The reason for blockage, I was told, were roots that penetrated the pipe. My questions: Has the price for this service gone up that much? Can you tell me if there is a product that you can recommend that would help prevent this problem?
Tad Dzianott
Burr Ridge
A: To reduce the tree root growth in sewer pipes, homeowners can occasionally flush some copper sulfate crystals down the toilet, said Dean Witvoet, of Witvoet Plumbing in South Holland. This material will not eliminate the roots completely, but tree roots apparently steer away from the chemicals, he said.
Plumbers charge different rates based on overhead business costs like office rent, said Dan McLaughlin, executive director of both the Plumbing Council of Chicagoland and the Plumbing Contractors Association of Chicago and Cook County. There is really no standard plumber’s rate, he said. It’s best to call three or four licensed plumbers since they are trained through an intensive five-year apprenticeship, he said.
Witvoet said he charges $112 for the first hour of work. “Beyond that, we break down the charge for every 15 minutes,” he said.
Some plumbers today are using flat rates because they say people don’t like to face “unknown or open-ended cost,” added Witvoet. Flat rates are basically a set of structured charges for every kind of repair. If, for example, a faucet needs to be replaced, there’s a list price to be quoted regardless of whether the job is easy or more tricky, Witvoet said. Locally, the flat rate hourly charge is $200 and $250, he said.
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