Sewer, Drain & Water Treatment Frequently Asked Questions

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At IG Sewer and Drain, we believe that an informed property owner is a protected property owner. When you are dealing with a recurring backup, an aging underground mainline, or water quality concerns, you deserve clear, honest answers without the high-pressure sales tactics.

Below, we have compiled the most common questions we receive from homeowners, business managers, and real estate professionals throughout Northern and Central New Jersey. If you don’t see your specific question here, don’t hesitate to reach out directly to our team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Category 1: Diagnostics & Sewer Camera Inspections

What exactly is a sewer scope inspection, and why do I need one?

A sewer scope is a diagnostic process where we guide a high-definition, fiber-optic camera down your property’s main sewer line. This allows us to see the exact internal condition of your pipes all the way from the building to the municipal main or septic tank. It is the only definitive way to locate cracks, root intrusions, sags, or collapses. If you are experiencing recurring backups, or if you are buying an older home in New Jersey, a Sewer Scope Inspection is your best insurance policy against unexpected, expensive repairs.

Yes, with absolute pinpoint precision. Our high-resolution pipeline cameras feature built-in radio-transmitter sondes located right in the camera head. As the flexible fiber-optic line maneuvers through your subsurface lateral, the technician sweeps a handheld utility locator receiver above ground along your lawn, concrete walkway, or paved driveway. This receiver perfectly tracks the signal from the sonde underneath, mapping the exact trajectory, layout, and subterranean depth of a broken pipe down to the precise inch. This allows us to execute surgical spot-repairs rather than blind, destructive, full-scale trench excavations.

Category 2: Trenchless Technology & Pipe Repair

What is the difference between trenchless pipe replacement and traditional digging?

Traditional repair requires a backhoe to dig a continuous, deep trench straight through your landscaping, sidewalks, or paved driveways to physically reach the pipe. Trenchless Pipe Replacement utilizes advanced engineering to replace or restore your underground lines entirely from sub-surface entry points. We use specialized processes like pipe bursting (shattering the old pipe while pulling in a brand-new HDPE line) or CIPP structural lining to fix your infrastructure with absolutely zero property destruction.

Orangeburg piping is a lightweight material manufactured from wood pulp and layers of liquefied coal tar pitch that was heavily used throughout Northern New Jersey properties from the 1940s through the 1970s. Over time, moisture forces these pipes to absorb water, flatten under heavy soil pressure, delaminate, and suffer total structural collapse. If an Orangeburg line is caught early during an HD video scope and still retains its round structural shape, it can often be rehabilitated using CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe) trenchless lining. However, if the conduit has completely pancaked or collapsed, trenchless pipe bursting or surgical micro-excavation becomes necessary.

Advanced trenchless structural liners, particularly CIPP and Bluelight LED systems, are engineered to match or exceed the durability of standard municipal PVC piping. The specialized epoxy resins chemically bond to create a seamless, solid, joint-free structural tube directly inside the host pipe. Because this new barrier features zero physical joints or seams, it eliminates the entry points that aggressive tree roots seek out for moisture. These structural repairs are officially performance-rated to last for a minimum of 50 years, providing a permanent solution to persistent main line infrastructure failures.

Category 3: Drain Cleaning & Maintenance
Why does my main line keep clogging even after it has been snaked?

Traditional plumbing snakes use a metal cable to punch a small hole through solid blockages to get your water draining again. However, they cannot clean the interior walls of your pipe. If your line is full of heavy tree roots or thick grease, a snake simply leaves the residue behind, which immediately catches toilet paper and waste again. To permanently fix recurring clogs, we recommend hydro jet cleaning, which uses ultra-high-pressure water streams to scrub your pipe walls completely clean.

Yes, when performed by a specialized technician who utilizes camera verification first. Before setting hydraulic pressures, we execute an HD sewer scope to evaluate the structural integrity of your cast iron. If the pipe structure is stable but heavily narrowed by jagged rust-crust (tuberculation) or solid grease deposits, hydro jetting is completely safe and highly recommended. We adjust our cleaning heads and moderate our pressure thresholds up to 4,000 PSI to safely scour away scale, smoothing out the inner bore without damaging the historic cast iron walls.

Category 4: Sump Pumps & Emergency Services
How do I know if my basement sump pump needs to be replaced?

Sump pumps are your home’s main line of defense against severe New Jersey weather. You should schedule a professional review if your current unit is making loud grinding or rattling sounds, cycles on and off constantly, triggers your electrical breaker, or is older than 7 years. Most residential pumps have an operational life expectancy of 7 to 10 years—waiting for a major nor’easter to find out your pump has failed can result in a devastatingly flooded basement.

If a storm knocks out utility power to your property, a standard electric sump pump will instantly stop operating, leaving your basement completely vulnerable to flooding. To safeguard against this common scenario, we highly recommend installing a dual-pump framework equipped with a commercial-grade battery backup system. When primary power drops, an intelligent mechanical switch instantly switches operations to a secondary, heavy-duty 12-volt backup pump. This secondary system can continuously pump thousands of gallons of incoming water for days on a single charge until standard electrical service is fully restored.

Absolutely. Severe subsurface mainline structural failures and blackwater floor drain backups do not wait for standard corporate business hours. Our dedicated field dispatch units are fully active, staffed, and physically on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When you contact our emergency line, a live regional operator coordinates dispatch immediately, getting an industrial-tier service vehicle out to your Northern or Central New Jersey property within 30 to 45 minutes to halt toxic property contamination.

Category 5: Commercial & Industrial Services
Do you provide drainage maintenance plans for commercial businesses and restaurants?

Absolutely. We partner with restaurant groups, independent cafes, corporate facilities, and property managers throughout Northern and Central New Jersey. Our custom Preventative Flow Agreements are scheduled during off-peak hours (early mornings or late nights) to execute deep hydraulic line purging. This entirely eliminates grease and organic waste buildup before it causes a mid-shift crisis, ensuring your business stays fully compliant with local NJ health codes. Learn more on our dedicated Commercial Restaurant Page.

STILL GOT QUESTIONS? SPEAK WITH A SPECIALIST

Whether you need to schedule a preventative maintenance check, require a second opinion on a major sewer repair estimate, or have an active plumbing emergency, the team at IG Sewer and Drain is here to help.

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