2008_0630_packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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A,nna Kron ca I 1221 County Road B W *Roseville, MN 55113 (651)492-0479 9104M Dear Duane and Roseville City Staff, I am writing to tell you about a frustrating situation that my husband and I have found ourselves in regarding our sewer line going to the street. We are hoping you can help. Since moving into our home almost 41/2 years ago, we have been having a problem with our sewage mainline getting clogged, resulting in it backing up into our basement laundry room. The problem has gotten progressively worse and the last time this happened was February 14th, 2007. After having Roto Rooter clear the line that evening, the technician decided it would be prudent to have the line surveyed with a camera to figure out the source of the problem. The following morning, they returned with their equipment and surveyed the line. The plumber determined that it is in generally good shape, but there was a serious problem with the last section before it meets up with the city sewer. (This section happens to be under County Road B, a concrete road.) He was unable to determine exactly what was causing the line to back up because it was again full of water and debris in spite of the fact it was cleaned out just the night before. Unfortunately, he would not be able to identify the cause until they dug up and replaced the pipe. It was clear that this problem needed to be addressed immediately or else we would have the line backed up into our basement again after a load of laundry or running the dishwasher. The soonest Roto Rooter was going to be able to start work was the following Monday. We opted to stay in the home over the weekend and had to go very easy on water usage (no showers, running the dishwasher or doing laundry and flushing the toilets minimally). The work on the line started Monday, February 19th. I was at the site when the crew from Roto Rooter dug down toward the pipe and the soil was very vet, indicating that the pipe had been leaking for a while. When they got down to the pipe, there were a lot of tree roots around it. Upon closer look, they found that the pipes going from the Douse are steel and they connect to the stub which is made of clay tile. The pipes are not the same size, so the contractor used concrete (which was very common, apparently) to make the steel to clay connection. It is now known that concrete is not a great connector and it only lasts for a few years. Over time, the concrete disintegrates and tree roots searching for water are able to get inside the pipes. The plumber from Roto Rooter pulled out wads of tree roots so large that they almost completely blocked the pipe. These roots were growing in both directions —both toward our home and also toward the City sewer. The plumber said their equipment never would have been able to cut through this type of blockage and that it would have taken a chainsaw. He said he wouldn't be surprised if this started decades ago and the problem just now erupted.