Pipe Spy Marin, Inc. inspects, diagnoses, repairs, and replaces sewer lines for residential and commercial clients in Marin County, San Francisco, and parts of Sonoma County, including Petaluma and almost all of Santa Rosa. The company's comprehensive inspection process includes providing a written report, video and estimate that detail the condition of each customer's sewer line, which allows its technicians to customize their services to guarantee the best possible results.
President Myles O'Dwyer says his favorite part of working with sewer lines is solving the unique puzzle that every job presents. "Pipe work varies significantly from location to location–even if they're right next door to each other–so it takes quite a bit of investigation and problem solving to find the best solutions. We're challenged on a daily basis, but that's exactly what makes this type of work so interesting."
Pipe Spy Marin utilizes trenchless sewer replacement technology and pipe bursting techniques to maintain the integrity of its customers' properties. "Some people think you have to dig a big trench in a yard to replace a sewer line, but our trenchless capabilities allow us to burst and replace an entire pipe without disturbing the ground in between," explains Mr. O'Dwyer. "Our customers really appreciate having that option."
“We understand how disruptive a sewer line problem can be to a household, so our main goal is to work as quickly and efficiently as possible so our customers can get back to normal. Sewer problems can really vary in terms of difficulty, but we always take the time to come up with the best solutions to our customers' problems.”
When looking for a sewer line contractor, consider asking a real estate agent for a referral.
Most sewer inspections are conducted in conjunction with the sale of a property—buyers usually want to know the condition of the sewers before they invest in a new home or business location. As a result, most referrals and recommendations for sewer inspections and repairs come from real estate agents. Myles O’Dwyer, president of Pipe Spy Marin, Inc. in Larkspur, thinks this is a good thing. “Real estate agents are professionals who want to deal with other professionals,” he says. “If they recommend a company that performs questionable work, it reflects badly on them and they may lose a sale. As a result, most real estate agents develop long-lasting relationships with sewer line contractors whom they trust, so if you get a recommendation from your agent, it’ll likely be a good fit.”
Mr. O’Dwyer says it’s also important to make sure your sewer line contractor uses high-quality materials in order to avoid unnecessary replacements in the future. “Pipes and fittings cover a wide range of prices. For instance, connectors that link a house’s sewer line to the sewer can range from $4 to $25. A $4 fitting will work for a little while, but the $25 fitting will last much longer and prevent the need for a redo.”
Most people don’t realize that a leaky sewer line also lets ground water into the sewer system, which can cause big problems for waste treatment facilities. For example, the sanitation facility that services Larkspur, San Quentin and Corte Madera processes about 3.2 million gallons of sewage each day (in winter months, rain can cause that number to jump to 11 million gallons). If you have a leaky sewer line, even more of your wastewater will enter the facility, which means the excess gets dumped in the bay and creates an environmental hazard. To avoid this, it’s important to have your sewer line maintained and replaced whenever necessary.
Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it's even more important for sewer line contractors that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Pipe Spy Marin, Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is taking a measured, comprehensive approach to each project that ultimately ensures the best possible outcome."When a property owner's sewer line breaks, it's a crisis that needs to be remedied immediately, so we're very adept at working as expeditiously as possible," says President Myles O'Dwyer. "Our customers really appreciate the amount of time and effort we put into our work."
Pipe Spy Marin has been inspecting, diagnosing, repairing and replacing sewer lines for residential and commercial clients in Marin County and San Francisco since 2007. The company's thorough inspection process includes providing a written report and estimate that detail the condition of each customer's sewer line, which allows its technicians to customize their services to guarantee the best results.
Unlike less experienced sewer line contractors that use disruptive digging methods and technology to replace their customers' sewer lines, Pipe Spy Marin utilizes trenchless replacement technology that leaves surrounding areas intact. "Basically, we thread a cable through the existing sewer line with a bursting head and new piping attached, then we break open the old pipe and replace it by pulling the new pipe through," explains Mr. O'Dwyer. "Our customers get very excited when they discover we'll be able to replace their sewer lines without disturbing the ground above."
To further differentiate itself from its competition, Pipe Spy Marin supplements its inspection reports with comprehensive, high-quality videos that include voice commentary from the company's technicians. "Most sewer line contractors just give their customers silent videos, but the average person doesn't really understand what they're seeing, so those videos aren't really helpful," says Mr. O'Dwyer. "We explain everything on our videos and reports so our customers know exactly what's going on."