Sewer and Main Line Cleaning
The main line, the weeping tile and the municipal sewer
This is the part nobody sees and everybody discovers at the worst possible moment. The main line carries all of your building's wastewater out to the city sewer. When it gives out, it is no longer a slow sink: it is a basement.
Montreal's lines
A good share of Montreal's building stock still sits on cast iron or clay pipe laid fifty years ago and more. Joints shift, maple and ash roots find the moisture and move in, and the freeze-thaw cycle works on all of it every winter.
Diagnosis first, always
On a main line we inspect before we intervene. A root blockage, a sag and an offset joint call for three completely different approaches. Working blind on a weakened line risks turning a repair into an excavation.
Weeping tile and manholes
We also clean blocked weeping tile and sewer manholes. A weeping tile clogged with ochre iron or sediment stops protecting your foundation long before you see water in the basement. Preventive cleaning extends its useful life.
Is the main line my responsibility or the city's?
As a general rule in Montreal, the portion on your property is yours and the portion under the public roadway belongs to the municipality. An inspection places the defect exactly relative to the property line, which settles the question.
Can roots be removed without excavating?
Very often, yes. A properly sized cutting head followed by a hydrojet restores full diameter. Excavation only becomes necessary when the line itself is broken or collapsed, and the camera tells us that in advance.
How often should a main line be maintained?
For an older property with large trees nearby, preventive cleaning every twelve to twenty-four months prevents the large majority of backups. It costs considerably less than water damage and a claim.
A clogged drain does not fix itself
Call now. A real person answers, day or night.