Plumber Delaware County | Drain & Sewer
Plumbing Services in Delaware County, PA
Advanced Drains and Underground Solutions is a licensed plumbing contractor based in Springfield Township, Delaware County. Our specialty is underground drain and sewer work — the camera inspections, hydro jetting, trenchless repairs, and lateral replacements that most general plumbers refer to subcontractors or decline entirely. We carry that specialty capability alongside full-service plumbing for homes and businesses throughout Delaware County and the southern Main Line.
Why Underground Work Is Different
Most residential plumbing is visible and accessible — pipes behind walls, under sinks, at water heaters. Underground work starts where that stops. The main sewer lateral runs from the foundation of the house, under the yard, to the public main connection at the street or alley. It is not visible, not easily accessible, and diagnosing a problem in it requires equipment that most general plumbers do not carry: a commercial-grade sewer camera, a locating transmitter to trace the pipe’s path and depth, and a hydrojet to restore flow once the defect is identified.
We built around that equipment. Our service trucks carry cameras, locators, and hydrojets on every main line call. We run a camera before we jet, and we run it again after to confirm the result. When a camera shows a defect that cleaning will not fix — a cracked joint, a root-infiltrated section, a collapsed pipe — we provide a trenchless repair or replacement estimate the same day.
Delaware County’s Plumbing Reality
Delaware County’s housing stock is concentrated in the post-World War II decades. The townships and boroughs from Darby to Ridley, from Upper Darby to Springfield, filled in with twins, singles, and row homes through the 1940s to early 1970s. Those homes were plumbed with cast-iron drain piping and clay tile or Orangeburg sewer laterals that are now 50 to 80 years old.
Cast-iron stack piping corrodes and loses wall thickness over time. Clay tile lateral joints open up and admit roots. Orangeburg — the bituminous fiber pipe used as a cheaper postwar alternative — has largely deteriorated and needs replacement rather than repair. The older the home, the more likely it has at least one of these conditions underground, and the more likely it has never had a camera inspection.
Services We Provide
- Sewer Camera Inspection — HD video of the full sewer lateral with recording and pipe locating. We credit the inspection cost toward any repair we perform.
- Hydro Jetting — High-pressure water jetting for root intrusion, grease accumulation, scale, and debris.
- Drain Cleaning — Mechanical cabling for kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and floor drain lines.
- CIPP UV Trenchless Pipe Lining — New liner installed inside the existing pipe, no excavation required.
- Pipe Bursting — Trenchless full lateral replacement, pulling new HDPE through the old pipe path.
- Cleanout Installation — Adding accessible cleanouts to facilitate future service and inspection.
- Water Service Lines — Leaking or corroded water service pipe from the meter to the house.
- Emergency Plumbing Response — Same day, seven days a week for active backups and urgent failures.
Sewer Lateral Responsibility in Delaware County
In every Delaware County municipality, the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral from the foundation of the house to the connection point at the public sewer main. DELCORA — the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority — manages the regional interceptor system downstream of the municipal mains, but the lateral on your property is yours to maintain and repair. When that lateral cracks, roots up, or collapses, the repair cost falls to the homeowner. Understanding where your pipe runs, what material it is made of, and what condition it is in is the starting point for avoiding emergency situations.
Frequently Asked Questions — Delaware County Plumbing
Can I get a camera inspection without committing to a repair?
Yes. A camera inspection is a standalone service. We provide video of the full lateral run, a verbal walkthrough of what we found, and a written report. If we find something that needs attention, we will quote the repair on the same visit. If the pipe is in sound condition, you will have a baseline inspection record — useful for maintenance planning and for real estate transactions.
Do you work in row homes and twins with shared party laterals?
Yes, and we are familiar with the complications. A party lateral shared by adjacent units in a twin or row home creates a joint ownership situation where both parties have a stake in the repair. We can trace the lateral from your cleanout, locate the point where it transitions from your sole responsibility to a shared section, and provide repair options appropriate to the specific configuration.
What is the difference between drain cleaning and hydro jetting?
Drain cleaning with a cable machine breaks up and removes a blockage — roots, grease, debris. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to scour the pipe wall clean along its full length. Cabling addresses the immediate blockage; jetting removes what cabling leaves behind and cleans scale and biofilm off the pipe wall. For recurring backups in a clay or cast-iron main line, jetting after cabling typically extends the interval before the next service call considerably.
For drain cleaning, sewer repair, or a camera inspection anywhere in Delaware County, call 610-803-6851 or text 1-855-DONT-DIG.