Pipe Spy

Jeff K.

Masterful.

We had three interactions with pipespy - all exceptionally good. The first was straightforward - a routine video inspection. They provided a voice-annotated DVD of the results.

Some time later, our hundred-year-old sewer lateral collapsed and we called Pipespy after reading the other reviews here and based on our prior positive experience. We got an appointment quickly to perform an in-place retrofit of our cast iron and terra cotta pipes with a new plastic line.

I couldn't be more pleased with the service. The crew showed up first thing in the morning, dug two small holes, carefully removed some landscaping, and installed the new 80-foot pipe. When finished, they repaired the holes in the ground, carefully replaced the landscaping, swept and hosed down the area so that it looked better than when they arrived. I was completely astonished by the results. The pipe they remedied was far underground beneath several planted areas and a large oak, but none were disturbed. In the areas where they needed access they were very careful to preserve my planting, irrigation, borders, and stepping stones. The work was of highest quality and didn't need my supervision. When I arrived home after work I met the crew, who were proud of their work, and eager to show me what they'd done, the technique they used, and answered all my questions. The whole job was less than a day.

About a week later, another team member came by to re-run a video for city inspections, and came to the door to let me know of the work and see if I had any issues or questions. Great follow-up.

This is the type of work I'm delighted to pay for - performed by a team that clearly takes pride in their results - careful, courteous and professional.

Without hesitation, I'd use Pipespy again, and recommend them to anyone looking for top-quality work.

Allen N.

We had a new sewer lateral installed in Berkeley. They were incredibly fast, much less expensive than our other bid, and provided great customer service. I would strongly recommend them. We dealt with Paul at the office.

Sue M.

I just bought a house and had to get my PSL into compliance. Working off of yelp, I called about 4 plumbers for quotes. Heiko with Pipe Spy had the best price and he was extremely responsive to phone and email. He was flexible with scheduling my appointment- working around my tenant's schedule. He was also very patient, answering my plumbing and contract questions.
On the day of the appointment, his team rolled up exactly on time. Seriously, at exactly 8:30 am, they parked their van and began set up. Everyone was very nice.
Heiko also looked at my water pressure problems and suggested a do it yourself route. I was impressed that he advised me to do what was best for my budget, rather than what would earn him more money.
I came home to a clean site and the waste pipe that had been replaced was nicely stuccoed to the wall (the b.f. thought that that would not be included in the bid and we would have to do it).
I cannot recommend Heiko and his team enough. He is patient, detail oriented, honest, nice, and he and his team do good work. He had EBMUD issue my compliance certificate the same day.

Eloise G.

Pipe Spy just came and replaced our entire sewer line which connected under my new studio! They re routed the system for minimal disruption to life, did it all in two days with integrity, very little down time, and when they were done, you would not even have known they were here. All landscaping (mine and neighbors) replaced impeccably! They did a stunningly beautiful job! How often can you say that about a sewer project???? Manuel, the crew chief, rocks and so does his crew!

Michelle V.

Friendly, clear, responsive. We have used them twice (once for blocked line and once for PSL) and are pleased with them. Will definitely use them for future needs.

Phyllis M.

I have sadly had the need to call Pipe Spy to clear my problem sewer line several times since 2007. They do a great job at a decent price. The last time I called it was because of an emergency on a Friday morning. Although they were booked for the day, they found a technician to come solve my problem before noon the same day. Pipe Spy will always be my first choice, when I have a backed up sewer.

Happy customer in East Richmond Heights.

C S.

Pipe Spy was my knight in shining armor. I am selling my house in Oakland and to do that now, you need a Certificate of Compliance from EBMUD, It is a long story why you need it, but is true for any house that is older than 10 years. My Realtor called another company (I will review them later! Hmmmmmm) and they came out on Feb 4th. They took a week to send a report (which is needed by EBMUD to test the system) and after all of that time they did not know what they were talking about. My house uses an ejector pump to pump sewage to the sewer main, so it is always under pressure. It was iinstalled to commercial standards, though it is a residence, so I knew EBMUD would have no problem passing it.

Anyway, after fooling around for a month with this idiot (major, well-respected) company, I called Pipe Spy. They came out the next day, obviously knew exactly what they were doing and what was needed for EBMUD. The day after their initial test, EBMUD came out, verified their results and I was done!!!

These guys know what they are doing, no matter what your situation is with your sewer lateral. I would suggest you call them first and avoid lots of stupidity and wasted time. They will help you get through this relatively new hurdle to selling your house in Alameda county.

Thank you, Pipe Spy!!

Lance D.

I called the company to give us an estimate for a trenchless sewer line replacement. Ray came out, promply at the agreed time, and quickly got to work. I was impressed at Ray's professional manner, his patience in clearly explaining what's involved in the job, and his non-salesman, no pressure approach. d

I haven't got the estimate yet, but I feel comfortable in recommending this company.

Janella A.

Had a sewer lateral inspection done on a property my client is buying in Hercules. Raymond was the technician. He quickly did the video and right away said that it would not pass. What I didn't like was that he didn't even show us the video, he just did a generic drawing of a circle with a shadow circle and said this is what it looks like and it will not pass. Then told us it would be about $6000 to $7000 to correct it and get it to pass. Well...Thank goodness for Pamela over at Pipe Cam!! I called her to see if they would give a competitive bid and with just a few quick questions she was convinced his findings were wrong. She suggested that we upload the video and send it to her on You Tube and sure enough, she was right. She suggested that we also pay the $125 and have the city of Hercules look at it because she was pretty sure it would pass and it did!! Within a few short hours we had our certificate. Look at all the money my client saved by getting a second opinion. If you are looking for a Sewer Lateral inspector call Pipe Cam...you will be so happy you did! I know my client is:)

I'm not saying that Pipe Spy isn't a good company, or that they don't do quality work, but if you do hire them, be prepared to pay a PREMIUM! ... And for what, the fancy little green flags, the fancy business card, or the cool logo? Just based on the cost factor alone, I have to rate them low on the star factor. After all, cost is a significant factor

Patrick F.

We were required to repair our ancient decrepit sewer lateral. We called Pipe Spy after watching their work on our neighbor's lateral. They were not the least expensive. They provided a crew large enough to get the job done in a day. Their equipment is relatively new and well maintained. The work quality is excellent and the clean up was superb.

Our job posed some challenges, (heavy clay soil and foundation obstructions) and we wound up replacing about an extra 25 feet of lateral. They would have done this for the original bid price, but we talked about it and I agreed to pay for the extra materials.

A professional job, and we are now in compliance with sewage district and East Bay MUD requirements.