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Frequently Asked Questions

General Plumbing

If you have extensive landscaping on your property, you aren’t the only one. Here in Tacoma and surrounding areas, root intrusions from trees and bushes are the number one cause of sewer mains needing to be repaired. This is why we specialize in trenchelss sewer repair. Our Pipe Burster and Pipe Lining equipment allow us to replace entire sewer pipes with very little digging, only an access point rather than opening up an entire trench.
Yes we make sure that it is working every day after we leave the job site, but we do ask you to not flush the toilet while work is in progress.

Sewer Video Inspection

A clean out is an access point to your sewer. They are usually located around the perimeter of the home within 2 feet, or in the basement. Sometimes it will be located below the landscaping, so you may have to dig a little to find it.
Yes! If you have a clean out we can access your sewer from either just outside your home or from inside the basement. If you do not have a clean out, the only other way to access your sewer main is to pull a toilet. Pulling a toilet to gain access to a sewer is more expensive. This is due to the cost of replacing disposable parts such as the wax ring seal and mounting bolts w/ supply tube. Any replaced seals are warrantied for one year.

Pipe Re-Lining

It all depends on the situation, but usually it comes down to what is the best solution for the customer cost wise. Most of the time it is cheaper to Pipe Burst or Open trench a sewer replacement in the Tacoma area, than it is to Re-Line it. This is because the material cost are so much higher with this method. But when your situation calls for this technology, Harts Services has the equipment available so that we are giving the best solution for each individual situation.
The cost to re-line an entire sewer can very drastically depending on depths, street material (gravel vs asphault), and length of replacement. Most residential sewer mains in the Tacoma area are between 50 to 100 feet, with an average cost of between $8K to $15K.
If you have a shared sewer line, or you are connected to your neighbors sewer line in the City of Tacoma, as of January 1st 2016 you must be separated from your neighbors line and be connected to the city main sewer independently.

Sump Pump

The short answer is yes. However, if it is the middle of summer with little to no groundwater infiltration to the sump basin, you may have a problem. Give us a call and one of our technicians can come out and diagnose the problem.

Drain & Pipe Cleaning

After every drain cleaning, we perform a complimentary camera inspection to verify the cause of your blockage. This allows us to pinpoint any major problem areas and give you permanent solutions to your problems.
This varies depending on the drain line, and piece of equipment used. Harts Services is capable of cleaning drain lines from 1.5 inches to 12 inches in diameter.
If we are unable to clear a blockage with a cable machine (snake) we have a hydrojetter that essentially pressure washes your sewer line. This can take care of almost any issue unless the pipe is broken or collapsed. If the sewer pipe is collapsed or broken, the only option is to dig it up and replace that section.

Pipe Bursting

The cost to replace an entire sewer can very drastically depending on depths, street material (gravel vs asphalt), and length of repair. Most residential sewer mains in the Tacoma area are between 50 to 100 feet, with an average cost of between $7K to $12K.
If you have extensive landscaping on your property, or any structures like a garage or sidewalk built over your sewer main, pipe bursting is your best option. Pipe bursting will create the least amount of damage to the ground because we only have to dig 2 access holes to pull the new sewer pipe through. Also if your sewer pipe is made from Orangeburg, we are unable to re-line this type of material, so pipe bursting is your only non-trench solution.
If you have a shared sewer line, or you are connected to your neighbor’s sewer line in the City of Tacoma, as of January 1st 2016 you must be separated from your neighbors line and be connected to the city main sewer independently.

Pipe Boring

Pipe Boring is not the only option, but it is usually the most efficient. The other option is to dig a trench, which will disrupt the landscaping.
The average cost to bore an entire new water main for residential use in the Tacoma area is between $3K-$5K. The price depends on the length, depth, and other utilities that need to be crossed.
Yes, while your new water main is being pipe bored or installed, the water to your house will need to be off. Almost all water line jobs are finished within the same day we start.

Hydro Jetting

Usually hydro jetting your mainline sewer will take from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the situation and condition of your sewer pipe. If you have an outside cleanout we can do the job without you there, but we recommend customers always being onsite during a drain cleaning so that when we do the complimentary camera inspection, they can see what is going on in real time.
Most of the time we will start with a snake or cable machine to try and clear a blockage. But when there are many root intrusions, or grease build up, we have to take it up a notch and use the hydrojetter. Because the hydrojetter pushes water at 18 gallons per minute at 4ooo psi we are able to cut through roots and grease to restore flow to any sewerline that has not been collapsed.
The only reason you could not hydro jet a sewer mainline would be, if it is collapsed or broken. In this case we will be able to give you a solution to dig up and repair at minimum the section of pipe that is broken. This will restore flow and give us the ability to diagnose the remaining pipe to the city connection.