O/T Rooter Rooter Cleaned my drain, and wallet

37 chief · Dec 22, 2009

My daughter lives in a old house on our property. The drain got plugged this morning. Just when I am about to drink my first cup of coffee I get the dreaded call, toilet will not drain. I usually run my flat snake through the line and it cleares for a while. Someone stole my snake the last time I used it, while I left it out to dry. Rooter Rooter was called, arived late. Charged me 225.00 to run a snake down the main line took all of 10 min. But they did run a camera down the line and found roots. So I said mark the camera line pull it out and I can measure it and I will know where the roots are. The guy said it will cost more money for me to mark the spot where the roots are. I told him I will find the spot my self. Tomorrow is another day. stan

Zube Stumbo · Dec 22, 2009

They have their own "plumbers" that they pay $12 an hour to dig up your yard and run a little plastic. They will wait for you to call them back for a quote. My mother in law has the same problem, but the sewer is 9 feet in the ground, and if I rent a small excavator to do it you can be sure the city inspector will find out and I will have to jump through hoops to get it done.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 22, 2009

Does sound like you didnt get a great deal. He should at least have given you a freebe on marking the roots. The camera is probably an extra cost, never had that one. I have had great luck with them locally. Have a drain to the septic that plugs every few years and the last time the guy worked so long and hard for the agreed $125 i gave him a $20 handshake and thankyou. Caused me to look at the tank carefully and I finally figured it out as an original installation problem with the tank.

greenbeanman in Kansas · Dec 22, 2009

While I don't know that it is proper, in decades past I read that a person can prune invasive tree roots by putting a small amount of herbicide in the toilet with the last flush of the night.

The water/chem mixture gets to the roots and with it not being further diluted by more flushes it burns the ends and keeps them at bay a little longer.

BOWTIEIH · Dec 22, 2009

9' IN THE GROUND,BE SURE TO USE SHORE BOXES

Mark - IN. · Dec 22, 2009

I don't know about where you're at out there Stan, but the rental places by me have them and have 50' or 75' extensions too. I don't recall what they cost, but not that much. Them babies are heavy too. Woo hoo. Ruin a friend's day too. One guy on the back of the truck to guide it off of the gutter, one guy up on the roof to guide it down the vent stack. Just make sure its long enough with extensions to get to the septic tank or city sewage main, otherwise gotta pull it all back out and drive down to the rental place to get another extension with goopy stuff all over you while your buddy sits up on the roof calling you names under his breath. But, calculate it right the first time and you and your buddy can have it all wrapped and wound up in an hour or so, then be drinking a couple of beers and wiping goopy stuff on each others shirts. Its called...male bonding. As Tim "Tool Time" Taylor used to say, "Ooo, ooo, ooo".

Mark

IaGary · Dec 22, 2009

Stan get some copper sulfate.

It worked for me.

Mark - IN. · Dec 22, 2009

By the way Stan, if you ever dig that up, put yourself in a cleanout access near the house if its code by you, and don't know why it wouldn't be. Sure makes it easier than going up on the roof and down a vent. Can still have a buddy come over for a beer, goopy stuff, and male bonding. "Ooo, ooo, ooo".

Merry Christmas.

Mark

da-bees · Dec 22, 2009

As they say "I feel your pain". I deal daily with all the building trades and plumbing trade has more undesirables than all other trades combined.

GA Dave · Dec 22, 2009

Charged me 225.00

Their motto. "Your $#!t is my bread and butter" David..............

Anonymous-0 · Dec 22, 2009

There one of things that when you need them, you need them. We used to get our septic pumped out every few years. The last truck said, "You dump...WE pump".

Walterdavies · Dec 22, 2009

I called my local guy he charged me $95 to clear my bathroom Sink. I tried everything to no avail he was cheap at that price.
Walt

Gun guru · Dec 23, 2009

I wont call these places anymore. I was taken to the cleaners several years ago by Mr. Rooter. They charged me $160 for 15 minutes worth of work. The guy was in and out in under 30 minutes.

Then a few years later I was the maint. manager at a company and the main sewer line was clogged due to feminine products, well I called another Rooter type of place and I had to stay late at work to make sure this bozo did the job correctly. I dont remember the total bill but it was very high and he demanded that he have a company check upon completion, he couldnt send an invoice. (I got my bu## chewed for that one)
These sewer cleaner companies are total a$$holes.

El Toro · Dec 23, 2009

You can rent those power snakes from Home Depot
for about $50.00 for an 4 hour rental. It may be higher now. They do a fine job even on roots
if they're not hard wood. They come in different length's. They are quite heavy to handle. Hal

Anonymous-0 · Dec 23, 2009

Take out any trees within 30 feet of the sewer line. The problem will go away overnight.

omahagreg · Dec 23, 2009

We have a plumber locally that pays his guys on commission! EVERYTHING is an extra, and if they have to go back for same problem, their plumber gets paid NOTHING! I would never use a plumber that is paid like that! They also will do wall/ceiling patches afterwards. Friend of mine asked me if I could patch a 2'x2' ceiling for less than $750.00! I said that I could, time and materials was about 25% of their quote! Man oh Man-what's a guy to do! Greg

Flurette Farm · Dec 23, 2009

I don't know stop and think about it. At 1st glance it seems like a lot of money but consider some things.
How far did he come?
Did he walk?
Who furnished the equipment?
His gas.
He has overhead also.
Do you want to muck around in other peoples sewer pipes all day?
I don't think he made all that much for your peace of mind. ......

Anonymous-0 · Dec 23, 2009

I have to disagree with those who think it's o.k. for him to charge extra to mark the line. If he ran it down without your asking him to, he should be willing to donate that.

Harvey Brinker · Dec 23, 2009

I too have gone the Home Depot route and rented one of their units. Worked fine. But they are a bit dangerous to operate. You don't want to use your bare hands,,,on all the slime and filth. So you use gloves,,,,and with that turning shaft,,,,whamo...so easy to get the glove caught up like in a PTO shaft.

So you can save a few dollars,,,but just be sure it does not cost you a few fingers. Best of luck, Harvey

davpal · Dec 23, 2009

Were you not the guy who was charging somebody $500 dollars an acre to disc a field or $500 dollars an hour to brushog a field on here a while back out in California? Seems like I remember something on here about that. Something about how things just cost so much more where you live. Might have been somebody else but I thought I remember it being you.

KF · Dec 23, 2009

One of the local septic pumpers has on his truck, "A straight flush beats a full house".

Anonymous-0 · Dec 24, 2009

Build an outhouse, If the pit fills up ,dig a new hole and slide the house back.Outhouses work by gravity,foolproof.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 24, 2009

Old saying comes to mind.Depends on whose ox is being gored.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 24, 2009

Friend had a problem with his pump.No water at times.I looked at the gauge, cant read it so I take the cover off the pressure switch. points are wide open and in bad shape.I ease the lens of the pressure gauge, says zero.Itell friend a new gauge is 8 bucks,pressure switch is 15 20 bucks.Ive done a lot of pump work over the years,used to keep pressure switches , gauges, and motor capacitors on hand.Did a lot of business with the old timers but the younger generation thinks the old farmer in overalls is a dummy.I tell my friend, lets go buy the parts.He stalls so I go home.He calls a licensed plumber from the next town.I hear the plumber has a check from my friend for 500 bucks and is trying to cash it in local stores.The store keepers know the check is good but refuse to cash it.They smell a rat.One calls my friend and tells him to stop payment on the check.Friend does call another plumber and gets an honest job done at a reasonable price.I would have changed the parts free.Friend is now po at me.I reminded him that 30 bucks would have done the job.

Bus Driver · Dec 24, 2009

Watch the rooter guys closely and you will notice that they do not bite their fingernails.

Deano4863 · Dec 25, 2009

Stan, Sounds like this has been an ongoing issue. If your in fear of the "dreaded phone call" why have you not fixed the problem?
It sounds like it would have been cheap to have the guy mark it for you and save you alot of future time and money. Knowing roto rooter they ran a real drain machine that removed the roots and not just pushed the stoppage past them like your flat tape did. The guy also did you a big favor in that you now know you have 1 trouble spot and not the whole line. That camera costs alot and it sounds like they ran it for free. I charge $180.00 to run a drain machine and an additional $150.00 to run the camera and provide a dvd. I charge another $150.00 to locate and mark the spot and determine depth and direction. At that point I can give you an exact bid for repairs or you can do it yourself. Prior to this technology we would tell you our labor rate and ask you to leave a blank check on the table because I had no idea what we would run into or how long it would take. Stan this next statement is not aimed at you. For every story I hear about some crooked contractor I can tell you multiple stories about crooked homeowners who ripped me off. Merry Christmas. Dean, 30 year plumbing contractor.

O/T Rooter Rooter Cleaned my drain, and wallet

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