Plumbing Rooter and Drain Cleaning Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Don't let your plumber rob you blind.
Flat rate pricing versus time and materials
How do I protect myself from bait and switch contractors?
Dealing with price issues.
Is one brand of water heater better than another?
What is the proper amount of water pressure?
Can a tank less water heater really save me money on my gas bill?
Tankless water heater problems.
How can I cash in on the government rebates?
What is the difference between cabling a sewer stoppage and hydrojetting a drain clean?
Why do plumbers charge so differently?
How can a plumbing company repipe a home in only one day?
What is trenchless sewer replacement?
Plumbing services that we provide
Don't let your new plumber rob you blind
Hiring a plumber can be a stressful, especially if you are facing a plumbing emergency. In order to make the process less stressful, it is best to start looking for your perfect plumber before an emergency situation happens to you. Before starting, ask your friends and neighbors for plumber recommendations before checking out the yellow pages.
Ask Questions – don’t assume anything.
Find out information about their company. How long has the company been in business? Do they provide full services that you need? Are they open for service during the hours that you need them? Does a professional person answer the phone or you leaving a message? These are important factors to consider when evaluating whether or not this plumbing company can help you during an emergency situation. By getting a grasp on the company, you are able to start seeing if they will be there when a plumbing emergency occurs.
You now need to find out more information about your plumber. Ask the individual whether they are licensed and what the license number is. Then look up that license number and check it out. A licensed plumber is important because they carry workers’ compensation insurance (check to make sure this insurance is listed under their business) and they also provide liability coverage. Unlike an unlicensed plumber, they have the ability to obtain all necessary permits for all plumbing jobs and, if something goes wrong, someone will pick up the bill other than you.
If they don’t have workers compensation listed under their business…run, don’t walk to the next plumber. Chances are they will be out of business next year and you run the very real chance of receiving high priced shoddy craftsmanship. 20% of all contractors go out of business each year during normal times. Right now businesses are dropping like flies. With the end of the business comes the end of your guarantee.
You should also find out if they are iin a professional trade organization such as the Association of Plumbers and Heating Contractors. Plumbers in the trade organizations are the plumbers that help write the codes that protect you and they are the plumbers that have been around awhile. They know how to deal with problems as they have already encountered them countless times in the past. They will treat you more like a friend rather than like a paycheck.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Deal with Price Issues Upfront Before the Work Starts 
The last thing you need to do before selecting your professional plumbing contractor is to question the price and scope of the work. Can you read the writing on the agreement? Does the agreement have a set price on it or a not to exceed price? Is the scope of the job easily determined by what is written? Many contractors send their plumbers to school to teach them how to write contracts that are open ended. Insist upon a contract with a fixed price.
The price issue is the most common problem your plumber has to deal with each and every day. He should answer all your questions and should be perfectly comfortable discussing pricing with you. You need to be comfortable with the pricing, so ask why, why is the price so high? The biggest complaint in the industry, aside from the plumber leaving a mess (if you ever have this problem with any of our employees here at The Empire Family of Services give us a call and we will get a professional cleaning crew to come to your home and clean up. This should never happen.), is the price complaint. It really doesn't seem to matter how much the job actually is either. So many people just spurt out that the price is to high without ever really thinking about what they are saying. To maximize your return on your investment and to obtain the most of amount of work for the least amount of money you need to know where your going and what your prepared to have done and this includes the price that you wish expend.
So if you say: "Your Price is too high." Be prepared when you are asked "How much do you want to spend today?" The better prepared you are, the less likely that you will overspend and this advice doesn't only hold true for plumbing, it holds true for any investment you will ever have.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Flat Rate vs Time and Materials
You can get ripped off both ways, but time and materials is built by deception at its core. It’s very nature is one of deceit. Let’s say you hire a plumber that says he’ll work for you by the hour and he picks a dollar amount that sounds very good to you, say $60 an hour. Yes, there are many plumbers still billing out $60 a hour. That was a good enough rate for the mid 1980’s and they decided to stick to it. Never mind that Xerox won’t even look at your photocopier for less than $275 a hour. The example job is a water heater install in a garage. This is listed at 3 hours labor nationally and you need to add 30 minutes in Southern California for earthquake strapping (Properly performed it really does take this long).
Your hourly plumber diagnosis your water heater as needing to be replaced and leaves to go get a replacement one.
1 hour service charge for the diagnosis. $60
Truck operational surcharge (TOS). $15
Supply house time and drive time 1.5 hours. $90
Mileage getting materials 5 miles at $1.50/mile. $7.50
Installation of the heater 4 hours (Why hustle when finishing early will cost you money?). $240
Clear aerators at each faucet in the home (a common callback). 30 minutes. $30
Material costs (All materials are marked up)
Water heater. $1,050
2 24” supply lines @ 47.50 each. $95
2 brass nipples @ 32 each. $64
Gas shut off valve. $48
Gas flex (gas flex’s must be changed per manufacturer). $52
Earthquake restraint kit. $68
Temperature pressure relief valve. $37
Pipe-couple for T&P valve (3/4" water flex lines are not allowed. T & P lines must be hardpiped.) $28
2 3” gas vent adjustable 90 at $15 each. $30
30” section of 3” single wall venting. $25
¾” ball valve shut off. $62
Water heater drain pan. $145
Piping, fittings for drain pipe installation. $44
Rags, solder, shop charge. $50
Water heater disposal fee. $150
Plumbing permit (required). $275
2 hour return time to meet city inspector. $120
Total cost for installation. $2,785.50
Yes I know some of these items will not be needed, but also some other items may be needed. The price is high and I would be concerned if I was the one paying for it. If we take this price at only $60 an hour and lift it to $125 an hour(closer to the cost of doing buisness), the price skyrockets to $3,240.50. This is a simple time and material contract. Another part of T&M that leads to deceit is tool rental. Anytime a power tool is used a charge is incurred. Your water heater leaked and got the area wet, so you need a carpet blower right? $90 a day, 2 day minimum. Was a vacuum used? $25 use charge. A sawzall? $25 use charge. And there are many, many more.
The State Legislature has set mandates for Time and Material contracts. A T&M contract is required to have a “not to exceed price” on it in writing. Open contracts are against the law. Since all home improvement contracts are required by law to have a flat, up front, or not to exceed rate on them, upfront pricing, call it what you will, is truly the only type of contract that is legal and fair to all parties involved. You know exactly what the price is going to be before the work is started. You can make an intelligent decision. Isn’t that they way everything should be?
Plumbing Supplies
Experienced plumbers will go out and purchase the best supplies to fit your job and yes, they are more expensive, but far cheaper in the long run as they are tried and tested in the field and will not break and flood your home. If you purchase your own plumbing supplies—such as sinks and faucets—you run the risk of them not fitting and wasting your plumber’s time to go out and purchase more or replcing them when they break. Never purchase your own angle stops or supply lines. It’s kinda like bringing eggs to Denny’s and asking for a discount on an omelet. Experienced plumbers will not buy off brand stops and supplies and will only purchase the highest quality. We see what happens when cheap plumbing supplies are used and it isn’t pretty. 10's of thousands of dollars in damge to the home. An honest upfront experienced professional plumber is key in getting your project completed quickly, safely and under budget.
The Contract or Agreement
Now that you have checked the background of your plumber and reached a price quote, you need a written contract spelling out exactly what should occur. Home Improvement contracts are required to have a 3 Day Right to Cancel. What this says is that you can have the work done and still not pay for it if you notify the plumber within 3 business days that you want to cancel. Yes, even if the work is done. Mind you, you must allow the plumber to remove their work and the plumber must return the home to a substantially similar state as when they arrived. “Substantially similar” is one of those lawyer terms that means just about whatever someone wants it to mean. You get to interpret it.
Look at the Fine Writing.
Most contracts have so many exclusions that the warranties and guaranties are worthless. I recently saw this line in 10 point type on the back of a re-pipe contract: “Customer accepts that should any provisions of the estimate on the front side of this contract not be accepted in full and paid at the time of completion that any and all warranties and guarantees are void.” The front of contract was for a re-pipe of a home for $15,300 and included an additional estimate for a tank less water heater for $8250 and a water pressure regulator for $325. If the customer does not accept the tank less water heater and the water pressure regulator, they have no warranty on their re-pipe.
Never use a big box retailer.
You really can't anyhow. Guess what. None of the big box retailers actually perform the work for you. They merely charge a percentage of the contract price, usually 15%, from the contractor that sells and installs the equipment. Home Depot has never installed a Trane Heater here in Orange County. Lots of other companies have. Most companies that work for the big box retailers give up working for them after few months. They foster a ruthless corporate environment and they care nothing for anything but the bottom line. If you have a contract by one of the big box retailers you really should read the fine print. By accepting the contract you given up all rights to sue or collect a single penny from the big box retailer. They legally wash their hands of you and you are merely purchasing the advertising service from them to connect you to this other contractor. Is that what you really thought you were buying? Guess what kind contractor uses a big box retailer? They are typically new contractors or contractors that have been unsuccessful in garnering work for themselves. They have next to no repeat buisness. They are here today and gone tommorrow. Its a big box revolving door.
The State of California mandates that all new construction in homes come with a mandatory 4 year warranty against obvious defects (defects you can see, hear, feel, smell) and a 10 year warranty against latent or hidden defects (typically structural, water leakage, etc.). The problem with this is that new construction, obvious if it’s new home, has never been defined. Is installing a water heater new construction? The problem with the 4 year obvious defects warranty is that small claims court only goes back 2 years with a limit of $7,500. You could have the case heard by the contractors license board which has a $25,000 limit and they will address the 4 year and the 10 year warranty provisions, but most cases are complicated and the board really wants to see bad contractors, not a latent defect that may or may not have been the fault of the contractor. Chances are your case will not prove gross negligence and the contractor won’t have to pay. You could sue in civil court, but the only real winners in that type of action are the attorney’s that will bleed you dry and leave you with nothing or less than nothing.
So, what do you do?
Make sure the contract specifically states that you can change your mind for the first year. We call it our 365 day test drive or the ‘I want think it guarantee.’ This takes all the guesswork out of picking a quality plumber. It eliminates all the fine print, no matter what it says, you are in charge. At anytime during the first year after the installation, you can simply ask for your money back and we’ll give it back to you. Complete details of this fantastic warranty are on the agreement and in writing. Never a lawsuit is needed. Why? Because you can send the contract and the request to our bonding company and they will have to pay you if we don’t. We are required by law to live up the terms and conditions of our agreements and if we fail to do so, the bonding company steps in. You are in charge and isn’t that the way it ought to be?
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
How do I protect myself from bait and switch contractors?
The number one thing you can do is insist upon a city or county permit. The only reason to skip the permit process, it's required by law, is to skimp on materials and skimp on labor. Believe me when I tell you that there are many areas where labor and materials can be skimped on, all to your disadvantage. The inspector works for you, the homeowner, and their job is to ensure that the installation is safe, up to code, and meets the installation standards that the manufacturer of the product has written.
Insist upon a written contract with an upfront price and a full detail of the scope of the work. Examples of contract writing that are not acceptable, yet commonplace are:
1. "Estimate to clear drain. $xxx". (in case the dollar amount is only for an estimate. How much is it going to cost to actually have the drain cleared? A better way and better contractor will write something this this; "Estimate to clear drain for kitchen sink from exterior cleanout. Includes 100 machine, using up to 75 feet of cable and up to 1 hours labor. Amount (tax, material, labor) $xxx." In both of these cases the plumber does not know if he can open the drain up or how long it's going to take. In example #1 the plumber could decide that he's worked hard enough after 15 minutes and then start upcharging you by using different machines or recommending digging up the line. In example #2 you know that you have at least one hour's labor to clear the line. Most lines will be cleared in about 15 minutes and this time allotment means that a very thorugh job can be performed. If the time is going to run past 1 hour, the plumber is now obligated to inform you and let you make the decision as to proceed or not.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Is one brand of water heater better than another?
Yes. The majority, nearly all, water heaters for sale today at most plumbing supply houses and all the big box retailers are made in Mexico where quality control has always been an issue. Bradford and White is made right here in the United States. Bear in mind that if you are buying a water heater with a warranty, be it 5 years, 6 years, 10 years or even 12 years your warranty is usually not worth the paper that it's printed on. That is because a solid company to perform the labor does not back it up. There are dealer fees to handle the heater, distributor fees to hold the heater, transportation fees and finally the cost to perform the paperwork and the actual installation. More often than not, the cost of the warranty water heater is nearly as much as the water heater cost in the first place. This is not the case here at The Empire Family of Services, Empire Plumbing, Drain and Rooter, because when you become an Ultimate Service Agreement member we carry the entire load of the warranty at no cost to you whatsoever for up to 10 full years. We are the only company here in Southern California that does this for our customers. If your water heater should fail in the first ten years we will fix or replace it for you at no cost to you whatsoever, even if the manufacturer charges us for it. Now that is a guarantee worth having.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
What is the recommend water pressure?
The maximum water pressure allowed in any home is 80 psi. Many of the build up areas, especially the hill areas, will see the water pressures as high as 175 pounds per square inch. This water pressure will tear apart the piping in the homes, break angle stops, explode supply lines and generally make the home a miserable place when anyone takes a shower. The water can feel like it is ripping your skin off. The water heater can burst. The valves and faucets n the home will scream when a little water is allowed to go through them. Because of these problems, a pressure regulator is required on the incoming water line to the home anytime the water pressure can exceed 80 psi. Water pressure regulators are factory set at 55 psi and can be adjusted up to a maximum of 75 psi.
If the incoming water pressure exceeds 100 psi before the water pressure regulator the home’s water supply must be equipped with an expansion tank. This is generally located by the water heater and should either be checked or replaced each time the water heater is changed out. The expansion tank contains a bladder that expands or collapses according to the water pressure in the home. This compensates for the expansion of hot water in the water heater and prevents over pressurization.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Can a tank less water heater really save me money on my gas bill?
Yes.
Demand (Tankless or On-demand) Water Heaters
Water heating accounts for 20% or more of an average household's annual energy expenditures so saving money on heating that water, or saving money on keeping it heated makes sense. Storage tank-type water heaters raise and maintain the water temperature to the temperature setting on the tank even if no hot water is being used. The heater will cycle on and off to maintain the proper temperature in the tank without regard to what is happening with the water supply. The flue on gas water heaters will continue cause a draft allowing cold air to circulate up through the middle of the heater cooling it down, even when not in use.
Demand water heaters, unlike "conventional" tank water heaters, only turn on and heat water when the water is being used. There is no storage tank. Once engaged, the heater delivers a constant supply of hot water. The output of the water is regulated by the capacity of the heater. This is why it is important to size the heater properly for the home.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Tank-less water heater problems
They have been mischaracterized as instantaneous heaters seemingly promising instant hot water at every fixture in the home. This is incorrect. Your hot water heater will actually take slightly longer to get to your faucet than with a tank type. A tank type water heater heats the piping above the tank by osmosis and therefore less cold water in the piping exists for you to expel at the faucet than with a tankless heater. A tankless also has to fire up or turn on. Once water movement is sensed, the burners ignite. They ignite quickly, but still a couple seconds goes by before the first hot water leaves the heat exchanger in the tank-less heater on its journey to your faucet.
Poor installation. Nearly every single installation that is not permitted is installed incorrectly and many times, dangerously. If you are replacing a tank type heater with a tankless heater the btu rating, the amount of gas consumed by the tankless heater, needs to be taken into account. A typical tank water heater uses about 33,000-45,000 btus of gas (45 cubic feet per hour). A typical tankless uses 199,000 btu’s per hour (200 cubic feet per hour). This does not mean your gas bill will go up. It just means that the tankless requires more than 4 times the gas to do the same work when the water is flowing. Tthe tank type does over the course of an hour or so.
Undersized gas lines. If the tankless is within 20 feet (this is pipe length as it is installed) the pipe can be ¾” in diameter. If the gas pipe length exceeds 20 feet the line must be upsized to a minimum of 1”. You almost never will be able to use the existing gas outlet for the tank type as the house gas system will not be large enough to handle the load. Having a gas line that is to small causes a dramatic reduction in the amount of hot water output and can cause a carbonizing flame to form in the flue. Carbonizing flames are like Tiki torches. They can cause the buildup of carbon in the flue, which can lead to flue fires.
Undersized gas flex lines. Each and every gas flex line has a label that states how much gas it is rated for. Normal flex lines are not rated for anywhere near enough gas for a tankless water heater. Many plumbers are now using CSST (corrugated stainless steel tubing) to substitute for the flex line enabling easier gas hookup than hard piping, but nearly everyone of them is using ½” CSST which cannot handle the needed gas input.
Misguided electrical. Let’s face it, most plumbers like electricity about as much as most electricians like plumbing. They do everything in their power to avoid it. We have a full electrical department with licensed electricians to ensure that the electrical is done properly. We do not allow our plumbers to install electrical systems. Cords are not allowed to be permanently mounted on the outside of the a home unless the manufacturer of the cord has rated it that way. I have yet to ever see a pigtail (cord) rated for permanent exterior use. The heaters must be hardwired in place. You cannot tap into the garage light to obtain power for the water heater. Lighting wiring and convenience outlet wiring are required to be separated in the home. Any plug in the garage or outside the home must be GFCI protected.
Bottom line. If your plumber tries to talk you out of getting permit for the installation of a tank less water heater run away, far away. The plumber doesn't know what he's doing and he is trying to avoid looking like the character that he is by not having the inspector check out his poor quality and ignorant work.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
How can I cash in on the government rebates?
We are here to help you and we'll start you down the right path to maximizing your tax incentives and rebates. In the meantime you can do some of your own research for your projects by visiting some of these links. Here are some helpful websites that enable you to maximize your rebate potential:
Federal EnergyStar Rated
California Solar Initiative
Southern California Gas Company Rebates
Southern California Edison Rebates
San Diego Gas and Electric Rebates
Anaheim Utilities Rebates
Metropolitan Water District Rebates
Database for Renewable Energy
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
What is the difference between cabling a sewer stoppage and hydrojetting a drain clean?
Cables or "snakes" can be used on lines or drains from 1-¼" to 6" in diameter. Our cables can reach inside a line up to 100 feet without problems and up to 200 feet in rare instances. If the line is longer than 100 feet, our 4000 psi water jet can do the job better. Cables are rotating springs and they can lose their strength to cut the stoppages out after about 100 feet. The water jet is effective on lines from 2" to 48" in diameter and up to 500 feet in length.
Water jetting is useful in lines that are subject to grease stoppages like kitchen sink lines and lines that have a high degree of sand or solids in them. Area drains, parking lot drains and most larger commercial drains.
The cable will remove debris eliminating the immediate blockage and opening the line. Our high pressure water jet will wash down the buildup on the inside of the pipe reducing the risk of further clogging problems due to buildup. With proper maintenance, you can keep your lines open and flowing.
After jetting the line we normally perform a free camera inspection to verify that the line is indeed clean and that it is free from any problems that could cause a stoppage in the future. The water pressure will not hurt the piping. The pressure is the pressure in the hose. Once the high pressure water leaves the hose the volume blows away any buildup in the drain the same way a pressure washer cleans your car or strips the paint from your home.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Why do plumbers charge so differently?
The vast majority of plumbers are not business minded people. Most have no idea how much it takes to stay in business. Most do not report their income properly to the government. Most are underinsured or not insured at all. Many still have their records organized in shoeboxes with no computer system whatsoever. Most work, illegally, out of their homes and most barely stay in business year in and year out. Not being business minded, the majority never save any money for retirement. They instead count on Social Security of which they are not putting in as much as should due to underreporting income.
The average plumber in the United States grosses about $250,000 a year with a net profit margin of less than 2%. The company owner makes about $50,000 a year. This has been true for more than 20 years. Every year about 20% of the plumbing contractors go out of business. Many go out just as soon as their vehicle experiences a major breakdown or they have an insurance claim and find that they can no longer pay for insurance at all. Many give up because they cannot buy or afford health insurance. Still more go out of business due to a health related reason. A broken leg can take months to heal and if you are the sole source of income for your company, your company goes under after only a few weeks.
If you are reading this article and you live in Los Angeles or Orange County, you have about 3,000 licensed plumbers within a 30 miles radius of your home. You have more than triple that number of handymen and unlicensed contractors in the same area. That is 12,000 competitors, most of which are barely staying in business living from job to job, and those competitors are the plumbers worst nightmare.
It doesn’t matter what price is given for the job, a lower price can be found and when you find that lower price, another lower price can be found and so on and so one. You can typically find that most work can be done for less than the cost of the actual materials. Strange, but true. Just yesterday we lost a bid for heating and air conditioning in a home in Huntington Beach. The proposal we lost to was clearly written and stated that they would provide and install a 95.5% AFUE heater, air cleaning system, 20 SEER condensing unit, coil, ducting and line set for $7200. The materials cost more than $6,500 on this job and it takes a crew to install it. There will be more than $700 worth of labor to install the system. So, given those numbers, how is this contractor going to pay his overhead, gas, repairs, rent, advertising and pay himself? I don’t know.
Just make sure you get an excellent plumber, because the low ball price leader won’t be here tomorrow to pick up their mess. Pricing jobs is wild and there is no rhyme or reason to the different proposal amounts other than ignorance.
A excellent plumber:
- Holds a current and active C36 (and C42 for sewers) contractor’s license with the State of California.
- Maintains active liability and workers’ compensation insurance.
- Answers your call with a live person during all working hours, not answering machine or service.
- Has the experience and expertise to handle your particular plumbing issue.
- Arrives in a timely manner and calls you with updates if he is running late.
- Arrives in a labeled vehicle.
- Wears a uniform identifying him. No shorts, jeans or beer chugging T-shirts.
- Explains the problem and solution in simple terms, and offers several options for you to choose.
- Provides a clear up front price for the work that you want performed.
- Comes prepared with the tools and parts needed to complete most repairs.
- Communicates with you during the job if your decision is needed on any aspect of the work. Remember, it’s your home, you are in charge, you are the boss.
- Cleans up after himself, leaving the area as clean or cleaner than when he arrived.
- Demonstrates to you that the work has been performed and explains it in detail.
- Offers a performance guarantee that is rock solid.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
How can a plumbing company repipe a home in only one day?
Go to your browser and type in one day repipe and look at some of the flashy websites. Many are advertising that they can finish your repipe in one day for about ½ the price of a plumber. If a plumber isn’t installing the new piping, who is?
Let me tell who is. Many years ago I sold a retrofit of 89 homes for repiping. This was under a manufacturer’s warranty. I hired a repiping firm to repipe them as we didn’t have the man power at that time. What a mistake. Terrible companies. Terrible work.
The corners they cut to get that re-pipe done in 1 day:
1. No compensation insurance on the crew. They have compensation insurance, but only for the leader of the crew. He is paid a flat rate to re-pipe the home and is the only listed employee. He then hires a crew to work with him. They are all illegal aliens and none but the leader spoke English.
2. No strapping. Strapping is crucial to the long term viability of the piping. The pipes rattled in the wall and we had to repipe all four homes that we contracted out a second time. We did the piping on the rest of the homes without subcontractors and have never hired subs since then.
3. Undersized piping. They pipe without regard to sizing the pipe. If the piping is undersized the water travels to fast through the piping when used and this causes noise and causes the piping to wear out. If water is traveling in the piping at more than 7 feet a second it takes the pipe with it. Water is corrosive. Check out the Grand Canyon sometime and you’ll see what I mean.
4. No company vehicles. The crew made it on time for the first home, but had car problems for the next three. Two of the workers even begged me for gas money.
5. No business license. We purchased the permits for the job, but the companies were not properly licensed and insured to perform the work.
If a company tells you that they can repipe your home in a single day steer clear of them. Quality takes time and your homes plumbing system is no place to rush through or cut corners on. Most repipes take several days to perform. A parallel set of pipes is installed the first day and then the water goes off the morning of the second day. It will be turned on by the afternoon. The third day is all about proper strapping, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning and the home inspection by the city.
Never have your home re-piped without a city inspector checking it out. Follow that advice. The average mold claim from a single leaking pipe here in California now exceeds $25,000. In two or three years when that re-pipe company changes their name again (they do it all the time to avoid litigation) your warranty and their insurance is gone.
If you failed to obtain a permit, isn’t that negligence on your part? Isn’t negligence the reason why most insurance companies are either denying the claim entirely or adjusting the amount downward as your culpability rises. Insurance companies will assess the blame for any given loss to as many parties as possible. Many insurance policies specifically name negligence on the part of the homeowner to safeguard the covered items under the insurance contract a voiding issue of coverage.
When you go to sell your home will the escrow be stopped pending city approval of the work that was performed on your home? A couple of years ago the law changed for real estate agents. Agents were generally the worst of the bunch. The only company they would ever use is the lowest price company in town and they would further try to negotiate that price lower throughout the entire course of the work. They just don’t care if the work was done properly. They just wanted the problems found by the escrow hired home inspector to be solved so they could sell the home. The selling owner will never care if the work is done properly as they are not going to live there. This led to serious work quality control and, of course, no city permits. After much litigation the legislature acted and now the law states the agent cannot have work done without permits and city inspection and they are personable liable for it if they know work was done without permits. Score a big plus for the new homeowner.
No repipe permit equals no house sold.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
What is trenchless sewer replacement?
Trenchless sewer replacement is not only a tried and tested method to replace your sewer but is the best method possible. Here is how it works. An insertion pit is dug at one end of the sewer line and a retrieval pit is dug at the other end of the line. Between these two points can be concrete, walls, plants, tress or just a hillside, it doesn’t matter as they won’t be disturbed.
The trenchless bursting head is inserted into the old sewer pipe. It look like a cone with a blade on one edge. A heavy aircraft cable is pushed through the pipe from the retrieval pit. A special high force (25 tons or more) hydraulic ram is attached to the cable and pulls the bursting head through the old pipe. At the same time, new polyethylene (high density polyethylene (HDPE)) pipe is pulled along behind the bursting head. Every 40' the pipe is fused together with a special pipe-welding jig that produces a joint stronger than the actual pipe itself. The HDPE pipe is so strong that I have actual seen trucks drive over the top of it without harming it at all. Our system can pull up to 200' of pipe with just two pits.
The new sewer pipe provides a continuous seamless sewer to the point of the connections.
Save your yard, save your hardscape, save time and moreover, save money. Our trenchless system saves everytime we use it.
Back to Top Call us Toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
Plumbing services provided:
- Residential - commercial service and repair
- Tree root removal
- Hydro-Jetting- high pressure jetting - high-pressure water jetting is the efficient, effective way to clean out accumulated buildup of sludge, sand, grease, and other debris from your drains and sewer lines-our advanced water jetting technique is environmentally safe, fast, and cost-effective.
- Install & repair sump pumps - sewer pumps
- Video camera inspection-sewer-drain-ducting-venting-this helps us locate and identify problems with underground pipes and lines, including broken pipes, obstructions and blockage, corrosion, leaking connections, and tree root intrusion.
- Leak detection gas-water-sewer-vent-freon
- Ultimate service agreements to save you money
- Drain cleaning - Sewer cleaning - including clogged sinks, clogged toilets, clogged bathtubs, clogged showers
- Garbage disposal repair - garbage disposer installation
- Install plumbing fixtures - Sinks - Toilets - bathroom faucet - kitchen faucet - shower faucet - hose faucet
- Copper repipe
- Gas repipe
- Waterheater - install - repair - tankless
- Condensation drain clearing
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Ice maker lines - dishwasher installation - washing machine - refrigerator
- and much, much more...
Study and after study has shown conclusiively that the lack of proper maintenance of your plumbing system is the number one cause of flood damage. And yet, your plumbing system, is the most often ignored. your insurance company know this and thisis why they deny so many claims when damages occur. they simply ask if you have a regular maintenance agreement for your home's plumbing system. Call today and sign up for your USA (Ultimate Service Agreement) and be rest assured that you are covered should anything happen.
Back to Top Call toll Free @ 1-877-247-6426
|
