ken Henderson
4 years ago
had called several plumbers earlier this week including Sam whom promptly returned my call and said he would stop by later in the week to meet with me and to assess the issue I was having with tree roots that penetrated the sewage drain line underneath the concrete driveway of my house. Although I had forgotten about our phone discussion Sam promptly followed up as he promised and came out to my house today. This was the first positive indication of his professionalism & character-true to his word.
When he arrived, I explained to Sam that another plumbing contractor had come out a couple of weeks earlier and snaked/cleared the sewage line when it backed up inside my house. After they cleared the blockage, they snaked the line again with a video cam which showed where the tree roots penetration occurred. Their recommendation was to replace a section of the line which meant having to demolish the concrete, excavate, replace a four foot section of wedge line followed by masonry work to patch the portion of concrete that was demolished. Otherwise the tree roots would grow back and I would encounter the same issue again in a matter of months. In theory their recommendation was reasonable but at a significant expense considering the demolition of concrete, excavation, & masonry repair, etc.
Although my wife and I have prepared for the worst case scenario to include now having to replace the entire driveway, I decided to seek 2nd, 3rd, 4th, professional opinions. In the end, Sam enlightened me with the most practical recommendation of all; the minor root issue in our drain can be mitigated with proactive, annual line cleaning maintenance. Sam conducted another video screen to show that other than the minor root penetration the rest of the line was intact, and the root growth can be prevented thereby avoiding the need for major repairs at least for several years with proper maintenance. Save the big expense for when & where it's really needed. I realized then that Sam's opinion was not only practical but makes economic sense.
Sam is a true professional and gentleman. I truly appreciate his approach (methodical) to identifying cause of problem and laying out practical solutions. Sam didn't charge me despite the time spent to conduct another video screening for his own assessment. In addition, he also repaired worn out faucet valves and stems in my bathroom shower at a very reasonable price.
In closing, we finally found another professional to replace our long time plumber whom helped us for many years but have recently retired. We look forward to a long term working relationship with you Sam.
