Charles Bishop writes:

A friend of mine is having sewer pipe problems, with root intrusion and
blockage. The plumber has come out and cleared the blockage. He is now
telling her that a large section of drain pipe (50') should be replace
to prevent future problems.

This section is made of Orangeburg pipe, which, from Google[1], is a
fiber pipe strengthened with pitch. There are small areas of root
intrusion there (shown by camera inspection) but nothing that looks like
full blockage. He is saying that it's not good to use a snake to clean
this pipe of roots since the snake would likely cause damage to the
pipe. He is trying to sell her a more costly solution of lining the pipe
while it's in place.

So, Any thoughts on whether the Orangeburg pipe can be cleaned with a
power snake without damaging it beyond use?

In general, the plumbing supervisor is pointing to doom and desolation
if she doesn't do the work suggested. The total, under his plans would
come to $17,000, though he's willing to "discount" the price for signing
up.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_pipe

Thanks for any help.

I'm not a plumber, just a home owner.
If a pipe has roots in it, that's a sign it's not watertight.
The roots will keep coming back, each time quicker and thicker.

I think it would take quite a while for the snake to fully degrade
the pipe, but the roots will degrade the pipe each time they
intrude.

It's not clear to me why 50 feet of pipe would take 17K to
replace or add a liner.
When I had a similar problem with gutter drain pipes,
I dug them up and replaced the bad section. Total cost was the
price of the new pipe.

Of course the gutter pipes were only a few inches down although
I did end up uncovering a part of the system that was 3 feet down.

The liner should be a lot cheaper than replacement.
I'd rather have the pipes replaced because that new PVC stuff
lasts just about forever.

There are chemicals you can pour down the drain that kill
roots. Not good with septic tanks. I like to actually fix
problems, it's part of owning a home, but chemicals would
be way cheaper and might serve as a temporary solution.

--
Dan Espen