Hydro Physics Pipe Inspection

We had a back up, so called a sewer line repair company that had replaced our line 11 years ago (under different management now). The guy they sent scoped the sewer line with us looking on, but my husband and I could see very little with the dim light, blurred image, and speed of the movement through the line. He told us we had multiple breaks in the line and quoted $8700 to replace the line again. Lots of things he told us (like saying it was original clay pipe instead of PVC, etc) didn't ring true with having replaced the line previously, so we decided to get a second opinion. We called the plumber we've used for waterline repairs to get a recommendation. He recommended Dave at Roman's Sewer Service, who does clean outs but not camera inspections. Dave recommended Hydro Physics for the inspection. Tripp with Hydro Physics came the next day, did the inspection, took pictures and videos, showed us at that time where there were some minor root problems, as well as showing us the specific areas where the first company said there were breaks. Tripp did a thorough scan of those locations as well as the rest of the line, moving the camera slowly and explaining what we were seeing throughout the inspection. He found no breaks anywhere in the line. The camera Tripp used had very bright lighting and excellent resolution so that the detail he showed us was almost shockingly good - good enough that when he told us we do not have any breaks, we could believe it with confidence. So for the cost of the inspection from Hydro Physics and the cost of having Dave come back and clean the roots out of the line, we saved well over $8000 and can have full confidence that we can move forward with only root clean up about every 2 years. Hydro Physics doesn't offer the kind of $99 "special" pricing that the cheaper companies with older, low tech cameras do, but the difference in resolution can be the difference between getting a legitimate diagnosis, or enabling a dishonest business person to trick a homeowner into paying thousands of $$ for repairs of "problems" that aren't really there. Thumbs up to Tripp and Hydro Physics for quality work, integrity, and no costly games!

Because another plumber said I needed to replace my shower line to the tune of $4,800 (and also my sewer line for even more), I needed a second opinion from a company that didn't stand to gain from lying, as the first plumber did. Hydro Physics is the company that can verify if work actually needs to get done or not. They were available in a timely manner, arrived on time, and, even though the camera equipment was being finicky, the tech worked around the issues, and checked both of the questionable lines, declaring them just fine, and not in need of repair or replacement at this time. The $300 they charged for the two videos would have been completely unnecessary, had the first plumber been honest, but a much smaller price to pay than if I'd just gone along with the first plumber's scam. They provide an important service! Use Hydro Physics to confirm a repair is needed before going along with a potential scam from a greedy plumber (which, unfortunately, is all too common).

On-time, on budget, and provided service as agreed.  I understand the cost of doing business, and overhead, but the price was a little steep.

They do not do repair service. They are just an excellent company.

They did a good job.  They found the stuff right away.  They fixed one thing at the time and that was the worst culprit which was the toilet.  When they went ahead and got it done, they were prompt and courteous.  

My house was built in 1880, and as I've learned after three sewer line scopes/inspections, the sewer lines going out of the home are not typical.

Hydro was the 3rd contractor I used to get an idea of what was going on with my lines.  The first guy I hired before buying the house a month prior.  He didn't find any issues after doing a jet-cleaning of the line.

The second guy I hired after moving in found a problem -- the line sagged slightly not far from the house, which created standing water in the line, and recommended some repairs.

However, the next-door neighbor was in the process of selling their home, and was having their lines inspected.  It was discovered, as he told me, that our lines were connected in the back alley, and that line wasn't part of the Denver city sewer line in the alley.  This line did eventually connect to the city line, but not for another few hundred feet to the end of the alley.

Anyway, Hydro was doing some work in the alley in an effort to better view the overall line, and after talking to the neighbor, I called Hydro to have them check out my line to see what they found.  I didn't disclose any information about what the other two inspectors had found.

Hydro's inspection showed a different result than the prior two inspections.  The previous inspection had the line going towards our front yard.  Hydro's inspection showed the line going toward the alley.

Hydro had at least three employees on-site at the time, and I mentioned this difference to the employee who appeared to be the most senior, and he proclaimed the other inspector "didn't know what he was doing."

To recap:  I had three inspections done, two saying my sewer line went out to the front yard, and Hydro saying the line went to the back alley.

I called the city the following day and learned I have two lines going out of my house.  This would be good information to have had before having all of these inspections, but I didn't know the information was so easily available -- nor did I have any idea the line would be so complicated.  I have learned a lot about sewer lines in the past month, and highly recommend anyone with any questions about a property's sewer line to first call the city as they have sewer line maps.

I'm most troubled with Hyrdo's attitude, lack of professionalism, and apathy about my situation.  I was informed by Hydro that they assist the city in mapping the city's lines.  However, they were unable to give me the real picture to what was really going on with my entire sewer line -- which is what I thought I was paying for.

It went well.  They bailed me out of a scam. 

They were good and I've used them for years. They do a pretty good job. I like that they are not a sewer company so there is no conflict of interest in telling me to fix my sewer. They don't do repairs; they just do inspections.

Tripp arrived on-time (maybe even a little early). The sewer clean-out wasn't readily available and couldn't be found after some searching on the property, so instead, he went through one of the toilets - not ideal, but still OK. He did a fabulous job - with a smile and a great sense of humor - and gave us a report and the DVD at the end. We talked at length about what was found and got recommendations about how to proceed. Overall, a great experience. I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

The reason our friend recommended them, and a major selling point for us, is that Hydro Physics doesn't do sewer repair work or referrals themselves, so seemed to us a more reliable way to find out if your sewer line actually has problems, or if someone's just trying to get some business off you.

Overall things went very well.

The work went well in that I got a location and depth for the pipe near the house where the digging was to occur. The subsequent dig did not hit the pipe so that went well.

The technician was punctual and professional. He explained what he was going to do before he even took his equipment out of the box. He was focused and precise in getting the camera properly positioned. The tech also invited me to watch the process on his laptop computer, which was connected to the camera. As the camera made its way down the sewer line, the tech explained what we were looking at throughout the process. After the procedure was complete, the tech cleaned up a bit, and then presented me with a videotape of the line scoping procedure-along with a package of microwave popcorn so my husband and I could enjoy popcorn and a movie!

I had hired a sewer-scoper earlier in the year and received an account of the twisted roots and such that were devastating the sewer lines. Something just didn't sit well with me about the estimator and so, on the advice of my home inspection company, I called Hydro Physics - and I'm so glad I did! The inspector showed me the scope as it happened and remarked on the good condition of the pipes and complete lack of roots. What a relief! He certainly could have gone an alarmist route or upsold me on their other services, but he didn't. He saw a good, clean sewer line and told me the truth. Phew! He even charged me less than I had expected. What a wonderful experience! I'm so glad Hydro Physics was recommended - I'd recommend them to anyone.

What a wonderful experience! Mike called to say that he'd be able to make it to our house early (we've had a lot of contractors and technicians over lately and people showing up early is almost unheard of). We were further pleased to learn that our sewer lines are in excellent repair and don't need any cleaning or replacement. And, if that news wasn't good enough alone, Mike said the charge would be $50 less than what we'd expected to pay. Mike was courteous and friendly and professional and we will happily recommend him and his services to our friends.