer, but you will see why as he spends as much time that is needed to finish the job properly and not in a timeframe. Give this guy a raise!
And he loved on my dog, who wanted to be his friend- bonus points!
