In ,
Charles Bishop typed:
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

I previously posted another option -- a sewer line protection plan.

Or, as an alternative, maybe do the following (although I would sign up for
the sewer line protection plan first and do this a month or two later):

Have a company come out that does sewer line video inspections and make a
complete video (that you keep) of the entire sewer line.

You may have to do a little research to find a company that doesn't
overcharge for that video service. In my area, the is a company that
advertises that they do low-cost sewer line videos.

From that, determine where any problems may currently exist in the line.

Then think about only replacing the part of the line that is closest to the
house (and not very deep) and go out a certain distance and connect up with
the existing line. Connect up with the existing before you get to the
street so you don't have the expense of digging up the street etc. And, as
someone else suggested, there probably won't be any roots under the street
(depending on where the trees are etc).

There is the issue regarding digging as to where the "offending" trees
and/or bushes are located. If they are over the sewer line, it may be hard
to dig in that area due to the roots.