What actually warrants a repair
A break, a collapse, a joint that has separated, or a section that has lost its grade badly enough that cleaning cannot keep it clear. Those are structural problems, and no amount of maintenance resolves them.
Repeated blockages, on their own, are not on that list. A line can clog four times a year and be structurally sound, and in that case the answer is to remove what is causing the clogs rather than to replace the pipe carrying them.
Seeing it before deciding
Excavation is expensive and disruptive, so the standard we hold ourselves to is simple: you should see the footage of the fault before you agree to anything.
If we cannot show you the specific thing that requires the work, we have not made the case for it. That applies to us as much as to anyone else quoting you.
Spot repair against full replacement
A single failed joint under a driveway is a different job from a lateral that has deteriorated along its whole length. The first is often a spot repair. The second may genuinely need the line replaced.
The camera is what separates them, and the difference in cost between the two is large enough that it is worth establishing which one you have.
Trenchless against excavation
Depending on the fault and the condition of the host pipe, lining or bursting can sometimes avoid a full dig. What is possible depends on what the camera shows, and it is not always possible. Anyone offering a method before looking is guessing.
What a fair quote contains
The specific fault, its distance from the house, footage you can watch, and a plain account of what would happen if the line were cleaned instead. If any of those is missing, ask for it before agreeing to anything.
Getting a second opinion
On a five-figure quote, a second look costs very little by comparison. We are comfortable with you getting one, and we would suggest the same about anybody else’s quote including ours.
