DRAIN SERVICE
Rock Basements can inspect your drain with camera and suggest further action.
Our team can replace interior drain under basement slab as well as outside connection to city line.
DRAIN SERVICE
Entire house drain replacement costs $2000 - 12000 with excavation, drain replacement, backfill and finishing concrete inside the house.
Call for camera inspection at $500 for detailed examination of sewer line.
Types of Drain Services
Interior
Sewer lines that are blocked or damaged inside the house under slab are replaced with performance of trench excavation and finishing concrete slab after the work is completed.
Exterior
If the problem goes outside of the house and sewer line is damaged past the house boundaries, deeper trench needs to be excavated in order to replace it. Our team backfills it later and protects lawn in the process.
Requirements
by Rock Basements
1. Permit: Replacement of drains in Toronto requires permit. After new sewer lines are installed, inspector checks the slope and connections.
2. Drawings: If drains are being replaced as part of larger renovation process, we need a set of drawings to know where stacks and lines need to come out.
3. Basic Details: Most of the time sewer lines are being replaced on same location, but sometimes clients may want to implement changes.
4. Access: Once we have arrangement for work, we need to confirm access to property and parking.
Steps in Drain Replacement
Inspection
Before doing any work it is logical to fully inspect the problem of drain pipes.
We always recommend camera inspection. This will allow us to look inside the drain and go further towards city line.
There could be several issues with the line and solving one problem may not be enough.
Replacement
New drain pipe is placed in trench and connected from both sides.
Inspection is called for interior work with what we call "Ball Test" to make sure there is enough slope for natural downward drainage.
Old pipe is taken out and disposed with broken concrete and leftover soil.
Demolition
Prior to excavation Rock Basements needs to demolish literally everything that is on the way.
Inside the house, floor may need to be taken apart with demolition of concrete slab where digging will take place.
Outside work may require some parts of deck/porch to be taken out
Backfill
Now that new pipe is in and fully inspected we can start put dirt back in trench.
Gravel is placed all around drain pipe to make sure it does not move later on and slope is not disturbed when backfilling.
Typically there is soil left to take out due to new gravel and layer of concrete.
Excavation
Next we need to dig a trench, expose existing drain pipe with space to work around it.
Interior work is always done by hand, unless entire basement is fully excavated and we need to place new pipes.
If there is space outside, we may use small excavator for this stage.
Finish
When working inside we always finish with layer of concrete to match existing slab.
Clean up is done during outside and inside drain replacement. Tarps are washed and floor is swept with all bits and pieces going to garbage.
We want to leave the job site as clean as it was before we showed up.
How Drains Get Blocked/Damaged
Most Popular Reasons
1. Old Pipes: With age older pipes wear out and can collapse. even small cracks can lead to full blockage within few month.
2. Toilet Blockage: Flushing larger items into toilet can get it blocked. Luckily it does not always mean entire pipe needs replacement.
3. Kitchen Blockage: Similar to previous point, flushing parts of food and paper towels can lead to blockage of sewer pipes. Can be solved with Snaking.
4. Roots: Nearby tree and large bushes roots can get inside older clay or iron pipes. This will cause collapse of pipe with full blockage.
5. Soil Pressure: Sewer pipe outside of the house sits 6-8 feet below ground. Clay pipes can collapse under pressure after being there for decades.
When To Replace Sewer Line - Drain
Finishing Basement
Rock Basements strongly recommends replacing old drain pipe before refinishing or renovating basement.
This ensures extra protection for newly renovation basement and you wont have to completely take apart flooring with baseboards to replace clogged drain.
Underpinning
Another time when sewer lines are replaced is lowering the basement floor with excavating deeper than existing drain.
Honestly, there is no option to leave existing drain lines as they were. We need to replace drain simply because excavation is going below and we just need to lay new pipes.
Home Addition
Often enough we install new sewer liens during home addition. It may be rear addition or second floor top up with gut renovation.
During rear addition, new stack or washroom may need sewer extension, while second floor addition simply makes sense to add drain replacement into scope while its gutted.
Full Blockage
While previous examples were simply options that clients can choose to do as part of the project, blockage means at least snaking or fully replacing drain pipe.
With age, pipes tend to accumulate small debris and it just adds up to become complete blockage of sewer pipe.
Damaged Pipe
As previously stated, we recommend full investigation and camera inspection of entre length of drain pipe to see if it is damaged or cracked in some places.
If collapsed, damaged or cracked you need to replace it immediately to avoid blockage and backup to toilet and flood in your home.
Upgrade
Each part of the house should be inspected every 5 or so years. Clay drain pipes serve up to 30-50 years and it may be time to upgrade it even before it shows signs of damage.
Proactive measures are less expensive and can prevent additional costs of mandatory demolition in route of pipe.
Working with
Rock Basements
Quality Work
Rock Basements is know to take on jobs that others decide not to bid on. Our projects stand out and even unexperienced clients can see the quality of work we are doing.
For many years we work with general contractors and many home owners that appreciate our service and write positive reviews.
Ask our project manager about previous or existing projects that we can show pictures of and even visit.
Competitive Prices
We are not a builder or general contractor, therefore our prices are not assuming any additional costs, other than labour and material for drain replacement.
Rock Basements is able to provide best service, but stay within medium to low cost for the same type of work.
Call use today for free estimate and compare them to other drain replacement companies in Toronto.
Warranty
All the work we provide has warranty for material and installation. It depends on size and type of work.
Average job warranty by Rock Basements for drains with associated additions is 25 years.
During estimate, our project manager can explain more details and answer all question about how this job is going to be warranted and what steps to for home owners to take.
Clean and Professional
Every drain replacement project we take is treated like our own property in terms of cleanliness and respect for occupiers.
Outside excavated dirt is always placed on tarps top protect lawn and not to mix with existing landscape. Afterwards we sweep and wash driveway if it gets dirty from drain replacement.
Interior jobs are treated even better. Rock Basements makes sure that each client is happy with our cleanup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Interior drain installation or replacement requires city permit. Inspectors want to check if it is properly installed with correct slope towards city main line.
Exterior drain repair and replacement does not require permit and even inspection when renovating the house. However, during new construction, both interior and exterior lines and connections are inspected.
Always take pictures of your work before backfilling.