I had a sewer backup and called the Drain Rescue. I had the problem a year earlier (previous Spring) and I had called another company to come and clear the routes and the problem was fixed for the year.
When the plumber came to my house, I was quoted 375$ for a camera examination of the problem and for the blockage to be cleared. The plumber needed to remove the toilet to access the plumbing and then showed me the route blockage with the camera. He did not, however, clear the drain and instead only poked a small hole through with his camera he also said that the 'main trap' was underneath my floor. He then replaced the toilet. He told me that I could only use very minimal plumbing until a piece of pipe underneath the floor (where he thought the main trap was) was replaced so it should be done immediately and that if I signed off on him to do the work, then he would refund the clear/examination fee. He then told me that a valve was too old on the toilet he had removed and it was now leaking so it could not be used and he turned the water off on the toilet. He said he would only fix it if he was coming back to do the larger job (which he also insinuated could turn into an even larger job upon examination). These pressure tactics were enough to raise my suspicion so I researched local companies (which I should have done initially) and had two additional plumber assess the situation.
Both plumbers agreed that there was no way that there was a 'main trap' underneath the house and that it is definitely possible to clear the roots from the pipe (the Drain rescue plumber said it was impossible because of the size of the access). Not wanting to pay for another camera and wanting to have the problem solved for good, I hired another company to come and replace the piece of pipe. They were able to predict what the plumbing was like (prior to digging it up) and were kind and informed. They looked at the toilet valve and saw that all that it needed to stop leaking was to be turned with a wrench (it took them two seconds). They also said that the pipe could have easily been cleared instead of replaced and I should have been presented with this option as well. I believe the above facts speak for themselves so I don't think I need to tell you my own opinion about the company. While I waited for another company to come do the job ( incidentally companies recommended were overbooked because of recent flooding) I could not do laundry or dishes or properly use the toilet because the toilet was not actually cleared. I called to talk to the manager twice and left messages and they were not returned.
Plumbing problems are inherently stressful - in this case the problem was made much more so because of the above.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $400.00
- Company Response
Dear Ms. Suz Mills, you definitely have a building trap, so hopefully the company you hired dug far enough to remove it, also if they did remove your toilet they would have seen how small of an access point there is and they would have told you the same as our technician. The root cutter is 3 3/4 inches wide and your toilet flange is less than 3 inches wide, your floor drain only 1 inch.
So your information is false.
Our technician offered a free valve with the work, not that we would only fix it if you went ahead...
The valve on the toilet, the washer is failing that's why it leaked, tightening it is not the solution and will leak again soon.
Our technician in no way told you any misleading information, and it's a shame the other company took so long to fix it, we would have been there the next day.
We also noticed when looking through the City of Hamilton building permit search engine that the other company you hired did NOT pull a permit, which is required.
We really do hope that they removed the building trap, because it is there.