How a TSR Trenchless Job Actually Runs

The sequence

This does not change based on the size of the job. A single-family lateral in Anaheim and a forty-unit building in Long Beach follow the same order, at different scales.

1. Camera inspection and locating

We run a push camera the full length of the line with an on-screen footage counter, then locate the defect from above ground so its position and depth are known precisely. You get the footage. Nothing is quoted before this happens.

2. Cleaning and descaling

Roots, grease and scale come out with hydro jetting and mechanical cutters until the camera shows bare pipe wall. A liner bonds to the host pipe, so this step determines whether the repair holds.

3. Method selection and written scope

Based on what the camera actually showed, we recommend lining, bursting, spin casting, a sectional repair, or conventional replacement — and we tell you why the others were ruled out. The scope, price and timeline are in writing.

4. Permitting

We pull the permit for the jurisdiction the property sits in and schedule the required inspections. Where a city adds historic district or right-of-way review, you hear about it before the work is booked.

5. Installation

Most residential laterals are completed in one working day. You will be without sewer service during that window and we tell you exactly when it starts and ends.

6. Post-work camera verification

We run the camera again after cure and give you the recording. You should be able to see the finished interior end to end — a jointless wall with no intrusion, no offsets and continuous fall.

Why the second camera pass exists

Step one and step two both involve looking at the line, and people sometimes ask why. The answer is that a line full of root mass, grease and scale is a line you cannot fully see. Cleaning routinely exposes defects the debris was hiding — a crack behind a root ball, a hairline separation under grease, a belly that only becomes visible once standing water drains away.

Occasionally what that second pass reveals changes the recommendation entirely, from lining to bursting or to partial replacement. Finding that out before a liner cures inside the line is worth the extra hour.

What we need from you

• Access to a cleanout, if one exists and you know where it is. If not, we'll find it or establish one.
• A working day without sewer service for the install window on most residential jobs. We give you the start and end time.
• Decisions on restoration where pits are required — what surface comes back and to what standard, agreed before the work starts rather than after.
• On multifamily and commercial: tenant notice coordination and access to the units or areas in each phase.

What we won't do

• Quote a lining job without having run a camera on the line
• Recommend lining on a line with lost grade, a belly, or a collapsed section
• Line over roots or scale to save an hour of descaling
• Do permitted work without a permit
• Leave without giving you the post-repair footage

If you've had a sewer quote that skipped any of these, it's worth getting a second opinion — start with a camera inspection.