Questions to ask
Every question here comes from something your own record does not yet answer. Fill in more, and the list gets shorter and more specific — which is the opposite of what a tool built to generate calls would do.
What this page cannot establish
- these come from what your record does not yet answer; they are not a test
- a contractor who answers them all is not thereby verified by SewerOwner
- a short proposal is not a dishonest proposal
- SewerOwner does not know whether any answer you receive is correct
Nothing is saved yet. Anything you record will be stored in this browser only — SewerOwner does not receive it.
10 questions, each drawn from something your own record does not yet answer. They are ordered by what changes a decision.
Evidence first
What is known about the line, and how. Everything else rests on this, which is why it is first.
Has anyone put a camera in this line, and if so, can I see what it showed?
Whether anyone has looked inside the line is the fact that everything else depends on.
Did the camera travel the whole line, from the access point to the connection?
Everything the report says about a section the camera did not reach came from somewhere other than the camera.
Was the line cleaned before the camera went in?
An uncleaned line can hide the pipe wall behind material, and an inspection through material sees the material.
Was the view obscured by standing water at any point?
Whatever sat under standing water was not inspected, whatever the summary says about the line.
Were you shown each finding on the screen or in the recording?
A finding you were shown is one you can ask a second contractor about specifically.
Was the position of any finding marked on the ground?
A marked position ties a finding to a place on your property, which is what makes a scope checkable.
Were you given a written report?
A written report is the thing that still exists in six months, when the conversation is a disagreement.
Were you given the recording, or a copy of it?
Footage you hold can be shown to somebody else. Footage you watched once cannot.
Does the proposed work cover the same place as the findings you were shown?
This is the single question that most often separates a proposal that follows from the evidence from one that does not.
Who is responsible
Who is responsible for the line, the permits, and the coordination. This is a question with an authoritative answer, and it is free to ask.
Who operates the sewer system serving this address, and where do their published rules say my responsibility starts and stops?
Where an owner’s responsibility starts and stops depends on the system serving the property and its published rules. It is a question with an authoritative answer, and asking it is free.
- These questions come from what your own record does not yet answer. They are not a test, and a contractor who answers them all is not thereby verified by SewerOwner.
- A short proposal is not a dishonest proposal. A question about something a proposal does not state is a question, not an accusation.
- SewerOwner does not know whether any answer you receive is correct.
- Nothing here establishes that a repair is necessary, or which method is appropriate.
What would change the answer
- whatever you have recorded — a fuller record produces fewer and sharper questions
What to do next
The questions are more useful attached to the record they came from than on their own.
Print the brief and take it with youIf your situation is different
- The conversation is with your operating authority rather than a contractor: Prepare the municipal call
Related, and why
- Questions to ask
The standing question sets, for every conversation this project involves.