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FAQ

  • Plumbing Services

    • No. DIY plumbing can lead to dangerous floods and property damage. We always recommend partnering with a professional plumbing company instead of trying to handle things yourself.
    • Not necessarily. When you call American Rooter for plumbing repairs, we will evaluate your lines and provide solutions. In many cases, we can use pipe descaling solutions instead of replacing your pipes.
    • In most cases, a plumbing leak will get worse with time. As pressure differences shift inside your pipes, they can damage areas that are already weak. Damaged joints and fittings or areas of corrosion are at a greater risk of developing ongoing leaks.
    • Anything from a power problem to a burned element can cause water heater issues. Our trained experts will be happy to provide you with an in-depth evaluation and solutions.

  • Drain Cleaning

    • Our plumbing specialists are equipped with advanced drain-snaking equipment that runs deep inside your plumbing system. We also use advanced hydro jetting tools that can cut through the toughest clogs and even root intrusion.
    • We never recommend any type of DIY drain cleaning. Professional rooter services are completed by trained experts with years of experience dealing with drain and sewer clogs. Chemical cleaners can damage your pipes, but more importantly, they can cause injuries.
    • Drain clogs can be caused by grease, waste and paper products, corrosion and pipe damage, hair, and limescale. At times, a sewer camera inspection will be needed to determine the cause and severity of the clog.
    • Plungers can sometimes work to release small clogs, but we recommend you allow a plumber to diagnose the problem first to ensure there's nothing serious going on in your drains.

  • Hydro Jetting

    • In most cases, we can access your pipes from a single point of entry to perform hydro jetting. This means no excavation and no mess.
    • Hydro jetting is one tool that can be used for pipe descaling, but our drain cleaning company has other tools that may be better suited for the job.
    • Hydro jetting services are usually only performed when you have an obstruction that traditional sewer line cleaning methods can't remove. At American Rooter, we can provide ongoing traditional drain cleaning to keep your pipes free from clogs.
    • Yes. Hydro jetting roots is one of the best ways to deal with root intrusion into your drain and sewer pipes.

  • Sewer Services

    • We advise against DIY attempts as they can cause damage. Instead, let our team conduct a comprehensive sewer camera inspection for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
    • This could signal a clog, leak, or a more serious issue. Our experts can assess and provide effective solutions.
    • Absolutely. Leaks or damage in sewer lines often manifest as wet patches. Our team can investigate and resolve such issues.
    • The best approach varies; sometimes a full replacement is more cost-effective, while in other cases, repairs suffice. We offer tailored solutions to fit your specific needs.

  • Trenchless Sewer Repair

    • It involves internal pipe access with no digging, resulting in less mess and more efficiency.
    • Not always. We offer trenchless pipe lining as an alternative.
    • Yes, we provide trenchless sewer replacement tailored to your needs.
    • We also offer drain and sewer cleaning services like hydro jetting.

  • Trenchless Pipe Lining

    • Typically, no. Our trenchless methods involve internal pipe repairs, minimizing outdoor disruption.
    • Absolutely. We offer solutions for cast iron and other pipe materials.
    • Our CIPP (cured-in-place pipe) applications set rapidly, allowing for efficient completion of the job.
    • Our solutions are designed to last for decades, with some products offering longevity of 50 years or more.

  • Excavation

    • Each job is different. Our team will make every effort to be done in a day, but we will let you know what to expect before we begin digging.
    • Yes. We offer a variety of remedies for sewer and water line replacement.
    • Common signs you need excavation services include pools of water developing in your yard and foul sewage smells around your property.
    • Yes. We provide sewer inspection services so our plumbers can pinpoint trouble spots with greater accuracy.

  • Broken or Collapsed Sewer Line

    • The reliable way to tell a broken line from a clog is a sewer camera inspection, since a collapse, crack, or offset looks very different on video from a simple blockage. American Rooter cameras the line in NEPA to confirm which one you have. A clue is a backup that keeps returning right after clearing, which often points to damage rather than a clog.
    • Often, yes. Many broken and even collapsed lines can be restored with trenchless pipe lining or trenchless replacement that avoids trenching the whole yard. American Rooter determines by camera whether a trenchless repair will work. When a section is completely caved in, targeted excavation of just that area may be required.
    • Older NEPA sewer lines collapse largely because they were built with clay tile and mid-century Orangeburg pipe that degrade, deform, and cave in with age, worsened by ground settling over old mine workings. American Rooter repairs these failed laterals throughout the coal region. Long-term root intrusion and corrosion also break down these decades-old lines.
    • Orangeburg is a bituminized-fiber sewer pipe made of wood pulp and tar, installed widely from the 1940s into the 1970s, and it fails because it absorbs moisture over time and deforms and collapses. American Rooter finds and replaces failing Orangeburg lines in NEPA. Rated for around 50 years, it has commonly failed within about 30, so most surviving runs are well past their life.

  • Frozen & Burst Pipes

    • Shut off your main water valve, open a nearby faucet to relieve pressure, and warm the frozen section gently with a hair dryer or space heater. Never use an open flame. American Rooter can repair pipes that have already split from freezing in NEPA. Working from the faucet end back toward the frozen area helps as the ice melts and water can escape.
    • Frozen pipes often burst as they thaw because the ice inside blocks the pipe and pressure builds between the ice plug and a closed faucet until the wall splits, then leaks only when the ice melts and water flows again. American Rooter repairs those split pipes and the resulting water damage. That delay is why a burst is sometimes not discovered until a cold snap ends.
    • Insulate pipes in unheated spaces, seal drafts near where pipes run, keep the home heated even when away, and let a faucet drip during a hard freeze. American Rooter can repair freeze-damaged pipes and identify the vulnerable runs that keep freezing. Homes at ridge-top elevations like Mountain Top and along Broad Mountain especially benefit from these steps.
    • Yes. A frozen or burst buried water service line can be located and repaired, and it does not always require digging up the whole yard. American Rooter uses underground leak detection to pinpoint where a buried line has failed. With the location confirmed, excavation can be targeted to just the failed section.

  • Recurring Drain Clogs

    • A drain keeps clogging because the underlying cause is still there after the surface blockage is cleared: grease buildup, interior pipe scale, roots, or a sagging pipe. American Rooter camera-inspects recurring clogs in NEPA to find that cause. Snaking punches a hole through the blockage but leaves the buildup that lets it re-form.
    • Snaking pushes through or breaks up a blockage, while hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to scour the full inside of the pipe clean of grease, scale, and debris. American Rooter uses hydro jetting on recurring clogs so the line is actually cleared instead of merely punctured. For a clog that keeps coming back, jetting typically lasts far longer.
    • Yes. A clog that keeps returning can mean a bellied, offset, or root-invaded pipe rather than simple buildup. American Rooter runs a sewer camera to tell the difference so the right fix is applied. If the camera shows a pipe defect, cleaning alone will not solve it and a repair may be needed.
    • No. Chemical drain cleaners rarely fix a recurring clog and can corrode or damage older cast-iron and clay pipe over time. American Rooter recommends camera inspection and mechanical clearing like hydro jetting or descaling instead. Relying on chemicals also leaves the true cause in place, so the clog comes back.

  • Sewer Line Backups

    • Stop using all water and drains immediately, then call a plumber, because running water only adds to what is already backing up. American Rooter can respond to sewer backups in northeastern PA, clear the line, and camera the sewer to find why it happened. Keep people and pets away from the contaminated water, and avoid pouring chemical drain openers down the affected fixtures.

    • Yes, a sewer backup is treated as an emergency because raw sewage in the home is a health hazard and the blockage will only worsen with continued use. American Rooter handles urgent sewer backups across NEPA. The sooner the line is cleared and inspected, the less water damage and cleanup you are likely to face.
    • We run a sewer camera down the line after clearing it, which shows exactly what caused the backup: roots, scale, a belly, or a broken section. American Rooter uses that video inspection to recommend the right fix, whether that is routine cleaning, descaling a scaled cast-iron drain, or trenchless repair of a damaged lateral.
    • Clearing the clog restores flow, but it will not prevent a repeat if the real cause is roots, heavy scale, or a damaged pipe. American Rooter camera-inspects the line so we can address the underlying condition, using hydro jetting and descaling or trenchless pipe lining as needed, instead of clearing the same blockage again.

  • Sump Pump Failure & Basement Flooding

    • Stay out of standing water if it is near electrical outlets or the panel, cut power to the area if you can do so safely, and call a plumber to restore or replace the pump. American Rooter repairs and replaces failed sump pumps in NEPA. Do not enter deep or energized water, because a flooded basement can be an electrocution hazard.
    • Sump pumps generally last on the order of about ten years, though heavy use and constant cycling shorten that, so an aging or noisy pump is worth replacing before the wet season. American Rooter can assess and replace an end-of-life pump in NEPA. Testing the pump each spring helps you catch a failing one before a storm does.
    • A battery backup is strongly worth considering in NEPA because the heavy storms that flood basements are exactly when the power is most likely to go out and leave the main pump dead. American Rooter can add a backup system when installing or servicing a pump. Without one, a storm outage can flood the basement even though the pump itself is fine.
    • No. A sump pump handles groundwater around the foundation, not sewage from the drain line, so a separate backwater valve is what guards against sewer backups. American Rooter can install a backwater valve alongside a sump pump for low-lying basements. Together they defend against both groundwater and a sewer surcharge during heavy rain.

  • Tree Roots in Your Sewer Line

    • Tree roots get into a sewer line by growing toward the moisture and nutrients that seep out of joints and cracks, then working through those openings and expanding inside the pipe. American Rooter finds and removes that intrusion in NEPA sewer lines. Older jointed clay laterals are the most vulnerable, which is why root problems are common in the region’s pre-1940 housing.
    • Store-bought foaming root killers can slow regrowth but will not remove an established root mass or fix the cracked joint letting roots in. American Rooter clears roots with hydro jetting or mechanical cutting and then seals the pipe, which is what actually keeps them from returning. Chemical treatments alone tend to leave you clearing the same blockage again and again.
    • Usually not. In many cases roots can be cleared and the pipe sealed with trenchless methods that avoid excavating the yard. American Rooter uses trenchless pipe lining and trenchless sewer repair to restore an invaded clay lateral from the inside. When a section is fully collapsed, targeted excavation may still be needed, which we confirm by camera first.
    • The most reliable way to keep roots out is to seal the pipe so the joints and cracks they entered through are closed off, typically with trenchless lining. American Rooter pairs root removal with a camera inspection and lining recommendation so the fix lasts. Avoiding new tree and shrub plantings over the sewer path also helps.

  • Water Heater Failure & No Hot Water

    • A sudden loss of hot water usually traces to a failed heating element or burner, a tripped breaker or pilot outage, a bad thermostat, or heavy sediment in the tank. American Rooter diagnoses and repairs no-hot-water problems in NEPA. If you also see water pooling at the base of the heater, the tank may be leaking and need replacement.
    • It depends on the cause: a failed element, thermostat, or sediment problem can often be repaired, but a tank that has corroded through and is leaking needs replacement. American Rooter diagnoses which situation you have in NEPA. A leaking tank cannot be patched reliably, so replacement is the safe course before it lets go entirely.
    • Popping and rumbling from a water heater are caused by sediment and scale built up at the bottom of the tank, with water boiling underneath the layer, which is common where the water is hard. American Rooter services and replaces sediment-fouled heaters in NEPA. Flushing the tank can help, but heavy long-term buildup often means the unit is near the end of its life.
    • A conventional tank water heater typically lasts on the order of eight to twelve years, though hard-water scaling common in NEPA can shorten that. American Rooter can assess an aging heater and replace it before it fails. Periodic flushing and a fresh anode rod help a unit reach the longer end of that range.
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