Baltimore City
So my sewage has backed up into the house 3 times in the past week. Thankfully, it has not been that bad and has yet to do any damage, but I am not sure how long that will last.
So Monday last week I (skipped the plumber step and I) had the city come out to snake again. They tried to snake the line with a large cutter, but it couldn’t get through, so they opened it up with the small cutter. I then asked if they would go back with the large one to really open it up and they mumbled some unintelligible response and refused to do it. I requested they send a video camera down to take a look and see if the pipe needed replacing. They said they would. The next day, the video camera crew came out (and when i say crew in each of these cases it is 1-2 vehicles with a workman and 3-4 support men to smoke and talk on cell phones while the one guy does his job). Anyway, the camera crew couldn’t get the camera through so they called the snake crew back out to open it up again. Then they left. The snake crew opened it and when i inquired about the video crew, they said “why do you need video? we opened it up”
me: “well you opened it up last week also and it was clogged again”
them “you never get 100% of the roots, so last time they just didn’t get them all”
me: “so how do you know you got them all this time, if you never get 100%”
them: “it works don’t it?”
me: “well it worked for a week last time too”
them: “well it won’t clog back up within a week, but if it does, call us and we can open it up again”
me: “I would like to plan ahead a perhaps see if the pipe is broken and fix it BEFORE I have crap in my basement”
them: “well it works now - and you know what they say if it ain’t broke…”
me: “don’t fix it, but it is broke.”
them: “we are leaving now, you can call the city if you have questions”
so, Today I called the city for some follow up….I called the water and sewage management dept.
me: explain some history and then “so I was wondering if the camera crew would be sent back out?”
them: “The crew came back out on the 18th”
me: “great! What did they find”
them: “they didn’t say”
me: “do they normally file a report”
them: “yup, usually same day or next”
me: “so, they didn’t file a report?”
them: “nope, maybe they aren’t done yet”
me: “there is nothing to be done. They jut look at the video monitor and determine if its broken or not”
them: “well, call back in a few days.”
me: “fine. In the mean time, lets say they decide to replace the line. Can I do my side at the same time and just pay the extra?”
them: “I don’t know anything about that”
me: “okay, well my plumber mentioned that the city had a program to partially fund replacements do you have information about that?”
them: “I don’t know anything about that”
me: “who does?”
them: “you need to call the funding department”
me: “okay do you have the number”
them: “sure…”
