//Quick answer
- One bad joint, crack or short belly with sound pipe elsewhere: spot repair.
- Failures spread along the line, or material breaking down everywhere: replacement.
- Sewer replacement is priced by the length of the line; trenchless varies by job. Neither is quoted online.
01Definition
What is a spot repair?
The camera locator marks the failed section on the surface, a small excavation opens it, the section is cut out and replaced, and the rest of the lateral stays in service. It is the fix for a single problem in an otherwise sound pipe.
What is a full replacement?
The lateral is replaced from the house to the connection, by excavation or, where the conditions allow, by a trenchless method. It is the fix for pipe that is collapsed, back-pitched, or failing at many points, where a spot repair would only buy time.
02Which fits
When is the spot repair the honest answer?
When the camera shows one bad joint, one crack or one short belly and the pipe on either side is in good shape. Replacing sound pipe is paying for something you do not need, and Done-Rite says so.
When is replacement the honest answer?
When the failures are spread along the line, when the material is breaking down everywhere, or when a belly runs long enough that correcting it means most of the run. At that point the spot repair is the expensive option, because it is the first of several.
//What it costs
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Video camera inspection | Free | The problem on screen before any repair is quoted. |
| Sewer line repair (spot repair) | Call for pricing | Quoted after the camera inspection. |
| Sewer line replacement | Varies by length of line | Per linear foot. Quoted on site, never online. |
| Trenchless / pipe lining | Varies by job | Driven by access difficulty and the location of the break. |
Sewer replacement and trenchless work have no published flat range and are never quoted online.
Financing available with terms up to 10 years. Ask the office about Enerbank, GE and Wisetack.
//Side by side
Spot repair
- Fixes the located problem only
- Smaller excavation
- Keeps sound pipe in service
- Buys time only if other failures are coming
- Not for collapsed or back-pitched lines
Full replacement
- New pipe end to end
- Corrects grade on excavation
- Ends the cycle on a failing line
- Priced by length; larger job
- Permit and inspection; more disruption
03What goes wrong
What goes wrong without the camera?
A replacement sold for a joint problem, or a spot repair sold on a line that fails again two feet away. The picture is the protection, and it is free.
04Proof
- A camera goes down the line before anyone quotes a drain or sewer repair, and the camera inspection is included with the $99 drain snaking.
- When a job needs a permit, Done-Rite pulls it and schedules the inspection.
- Six plumbers averaging more than 9 years in the trade each, plus a General Manager with 25+ years.
- 1 year minimum warranty on labor. Manufacturer warranty handling varies by manufacturer.
05Action
Get the picture, then the quote
Free video inspection. Sewer replacement is priced by the length of the line and trenchless varies by job, so both are quoted on site. Sewer work usually needs a permit; Done-Rite pulls it. Financing is available with terms up to 10 years.
//Keep going
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//Terms used in this guide
Where this applies
Done-Rite runs these calls across Orange County from its shop in Anaheim, CA, with no trip charge in any city it serves.
Common questions
Often, yes. If the rest of the lateral is sound, a spot repair is the honest fix. Full replacement is for pipe that is collapsed, back-pitched, or failing along its length.
Orangeburg, clay and badly scaled cast iron, because they fail along their length rather than at one spot. A camera look on an older Orange County home tells you which material you have before anything is quoted.
Usually not for wear and age; sometimes for sudden damage. Check the policy. The camera footage and the written quote are what a claim needs.
