Tag: Williamsport

How Difficult Is It to Replace a Broken Sewer Line?

Posted on by Larry & Sons

The sewer line that runs underneath your home and joins the municipal sewer line down the center of the street is buried in a trench. Nobody wants the sewer system of their home near to the surface, so this is the right spot for sewer line placement. However, the location does present a problem when it comes time to replace a worn-out sewer line that is starting to develop breaks and leaks. It seems like it would take an immense amount of work to reach the broken pipe, remove it, and put in the new one.

The good news is that 1) current technology has made this job much easier, and 2) you don’t have to do the work yourself. All you need to do is contact Larry & Sons, Inc. and ask about our Williamsport, MD trenchless pipe replacement services, and we will take care of everything for you, fast and accurately.

How Trenchless Technology Simplifies Sewer Line Replacement

It was once very arduous to replace and repair sewer lines, and for plumbing companies that don’t have access to trenchless “no dig” technology, it still can be. The job requires using power digging equipment to rip open a trench across the property, from the street to the edge of the house, in order to access the sewer line. The work requires days to complete and makes a homeowner’s yard look like “No Man’s Land” on the western front of World War I.

Trenchless pipe replacement has removed all of this and uses instead horizontal pipe inserts and hydraulics to perform the job. The only digging necessary are two small excavations made near the point where the sewer pipe crosses the property line and one nearer to the house. The technicians disconnect the pipe from municipal system, then attach a hydraulic device onto it. From the other point, the technicians detach the sewer line from the house and place a replacement pipe liner inside the old pipe. The hydraulic device then drags the liner all the way through the damaged pipe. A “pipe-splitter” cone travels through the new lining and expands it, shattering the old pipe and replacing it.

After the pipe replacement is finished, the technicians only need to fill in and re-landscape the small excavated area, leaving behind little trace of the work done. The entire process requires only a few hours.

Not all plumbing companies have the equipment or the training to perform trenchless pipe replacement, which is why you will still see lawns ripped up to have the work done. You can save yourself the time and the expense by making sure you go trenchless in Williamsport, MD for sewer line replacement.

Larry & Sons, Inc. is a trusted name in plumbing and has been for 50 years. We’ve kept up with the technology, and offer trenchless technology for your underground pipe replacement needs.

Common Repairs You May Need for Your Septic System

Posted on by Larry & Sons

For homes that do not have access to a municipal sewer system and waste treatment plant, a septic system is indispensable for removal of wastewater from a home. As with any waste disposal system, a septic system must remain in good repair so that it works efficiently, keeps your home and property clean, and does not cause health risk from exposure to bacteria and waste solids.

Septic systems will need occasional repairs, although with regular septic tank pumping and maintenance you can avoid the majority of malfunctions. You certainly do not want to tamper with your septic tank, septic lines, or the drainfield on your own, so call up the local septic repair service in Williamsport, MD: Larry & Sons, Inc. We’ve helped plumbing in our community since 1960.

Some Common Septic System Repairs

  • Emergency tank pumping: A septic tank requires pumping at least annually to remove the solid sludge that develops along the bottom of the tank as it filters out waste from the water before moving it into the drainfield. Sometimes a tank will need to have immediate pumping because the level of sludge has risen high enough to block the intake and outtake lines, leading to sewage backing up into the house or entering the drainfield and then rising up through the ground.
  • Fixing drainfield piping: The pipes of the drainfield that distribute the water after it passes through the septic tank can sometimes break because of shifting in the ground, the growth of tree roots, or construction on the ground above. Pipe problems in the drainfield will cause severe drainage issues. The drainfield will need excavation to repair the broken pipes.
  • Replacing broken septic baffles: The baffles inside a septic tank are designed to prevent solid material from exiting the tank and entering the drainfield. The baffles can become damaged from sulfuric acid or rust, and when this happens you will need professionals to replace them. Septic baffle problems are often early warning signs of a full septic tank failure; your technician will be able to tell you good long term solutions.

At Larry & Sons, Inc., we handle a full range of services for septic systems, from maintenance to complete replacements. We can determine if you will benefit from repairs, or if the time has come to install a new septic tank. Give us a call whenever you need septic tank services in Williamsport, MD, or to arrange for regular maintenance and tank pumping that will give your system a long and useful life.

How Does Video Pipe Inspection Work with Drain Cleaning?

Posted on by Larry & Sons

Drain cleaning may sound like a simple process, which is why many homeowners make the mistake of using store-bought bottles of chemicals to do the job. But no professional plumber uses these “cleaners” in his or her work: they are caustic and can severely damage the interior of drainpipes. Instead, dedicated professionals use an array of other tools to take care of cleansing drains to reduce the risk of clogs and high water pressure.

One of the important modern devices used in drain cleaning is the miniaturized camera. When you contact Larry & Sons, Inc. for drain cleaning service in Williamsport, MD, we will use special video pipe inspection equipment to provide you with targeted and effective cleaning that will leave your home’s pipes pristine and undamaged.

How Does the Video Pipe Inspection Method Work?

The basic set-up of video pipe inspection is a miniaturized camera, LED light, fiber optic cable, and video monitor. The camera is mounted, along with the LED light, at the end of the long and flexible fiber optic cable. The plumber snakes the cable down a drain or other access point deep into the plumbing. The camera sends a video feed back to the monitor, giving a clear image of the interior of the pipe.

Using this visual information, a plumber can discover exactly what needs cleaning, how best to clean it. This takes away the guesswork of drain cleaning: the plumber will know which method to try, and also where to apply it. This is especially helpful with problems in sewer lines, since it allows the plumber to see if roots have entered the pipe and if they can be dealt with using non-invasive procedure that will not require any digging. Video pipe inspection helps prevent unnecessary work that takes up time and money… and could lead to damage to your house.

Trust to Drain Cleaning Professionals

Although you can find video pipe inspection equipment for sale at some specialty websites (almost any professional-grade equipment is now available this way), it is both prohibitively expensive and too difficult to use. Unless you are a trained plumber, you will not be able to analyze the images on your own and come up with solutions to your drain cleaning problems. Save yourself time and money when you’re in need of professional drain cleaning or other plumbing services in Williamsport, MD.

You will have a hard time finding plumbers with more experience at cleaning drains than Larry & Sons, Inc. We are now in our fifth decade of service to the community. Give us a call today to schedule your next service appointment with us.

Williamsport Plumber’s Guide: Reasons to Consider a Drain Tile System

Posted on by Larry & Sons

A drain tile system uses perforated pipes to move water away from the foundation of your Williamsport home. The primary reason for having a drain tile system installed is to prevent water from collecting in your basement.

Water can get into your basement in a number of ways, often through cracks in the foundation introduced during construction. Water in the soil or runoff from a hard rain may enter these cracks and accumulate in the basement. Water leaking from the underground water supply lines could also collect in your basement. You have little control over how much water is absorbed by soil or how much it rains, but you can prevent it from flooding the basement of your home.

When you have a tile drain system installed, or to be more specific, an exterior tile drain system installed, your home is protected from such leakages. The other reason for considering a drain tile system is to avoid water leakage from the walls. Water seeping out from cracks in the walls may collect at the points where the walls and the floors meet, causing moisture or humidity to build up in the basement. Over the years, this may cause significant damage. So the drain tile system is the most proficient method to protect the basement of your home from all sources of water.

How does it work?

Water will always follow the path of least resistance. Because of this, drain tile systems are made up of a collection of selectively perforated pipes. These pipes are installed along the path that water would take when heading towards your basement, so that when the water reaches the pipes, it will simple flow into the holes and follow the pipes away from your home. Basically, the water is redirected to a public drainage system through a sump pipe.

How a Williamsport Plumber Installs a Drain Tile System

  1. First, they dig a channel around your home using heavy equipment till you reach the foundation.
  2. Set a water filter to avoid blockage due to sediment.
  3. Seal up the ditch above the drain tile with washed gravel.
  4. Cover the ditch and the drain tile using the soil removed in step 1.

Because of the complicated nature of this procedure and the potential form problems to develop if it’s done incorrectly, it’s always good to have a Williamsport plumbing professional like Larry & Sons install the drain tile system for you. Call us today to learn more!