Ask a Cleveland Plumber: When is Excavation Necessary for Drain Service?

The short answer is that when debris is allowed to accumulate in your pipes to the point where cabling takes an excessive amount of time to complete or traditional repairs cease to be cost effective, excavation may become necessary. If 20-30 minutes of drain cabling with a variety of cutting heads only succeeds in clearing away some debris, but failing to actually open the line for business, it’s time to make some important decisions. It often deemed impossible to determine the full extent of the debris—specifically how much a given blockage has been burrowed through by the cabling process and how much is still hindering normal pipe flow.

When we cable a problematic drain line and continually run up against an obstruction, we will usually draw out our cables and re-attempt the process a few times before we turn our focus to the values of excavation. Now, this is always a last resort for us, but the unfortunate truth is that some drain clogs are too far gone or stubborn to be solved through normal channels.

You Know You Need Excavation If:

The cable is retracted from the line for inspection and mud or clay is found on the cutting head. When a sewer line breaks, rain and groundwater will commonly wash mud and clay into the line, causing or contributing to an obstruction. This is a common indication that the line itself is collapsed, punctured or otherwise damaged and therefore can likely only be repaired with excavation.
When a drain lines collapses, shears or root infestation is too large, the only reliable solution is exaction and partial or complete replacement of the entire line.

Excavation should always be a last resort to the experienced drain cleaner we will strive not to disturb your property unless we determine it is the absolute only way to solve your drain problems. Call Pompeii’s Plumbing and Heating today to learn more or to schedule an in-home consultation.