Can every Sewer be lined? No they can not, if the existing sewer has a major bellie (meaning the pipe sinks then comes back up holding water) then relining the pipe will just reproduce this fault.
So if my sewer has a bellie sewer lining is out of the question? It goes on a case by case basis, a little bellie in the side sewer may be acceptable because the lining material will have less friction than the original concrete or clay pipe and may let solids slide on by! But if it is a major bellie then lining should be avoided. The installer must make the determination based on using a camera in the line.
Have you ever seen a Seattle Sewer that had been lined when it should not have? Yes unfortunately we have. Greed or just plain poor workmanship happen in every industry and Lining Seattle Side Sewers is no exception.
Is there any other problems you have seen on Lined sewers? Yes the other thing that we have seen is someone lining the sewer but not cutting in the other lines to the homes downspouts leaving them not working. Some cities allow downspouts to be tied into the sewer line and others do not. Nothing worse than having your sewer fixed then having a wet basement down the road.
Are there any other problems that could happen from having my sewer relined? Yes though rare basement flooding or sink holes can occur after any sewer repair has been done in Seattle. If the old sewer was separated at the joints (usually in many places) then besides letting liquids out it may also have been letting them in! So it was acting like a french drain and taking the water below the surface away to the city sewer system. This an aspect that Seattle Drain Service takes into account when reviewing your homes sewer system. We are not just a sewer repair contractor but also a drainage contractor so we can handle these problems if they happen.
Now you have me scared no other contractor has mentioned this, What would have to be done? Well we would determine the source of the water, then recommend a solution like adding a real french drain, a catch basin, or a pump maybe a combination of these methods. Every Job is different and must be looked at closely. Again this is rare but does happen and would happen rather a trenchless sewer was installed or a regular excavation method. We have videos available for people to watch what is happening in a bad sewer after a major rainfall or when snow is melting.
What lining system does Seattle Drain Service Use? We install a system called LMK Performance liner made by LMK engineering.
Why should I use LMK vs. another system or care? We could have chosen many other systems available but chose LMK lining for several reasons that set us above the rest of the lining contractors out there in Seattle.
LMK uses a sewer camera port on their machine so that a camera can be used to make sure the liner is in the right location prior to curing. Others must wait till it is cured only to find out it was in the wrong position. A big advantage to us and the customer.
LMK's Liner can be installed through an existing cleanout most of the time while other systems need to excavate a hole to access the sewer. (not really a trenchless install if you have to dig right?)
The LMK system has a major advantage in that it can be stopped and started any place we choose, so if there is a connection to the sewer 20 feet down the line we can line to that spot, stop and then restart another liner past that connection this will save money to the customer because others would have to dig up that spot or send in a expensive cutter to get that connection working again. Granted it adds time to the job but having the option is better than not having the option.
Based on friends that have been installers of other systems and have switched to the LMK system we knew the LMK liner system made the best choice for us and our customers.
We will add to this faq as questions are asked or if we feel there are things the public should know. Feel free to contact us by phone @ 206-632-8069 or email any questions to us at
