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Forest Park Homeowner Saves $4,400 on Root-Clogged Sewer Line
Stella S. and her family hadn't even been in their new home for a year when plumbing problems arose. Luckily, they had a HomeServe repair plan.
It all started with a strange gurgling noise in the sink.
Stella and her family purchased their new Park Forest, Illinois, home only about seven months ago, and they were already having an issue with the drains.
“We were using the kitchen sink and heard a bubbling noise, and then we heard it in the utility room, too,” she said. “Thankfully, the house never flooded.”
Stella didn’t need to look for a plumber on a Friday afternoon though, because she had enrolled in a HomeServe Whole Home Warranty policy. She learned about the warranty after purchasing her home during a call with her local utility to establish new service.
“It was the salesperson – she told me all the benefits that HomeServe had,” Stella said.
So, when Stella heard the odd bubbling noise in her pipes, she only needed to make one call.
“The experience with the HomeServe representatives was great — they put the repair down as critical – all the HomeServe representatives were excellent,” she said.
Because Stella decided to protect her home with HomeServe, one of our licensed, insured, and pre-vetted contractors, Rockland Plumbing and Sewer, soon was at her home to address the issue.
"Everything worked out well. The plumber dealt with the permit and the village, and HomeServe and the plumber dealt with each other. Everything was positive on our end."
The picture became clearer – there was a blockage in the sewer line, and it couldn’t be fixed with a high-pressure jet of water because water would back up into the home.
“When the plumber came out, they told us that we didn’t have a catch drain, so they couldn’t do the jetting, because there was nowhere for the water to go and it would literally flood the house,” she said. “We just bought the house, and they didn’t tell us there wasn’t a catch basin.”
Luckily for Stella, she caught the problem early. Although she could only use one of her two bathrooms and only take short showers until the problem was resolved, her quick action, facilitated by having a HomeServe emergency home repair plan, meant that she didn’t have to deal with grey water backups.
“My experience was excellent – the plumber knew his job,” she said. “He came Saturday morning and saw that it was a severe problem and he needed to get a permit.”
The blockage in her clay sewer line was a root intrusion, something to which older clay lines are particularly prone. Tree and shrub roots seek out moisture, forcing their way into sewer line joints, growing, and eventually clogging them completely.
The clog in Stella’s line wasn’t small – in fact, 22 feet of her sewer line failed completely and needed to be replaced. If she didn’t have a HomeServe plan, it would have cost her almost $4,400 to repair the line – after she found a plumber.
“We were so satisfied with the plumber,” Stella said. “Everything worked out well. The plumber dealt with the permit and the village, and HomeServe and the plumber dealt with each other. Everything was positive on our end.”
Published Aug 04, 2022