“Carl B. Seeds started the company back in 1937 and incorporated in 1956. After Carl passed away, there were 2 other owners which retired in 2012 when the current owners Scott and Laurie Pletsch took over as the new and current business owners.  Scott has over 35 years of experience in the industry.  Laurie’s 25 years of accounting and administrative experience enable her to run the front end of the business which is located in Owings MD. 

“Our motto is “From The Kitchen Sink To The Treatment Plant”.We have a large inventory of equipment and can service any drain or pipeline from the smallest to the largest using the right tool for the right job.  No one piece of equipment will do it all.

“There are many variables that affect drain lines and their performance.  These differences include, size, slope, age, type of material, tenant care (or neglect), etc…. We can provide an individual assessment of your properties drain lines free of charge. Just call our office and we’ll be happy to set it up.

Hydro-jetting is a way of cleaning out residential and commercial (main sewer lines) pipes that involves pumping high pressure water through the pipe. Using 4,000 psi water sprays, this process will blast through any blockages that are in the drain pipe.

“When we inquired about having our trunk sewers cleaned, one contractor suggested that we rod the line, while others said that Jetting was better.  And we aren’t sure of what the differences are.

Rodding is where a stiff steel rod is lowered down into a manhole, bent into position, and then pushed through the line while being rotated.  Various heads can be attached to the rods ends.  This method was in use as early as 1930 and is considered primitive by most sewer and pipe cleaning contractors today.

One of the major flaws of this method is that the rod must be rotated in a bent position.  This causes the rod to fatigue and break.  Each and every rod will eventually break and many heads are lost in lines using this method.

Another drawback is that heavy sediments and debris are usually left laying in the line.  Rod cutter heads tend to churn through sediments without moving them, much like a drill bit in quick sand.

Jetting, also referred to as Hydro Jetting or Water Jetting, is a method of  larger pipes and/or main sewer cleaning where a nozzle with Jets facing rearward is powered through the line by high pressured water.  As the nozzle blasts its way through the pipeline it cuts up the debris, scours the pipe walls, and power flushes the sediments out of the line.  Watching a Jet nozzle go through a line is like watching a rocket go through a tunnel.  Jetting is by far the best method of pipe cleaning available. Hydro-Jetting is not done inside but rather through the manhole (unless in the District of Columbia)

Yes, when properly equipped..  We have a hydraulic root cutter that attaches to our one inch Jet hose. It will actually cut a two by four in half.  Even without this attachment a Full Size Truck Mounted Jet Machine will remove most roots.  Those that remain have had their covering blasted off and will soon die.

Yes there is.  Unfortunately it eats pipe, and people too!  It’s also illegal, so we won’t mention what it is.  We’ve experimented with enzymes and bacteria cultures, and worked with one of the national chemical companies in a double blind study, all to no avail.

Carl B. Seeds, Inc. has always used Full size Jet Trucks on our trunk sewers, while most other contractors propose to use a little trailer they can tow behind a van or pickup.  These companies claim that they’re comparable because of their higher 4000 psi (pounds per square inch) pressure, this is not the case.  Most trailer jets in the 4000 PSI range only put out about 14 GPM (gallons per minute) of water, while our Truck Jets put out 80-120 GPM.  We have tried the trailer jets on trunk lines and found that they don’t pull the heavy grit and sediments out of the lines like the big Truck Jets do.

The big Truck Jets cost us three to four times what a trailer unit costs to purchase,  then we have to pay a 12% FET tax, put up with DOT inspections, state police audits, truck road use taxes, commercial drivers licenses, NHTSA regulations, fuel tax reporting, higher priced truck insurance, etc… Would we put up with all of that if we thought we could get by with a little trailer jet?

It doesn’t necessarily mean they are clogged. There could be an underlying issue. If they are clogged it may be wise to put a camera in the line to investigate.

Septic pumping frequency depends on a number of things; number of occupants at the residence can usually determine how often and the size of the tank itself. Primarily it should be done at least every three years.