Excavation
Some plumbing problems are under the ground and there is no way around it. Excavation is careful work: knowing what is down there before the bucket moves is most of the job.
Excavation
When to call
What usually brings people to this
Hard water and older piping together will take out a water heater years before its warranty runs out.
These are the symptoms that usually prompt the call. Any one of them is worth a conversation, and most of them get cheaper to deal with the earlier they are looked at.
Sewer lateral replacement
Failed leach lines or drain field work
A water service line needing replacement
Access to a tank or buried connection
New underground runs for a build
Problems underground stay invisible until they are not, and by then they have usually been going on for a long time.
How we work it
The camera tells us the condition of the whole line, not just the blockage, so you find out whether this is a one-time fix.
Locate everything first
Utilities marked, lines located, depths known. Surprises underground are expensive.
Plan access and spoil
Where the machine goes, where the soil goes, and what has to be protected.
Excavate to the work
Open what the job needs and no more.
Backfill and restore properly
Compacted correctly so the ground does not settle later.
Worth knowingWhat excavation actually involves
The number you approve is the work we do. If something changes once we are into it, we stop and talk to you first.
Everything valuable in excavation happens before the machine moves. Utility marking, locating the target line, establishing depth, and knowing what else runs through the area. Digging blind through a yard finds irrigation, electrical, gas and communications lines the hard way. Precise location work is the difference between one narrow trench and a yard that has to be re-landscaped.
We carry what it takes to finish the common jobs in one visit, because a return trip costs you time you did not plan to spend.
Our service area runs from the Yucaipa and Redlands area out through the Inland Empire, and we have been covering it for over four decades. If you are outside the usual radius, call and ask. We cover more ground than most shops our size.
The camera tells us the condition of the whole line, not just the blockage, so you find out whether this is a one-time fix.
Keeping it from happening again
Problems underground stay invisible until they are not, and by then they have usually been going on for a long time.
Knowing your own system is worth real money. Where the main shutoff is, where the sewer cleanout is, how old the water heater is, and whether the property is on sewer or septic. Those four facts shorten every future service call you will ever have.
Know the age of the major components. Water heaters, supply piping and sewer laterals all have expected lifespans, and planning for a replacement is considerably cheaper than reacting to one.
If you are on septic, know your pumping interval and keep to it. It is the single highest-return maintenance item in plumbing, because the alternative is a drain field, and drain fields cost many times what pumping does.
For commercial property, a maintenance schedule on drains and interceptors costs a fraction of emergency response, and it is the difference between planned work and a closure.
Who you are calling
Call and a person picks up, day or night. If it is urgent we will often tell you what to shut off before we are on the road.
This company has been in one family since 1982, through three generations of Inland Empire housing and every change in the trade along the way.
The licensing matters most on jobs that span disciplines, like a sewer lateral replacement that is part plumbing and part excavation.
You get a technician who has seen this before, not someone learning on your house.
Big Mike's · Yucaipa, California
Questions we get about excavation
If yours is not here, call and ask. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Do you locate utilities first?
Always. Marking comes before any digging, and we locate our own target lines as well.
How much of the yard gets disturbed?
As little as the work allows, which is why we locate precisely before starting.
Do you restore afterwards?
We backfill and compact properly. Landscaping restoration is discussed up front so expectations are clear.
Is trenchless ever an option?
Sometimes, depending on the line, depth and access. We will say honestly whether your site suits it.
Do you pull permits?
Where the work requires them, yes. Permits and inspections are handled as part of the job rather than left to the customer.
What areas do you serve?
Yucaipa and out across San Bernardino County, Riverside County and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County. If you are not sure you are in range, call and ask.
Do I need to be home?
Usually yes, or somebody who can make decisions about the work. We will not authorize additional work ourselves without talking to you.
Do you clean up afterwards?
Yes. We haul off whatever we replaced and put the area back. You should not be able to tell we were there except that it works.
How this fits the rest of the system
The tank and the drain field fail differently and need completely different work, but from inside the house they look identical. Both produce slow drains and backups. The distinction matters enormously because pumping a tank is routine maintenance while rebuilding a field is major excavation. Establishing which one you are dealing with is the first real step on any septic call.
Before we come out
Before we arrive it helps to know where your main water shutoff is and whether it turns. Clearing access to the work area and putting pets somewhere else speeds things up considerably too.
The service area reflects where our customers actually are. It has widened steadily since 1982 and it keeps widening for the same reason it always has.
Related work and where we do it
Other septic and underground work
- Septic Tank Repair
Baffles, lids, risers and cracked tanks.
- Grease Trap Cleaning
Scheduled pump-outs and full cleaning.
- Leach Lines
Failing and saturated drain fields.
- Leach Line Repair
Restoring a field that is surfacing or slow.
- Septic Tank Installation
New tanks and full system installs.
- Grease Traps
Commercial kitchen grease interceptors.
Call the shop. A person picks up.
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what it takes to fix it. Plain language, no sales pitch, and the number before we start.
Yucaipa, California · Serving San Bernardino, Riverside and eastern Los Angeles counties · Open 24 hours