In October/November 2015, while researching sewer lateral replacement options, I contacted Northeast Sewer and Drain about pipe lining (CIPP) and pipe bursting as an alternative to trench work. They had written information on the processes on the website; also a short, very instructive animated video on the CIPP process, and the filming of an actual CIPP installation. All of it was very helpful in understanding the work that needed to be done. In the end trench work was required at my property because the sewer lateral was laid very deep, and they do not handle that type of work, so I worked with another contractor.
On 11/09/2015 I emailed Kelly Dearborn asking if she could schedule a video of the line and they fit me in the same day. I called her and we confirmed for this afternoon. Tyler came around 3PM. He was a pleasant fellow. I took him down to my cellar and gave him a synopsis of the problem. I showed him the mark on the sidewalk that Keith of Eco-Clean had made indicating a break. He said that Keith was very good at his job. I liked that Tyler didn't knock the competition. I told him there was exterior clean out, so he decided to video from there. It was immediately apparent that there was standing water, and close to the top. He said he can't video through that, but surmised that there's a clog and a small amount of water is getting through. We discussed options. He said I'd have to do some digging no matter what and that it might be possible to pipe burst from the property edge to sewer main, but it's not possible to know until you open it up. They don't do excavation work - they typically work with Dearborn Construction for that; he said that I could shop the excavation around but that not to buy the cheapest because you can have problems later. Tyler said that usually the entire line doesn't fail, the line fails in sections. I told him that I want the line starting from the 24' PVC line installed by the previous owners to the sewer main repaired/replaced, not just the failed section. We discussed CIPP patches as opposed to CIPP liner. He stated that patches are stronger, have creater crush strength. He indicated that that is preference - he personally thinks they work well in certain situations. They come in ten foot lengths, and they overlap them slightly. He said it might be a possibility to use this but that it was unlikely because the pipe has to be round. We'd discussed Orangeberg sewer lateral while in the cellar - I told him that the house was 68 years old, and the lifetime of Orangeberg is typically fifty years. He said that Orangeberg is basically newsprint paper and tar, and that it's done well to hold up this long. When it fails, it tends to cave in. He discussed pipe bursting with me. He said as long as you can get the line through the pipe, you can pipe burst it. He charged me $100 less than quoted ($150 instead of $250), probably because the video was not possible.
On 11/11/2015 in the afternoon Kelly Dearborn called. She indicated that they had been in my area, and popped manholes to look at the sewer main. She indicated that the sewer main in Saint John Street is on the opposite side of the street from my house. She indicated that when they lay sewer mains, the position is determined by other things that might already be in the road, such as gas pipes, water pipes, and ledge (granite). Also she indicated that the sewer main is laid about 14 feet deep - so there is a drop from 7'11" at my property line (more or less) to 14 feet at the main. For this reason she does not think that it was possible to use the pipe burst approach because of the way that my sewer lateral feeds into the sewer main. So NE Sewer & Drain bowed out of the job. She stated that Eco-Clean was correct, trenching is the way to go in this particular situation. She indicated that Les Wilson (the excavator that works with Eco-Clean) is very experienced. She said that if I wanted to obtain other quotes, she could recommend Dearborn Construction (contact Lindsay) and Gorham Sand & Gravel in Buxton - both have thirty years experience. I liked that she didn't knock the competition, and that she recommended quality companies to do the trench work required.
Both Kelly and Tyler were enormously helpful in educating me on the options and explaining the work. They understood that it was a bit of a crisis situation and helped me promptly. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Northeast Sewer & Drain, and I wouldn't hesitate to work with them on other drain issues. read more
