Clearing out obstruction in 4" Cast iron vertical pipe

[branimal]

I'm trying to clean out some obstruction in a CI pipe. The pipe was abandoned by a prior owner. It runs under the basement to the house trap.

I removed the cracked section and now I see some debris and a piece of cracked pipe about 15" down. The pipe is taking water. I had a hose in it b/f I removed the cracked section. I'd rather not run water in it now, b/c I fear I might push that piece of metal further away.

I've already vacuumed what ever loose debris I could get out. Maybe a long needle nose plier can grab that piece of metal? And then I can drill out that debris?

I do have a drain snake but I've never used it .... I don't want to crack the pipe.

Any ideas on how to proceed? Thanks!

 

[gmcgeo]

A long needle-nose plier or even a flexible grabber tool (the kind with spring-loaded claws) could be safer than trying to hook it with a snake right away.

Other than that, I'm afraid you may have to cut more out and replace with PVC

 

[nadogail]

I have replaced leaking cast iron soil pipes under houses with ABS pipe and Fernco Couplings. The hardest part was laying on your back and holding a SawZall over your head while cutting out the leaking pipe.

 

[cmandp]

I don't really understand what you are trying to accomplish by unblocking the pipe? I'd remove or abandon it for anything plumbing related and move on.
If you need to replumb sewer drainage do it right and just completely redo it with PVC out to the street.

 

[bamawildcat]

There are chain attachments I see sold to go on the head of a professional drain snake. I don't see them sold for DIY ventures though.

 

[yatg]

Did you try sticking your hard down there?
Did you try sticking some skinny broad's hand down there?

An inspection camera, even one of that connects to your phone, could tell you a lot about what's going on.
example:

Pardon Our Interruption...

if there's an edge you can get to, extra long hemostats to lock on to it.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[branimal]

I got a 16" long reach plier and pulled out the pipe fragment. I used a beat up 3" hole saw and an extension with a 1/2 " threaded rod welded to it drill out the mud and other various rubble in the line. Drill, vacuum, repeat. At about 38" deep I feel like I'm hitting an elbow.

I filled the pipe up with water and its draining very slowly.

Options to proceed
1. Use a drain cleaning bladder ($25) attached to a garden hose to blast out the remaining dirt.
2. Be a man and learn how to use my sewer snake
3. Wait till the weekend and borrow my brother's pressure washer. I can attached a Sewer jetter device to the pressure washer. Based on the videos that thing doesn't look like its sending enough pressure out to clean out mud.

 

[carlaisle]

What's the end game here? Are you planning to put this line back in service? I see what looks like a rectangular hole cut out of the top of your second picture that has been patched with concrete. That tee, such as it is, looks highly suspect. You should remove the house trap. If your cast iron pipe can be damaged by your drain snake it needs replaced anyway.

 

[branimal]

I picked up a drain cleaning bladder and it clean up the pipe pretty good. The standpipe in the pic was taking just under an hour to clear and after the bladder cleaning its clearing out in a couple of minutes. There must still be a clog further down the line. And there is a small amount of seepage coming up in the basement floor. So theres broken pipe under the concrete slab.

End game: This line was the original tie in to sewer system. It takes all the run off from the flat roof. Everyone on the block has their roof run off tied into the sewer. A prior owner sealed the pipe off when he built an extension off the back of the house. The prior owner installed gutters off the extension and dumped the water on the concrete in the backyard. I removed the poorly built extension and found this pipe. I am going to tie in the gutter to this pipe.


I think the next step is to snake the line from the gutter pipe. And then cut up the concrete around the seepage. I know sewer line can be broken elsewhere. I might have to get the line inspected.

Here's a rough diagram of the cellar (technically not a basement). I have a rough idea of where the main line is running.

I see what looks like a rectangular hole cut out of the top of your second picture that has been patched with concrete. That tee, such as it is, looks highly suspect. You should remove the house trap. If your cast iron pipe can be damaged by your drain snake it needs replaced anyway.

The rectangular hole is a cinder block. Prior owner built the extension on top of cinder blocks.

 

[carcruse]

Carefull, some communities adopted ordinances requiring roof drains to no longer be connected to a sanitary sewer. I'd check to see if what you are doing is legal in your community.

 

[branimal]

So a little off topic but these drain bladders are great. I bot a couple of smaller ones and used them to clear out my floor drains. I'm definitely going to add this to my maintenance routine.

Carefull, some communities adopted ordinances requiring roof drains to no longer be connected to a sanitary sewer. I'd check to see if what you are doing is legal in your community.

Yes - in my area new construction needs to drain into the backyard and let the soil absorb the roof rainwater (drywell). I think the rules changed in the 1960s. But older homes are grandfathered in.

 

[carcruse]

So a little off topic but these drain bladders are great. I bot a couple of smaller ones and used them to clear out my floor drains. I'm definitely going to add this to my maintenance routine.


Yes - in my area new construction needs to drain into the backyard and let the soil absorb the roof rainwater (drywell). I think the rules changed in the 1960s. But older homes are grandfathered in.

The rules changed in 1978 in most areas, after that date, for all new construction, it was illegal to discharge roof water, footing drains or any other stormwater runoff into the sanitary sewer system. At the time older homes were grandfathered in, however, some States and/or communities have since passed laws/ordinances cancelling the grandfather status. This is usually in areas that had a lot of basement flooding in heavy rains and/or the treatment plant could not adequately treat the sanitary sewer water before discharging it to a lake, river or stream.

 

[rd65]

I would give the jetter nozzle on a pressure washer hose a try. They pull the material back to you, keep that in mind. If you have breaks in the line under concrete are you going to dig that all out or have pipe slip lined?

 

[branimal]

I would give the jetter nozzle on a pressure washer hose a try. They pull the material back to you, keep that in mind. If you have breaks in the line under concrete are you going to dig that all out or have pipe slip lined?

I do have at least one break in the pipe. I saw seepage coming up from the concrete when I was running the drain bladder. I was planning on digging that section up. (Going to order a $200 wet concrete saw).

Slipping in pipe might be very expensive. It doesn't seem like DIY project.

The jetter nozzle might work. But before I invest more money, I plan to snake the line from the backyard pipe. I already own the machine.

 

[no704]

Best of luck to you. Seems like a ton of work to deal with roof runoff water. Of course I’m in PHX so I would not know much about it being an issue. Could you not divert it to some holding tanks for watering a garden or the lawn?

 

[Mr onetwo]

Up here that would be illegal in most areas with city sewer.Must be totally separated and discharged to the surface.

 

[branimal]

Best of luck to you. Seems like a ton of work to deal with roof runoff water. Of course I’m in PHX so I would not know much about it being an issue. Could you not divert it to some holding tanks for watering a garden or the lawn?

It is a lot of work, and I'm not excited about it. The alternative is to dig a 5' deep x 5' wide hole and install a drywell in the backyard. And then trench a pipe from the gutter to the drywell. Obviously this would be done by pros.

The backyard is fairly small 20x32'. 20x20 after I install a deck. It's a Brooklyn rowhouse. Not sure if I'm going to do just concrete back there or pavers. Definitely no grass.

 

[no704]

It is a lot of work, and I'm not excited about it. The alternative is to dig a 5' deep x 5' wide hole and install a drywell in the backyard. And then trench a pipe from the gutter to the drywell. Obviously this would be done by pros.

The backyard is fairly small 20x32'. 20x20 after I install a deck. It's a Brooklyn rowhouse. Not sure if I'm going to do just concrete back there or pavers. Definitely no grass.

That makes sence