Ewww, sewer line backup.
January 17, 2007 7:48 AM Subscribe
PlumbingFilter: Just had a portion of the main waste line (aka sewer line) from our house replaced. Now the two lowest "drains" feeding that line are having trouble.
There's a first-floor powder room toilet that gurgles and backs up - we can't use it. Worse, there's a basin in the basement that is occasionally regurgitating waste material. Not a lot, but any amount is too much. Naturally we can't use that either. We haven't noticed any irregularities with any of the drains/lines that are higher up than these two. Suggests there is some sort of back pressure issue, no?
Anyway, please advise as to the cause and solution, so that I can explain to the plumber exactly why he has to come out and fix it at no charge to us.
Thanks!
There's a first-floor powder room toilet that gurgles and backs up - we can't use it. Worse, there's a basin in the basement that is occasionally regurgitating waste material. Not a lot, but any amount is too much. Naturally we can't use that either. We haven't noticed any irregularities with any of the drains/lines that are higher up than these two. Suggests there is some sort of back pressure issue, no?
Anyway, please advise as to the cause and solution, so that I can explain to the plumber exactly why he has to come out and fix it at no charge to us.
Thanks!
Response by poster: A 10-foot section of the lateral line was replaced- it was metal (steel I guess?) and was replaced with PVC. The part that was replaced was sort of the "midde" part - not the bit that leaves the house and connects with the city pipes.
FWIW, there is another section of the pipe that has been PVC since we bought the place - it has always been a patchwork of old metal pipes and newer PVC.
posted by Mister_A at 8:13 AM on January 17, 2007
FWIW, there is another section of the pipe that has been PVC since we bought the place - it has always been a patchwork of old metal pipes and newer PVC.
posted by Mister_A at 8:13 AM on January 17, 2007
I had a somewhat similar problem immediately after I moved in to my current house. Ends up the problem was tree roots growing into and clogging the sewer line. The clog made everything drain very slowly then eventually the backups began.
I wonder if somepart of the new work you had done resulted in the line being clogged somehow. (Dirt, collapsed pipe, etc).
posted by jlowen at 10:06 AM on January 17, 2007
I wonder if somepart of the new work you had done resulted in the line being clogged somehow. (Dirt, collapsed pipe, etc).
posted by jlowen at 10:06 AM on January 17, 2007
I know that there are companies out there who will come out with a camera and a pipe cleaning doohicky. It may cost a couple hundred though. Can't you go back to the contractor who replaced the line? Seems to me that he didn't finish the job, if it used to drain before, but doesn't now.
posted by defcom1 at 10:19 AM on January 17, 2007
posted by defcom1 at 10:19 AM on January 17, 2007
Why was 10' of the lateral replaced? If the fixtures were OK before, then it's possible they screwed something up when they did the replacement.
Are the problem fixtures at or below the level of the lateral line?
If there wasn't a problem before, it is possible that during replacement some debris got into the line, or maybe some of the, ahem "crap" in the sewer got disturbed.
Simplest first step is to rent a small snake and try fish them into the sink and the toilet exits (for the sink, probably most effective to remove the sink trap then fish into the drain line)
If this doesn't work, you can try renting a bigger snake and fishing into the main cleanout at the base of the waste stack.
Beyond this, you'll need a pro, I suspect.
posted by Artful Codger at 10:45 AM on January 17, 2007
Are the problem fixtures at or below the level of the lateral line?
If there wasn't a problem before, it is possible that during replacement some debris got into the line, or maybe some of the, ahem "crap" in the sewer got disturbed.
Simplest first step is to rent a small snake and try fish them into the sink and the toilet exits (for the sink, probably most effective to remove the sink trap then fish into the drain line)
If this doesn't work, you can try renting a bigger snake and fishing into the main cleanout at the base of the waste stack.
Beyond this, you'll need a pro, I suspect.
posted by Artful Codger at 10:45 AM on January 17, 2007
Response by poster: Note: THe problem fixtures are both above the level of the lateral portion of the sewer line that was replaced. They are, however, the lowest two fixtures that connect to that line.
posted by Mister_A at 11:35 AM on January 17, 2007
posted by Mister_A at 11:35 AM on January 17, 2007
Best answer: You’re talking about a fairly rickety old drain system so the answer isn’t easy. If the original problem was a non-draining drain line the plumbing contractor may be at fault. Maybe I’m wrong, but the only way I can think of to find a stoppage in a buried line is to run a snake in thru the clean-out plug and measure how much went in before the thing stopped moving. Then you know where to dig. When the repair is done you repeat the process to make sure the line is clear.
Plumbers have been known to stuff anything from a towel to a loaf of bread into a waste line to stop “water” from dripping into the ditch where they’re working and making a nasty, muddy mess. The theory behind the bread is that it gets all soggy and washes away. The theory behind the towel is that the plumber remembers to take it out when he’s done.
On the other hand, you have an old cast iron drain system that's being replaced bit by bit, and the recent work may have caused an adjacent section to fail. You will eventually have to bite the bullet and replace the whole thing. What kind of reservations, if any, did the plumber express about the job?
posted by Huplescat at 2:12 PM on January 17, 2007
Plumbers have been known to stuff anything from a towel to a loaf of bread into a waste line to stop “water” from dripping into the ditch where they’re working and making a nasty, muddy mess. The theory behind the bread is that it gets all soggy and washes away. The theory behind the towel is that the plumber remembers to take it out when he’s done.
On the other hand, you have an old cast iron drain system that's being replaced bit by bit, and the recent work may have caused an adjacent section to fail. You will eventually have to bite the bullet and replace the whole thing. What kind of reservations, if any, did the plumber express about the job?
posted by Huplescat at 2:12 PM on January 17, 2007
Response by poster: Thanks guys. Huplescat, he didn't express any reservations at all. I'll get him out here to look. The reason for the replacement was a crack in the line, not a blockage.
posted by Mister_A at 6:31 AM on January 18, 2007
posted by Mister_A at 6:31 AM on January 18, 2007
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posted by notsnot at 8:00 AM on January 17, 2007