How to Talk with Customers About Their Pipe Repair Options (Snaking vs CIPP vs Replacement)
If you’ve ever had a customer take a step back when they heard an estimate for your repair work, you know how hard it can be to explain why the price tag is higher than they expected. But when you come prepared with clear reasons behind your work, you’re likely to sign more contracts with fewer concerns.
Talking with customers about their pipe repair options can be comfortable and friendly, and we’re going to guide you through our simple process when your company offers a multi-tiered service menu.
Why Offer Tiered Pipe Repair Options?
Fast food chains and movie theaters know it: having more than two options can help you sell your services better. But tiered pipe repair options provide more than just a better sales pitch.
With three or more services, your customers can find a solution that fits their needs, their budgets, and their timelines.
Never Outprice Your Target Customers
When you offer multiple price points for your customers, you can provide options that meet their budgets and keep them from feeling forced into a more expensive repair than they can afford. While not all repairs function equally for all issues, less expensive options can provide temporary solutions for people who need to save for bigger repairs or replacements.
Different Solutions for Different Issues
Broken pipes need a different solution than clogged pipes. Likewise, minor damage doesn’t require a drastic response. When you come equipped with several repair strategies, you can keep the cost, timeframe, and labor to only what is necessary. That’s good for you and your customers.
Alternatives for Uncertain Customers
Spending several thousand dollars on a repair can be intimidating. It could lose you customers as they seek out other estimates, or it could lead to bargaining to drop the price. When you show up with multiple repair options and the reasons behind each one, you make it easier and less stressful for customers to work with you.
3 Types of Pipe Repair Options You Should Offer
Where should you start if you’re ready to build a tiered service menu?
The most effective and flexible options we encourage are augering, cured-in-place pipe repair, and full replacement. Each has its “sweet spot”, and each has weaknesses and strengths that can help your customers make a decision that works for them.
Snaking and Hydrojetting
One of the simplest and least expensive repair options is augering. Mechanical snaking works well for small clogs and root intrusions, while hydrojetting can take on more extensive obstructions. In both cases, your teams will be able to perform the work with minimal interruptions to a customer’s daily life.
Works Best On: minor clogs in otherwise structurally sound pipes
Not Recommended For: damaged pipes or recurring root intrusions
Lifetime of Snaking: 1-5 years, depending on conditions
Average Cost: $150-$500 per pipe, plus inspection cost
CIPP Repairs
When pipes have cracks, major root intrusions, or offsets, snaking and hydrojetting aren’t enough on their own. In these cases, offering cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) repairs can give customers a step-up solution for bigger issues without requiring full pipe replacement. While CIPP repair can be more expensive than snaking, it provides a long-lasting solution that snaking alone can’t.
Works Best On: pipes with minimal to moderate damage (small cracks, leaks, root intrusions)
Not Recommended For: bellies, severe damage, collapsed lines, diameters less than 4 inches
Lifetime of CIPP Repairs: 50+ years
Average Cost: $60-$250 per linear foot
Full Replacement
In the most extreme cases, the only solution may be a full replacement of the sewer pipe. CIPP repairs and snaking won’t work when lines are collapsed, so excavating and replacing is the best—and sometimes only—solution.
Unfortunately, pipe replacement typically means excavation on the property, into the street, or through other adjacent properties. This pushes the cost up considerably, as well as lengthening the timeline of the repairs from hours to weeks.
Works Best On: pipes with bellies, full collapses, or severe damage
Not Recommended For: minor repairs or repairs that would significantly disrupt traffic or infrastructure
Lifetime of Replacement: 50-100 years, depending on materials
Average Cost: $3,000-$25,000
Top 4 Questions and Objections to Expect
Your customers are almost guaranteed to have questions or concerns. Showing up with answers helps your teams position themselves as trustworthy experts that look out for the customer’s best interest instead of the fastest way to high costs. Here are some of the most common questions we’ve encountered in our years of experience.
What If I Wait to Fix My Pipes?
When a customer chooses snaking or jetting over more extensive repairs, they might be able to hold off on spending cash in that moment. But root intrusions and offsets will continue to cause problems in the future and could lead to worse damage in the long run. Until the pipe is properly repaired, cleaning the pipe is only a bandaid fix.
The warning is that what could have been a less expensive and simpler repair with CIPP may become a full replacement if the intrusions cause collapses in the pipe.
What Justifies the Cost of the Work?
Snaking and jetting is far less expensive than CIPP and replacement because it is a fast, simple, and less labor-intensive approach. The downside is that it isn’t a permanent solution for repeated problems.
CIPP repairs, although less invasive than replacement, still require specialized equipment, more time for set up, special training for service techs, and raw materials to repair the pipe. These add up to a higher cost.
And with full replacements, the labor costs rise significantly because of the excavation and rehab work required to complete the job. Materials also play a role in the cost, but the labor is the biggest factor.
Are There Other Ways to Fix My Pipe?
This is a bit more complicated question to answer, since it depends largely on the condition of the pipe in need of repair:
If your pipe has only minor root intrusions or is simply clogged, augering is the simplest option. CIPP repair can improve flow by smoothing out rough or corroded surfaces but may not be necessary right away. Replacement is likely cost-prohibitive and unnecessary in these situations.
If your pipe has serious clogs or intrusions but is still structurally sound, CIPP repair is a top candidate. Replacement is also an option, but the cost for CIPP may be the same as or less than replacement.
If your pipe has bellies, collapses, or is structurally unsound, your only option is to replace the pipe section or the entire line.
The best way to determine the extent of work your customer will need is a CCTV inspection. Your technician can visually identify the issues, the extent of damage, and the necessary approach your customer should take.
Why Won’t Another Service Work?
Your customers don’t want to spend money they don’t have to, so helping them understand the limitations of different methods can make it easier to accept a bid that seems steep at first.
Here’s a simple way to share limitations with your customers:
First-time problems that haven’t damaged the pipe's integrity give you the most options, including the least expensive ones.
Repeated problems or some structural damage to the pipe make snaking and jetting less effective and potentially harmful. It’s time to look at other solutions like CIPP and replacement.
If your pipe has collapsed, has bellies, or is no longer structurally sound, your only option is replacement. CIPP repairs and snaking both need a clear path to work, and CIPP needs a pipe that can handle the pressure it takes to press the liner into the donor pipe walls.
T3 for Your Supply, Training, and Support Needs
Pipe cleaning and repair companies often start with both snaking and replacement as service options, but CIPP can be a huge value-add for both businesses and customers. If you’re ready to expand your services, look no further than T3 for your pipe lining supply needs!
We can help your business keep costs low, satisfaction high, and work steady with industry-leading support and training that sets your techs apart from the competition. Contact us today to find out how to start your CIPP repair service!
