How to find drain pipe
- Thread starter Clemson
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steaks&anvils
Well-known member
I am sure it would have been hard to take a good picture in the moonlight. Plus, to perform a authentic "dowsing", a "dowsee" must be unclothed and one with nature. We wouldn't be able to un-see that!
All kidding aside, glad you were able to find the pipe with minimal issue.
kelpaso1
MEMBER EMERITUS
I tried that on my last two houses I've owned. I just used 2 coat hangers bent to an L shape. I didn't believe in that "witchery", But I found both my well line to the house and the drain pipe going to the septic tank at two different houses. I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it with my 2 eyes.
NWOhioChevyGuy
Well-known member
Called Witching here also, did it last week to find a plugged field tile. Was within 12" of the tile.
It does work.
I bet everyone diss'ing this technique grew up in suburbia or the city
(Just a jab back)
It does work.
I bet everyone diss'ing this technique grew up in suburbia or the city
(Just a jab back)kj_mustang
Well-known member
Make it to look similar to this. I have one of these buried behind my building that the gutters dump into.
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I think I have some terrible news. Got the drain extended and was testing and no water is coming out the drain pipe.
im guessing that means theres a pipe break under the cement? Contractor will come look, but how do you even fix that.
So upset about that. With everything under the cement, idk how to fix it and Im thinking I am going to have a useless floor drain.
im guessing that means theres a pipe break under the cement? Contractor will come look, but how do you even fix that.
So upset about that. With everything under the cement, idk how to fix it and Im thinking I am going to have a useless floor drain.
Is this thin wall pipe and was the concrete done before the building was finished ?
If yes to one or both, I would guess it might have gotten crushed while the rest of the construction was finished.
If you now know where the end of the pipe is, I would start digging back towards the building.
If yes to one or both, I would guess it might have gotten crushed while the rest of the construction was finished.
If you now know where the end of the pipe is, I would start digging back towards the building.
Think its sch40. Would that have been crushed? I seen the pipe intact coming out at the building. I did not dig “under” though. Are you saying I can dig as far as I can and see if I see a break?
guess the “fix” will be to patch the floor drain. And then drill a hole through the brick foundation for a drain through the wall?
Concrete was done last. Building was up for a few months before the pour
guess the “fix” will be to patch the floor drain. And then drill a hole through the brick foundation for a drain through the wall?
Concrete was done last. Building was up for a few months before the pour
larry4406
Well-known member
My plumber has a camera on a fiber scope they push down the drain. It also has some sort of transmitter that communicates with a separate hand held location device. Have used it several times to trace out groundwork’s and find exact location of issue.
I still don't understand this sink drain. It is just a pipe running out under the lawn into the dirt? Not into a creek or into a septic system? It doesn't drain to daylight? And you plan on washing your hands and stuff in this sink, with soap and pumice and stuff? No dry well or anything? What keeps a mole from crawling up it? What keeps the dirty water from killing your lawn? What keeps it from being a muddy mess?
bighouse01
Well-known member
Run the snake down it, leave it in there, then try the metal detector
FredWanaker
Well-known member
can you find a way to hook compressed air up to it and take the air up to maybe 30 PSI? See if you hear where it is escaping. I would not go much more in case the drain was not glued properly. At 30 psi you should be able to hear where the air comes out.
CJDave
Well-known member
I tried that "witching " once and it worked. Took me right into the house and to the chair where my wife was sitting!!! Just kidding. CJDave.
This is nice. I will look into them. Really wish I would have opted to have my gutters piped off too.Make it to look similar to this. I have one of these buried behind my building that the gutters dump into.
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For those of you still with me, I found the second drain on lunch today...it went under a root and I missed it on my initial pass there. Guess I felt the shovel hit the root and not pipe.
The second drain has 3" pipe coming out of the building for maybe 5", and then they reduced it down to 2" pipe for some reason. Not sure I like that so will probably cut out that reducer coupling and run the rest of the way with 3". The sucker is 30" deep in the ground....
So both drains have been located...now I just need to dig a trench and run them away from the shop and figure out if I should drain to daylight or do a drywell. Luckily, the back of my shop is on a hill, so it will be easy to get the water running away.
The second drain has 3" pipe coming out of the building for maybe 5", and then they reduced it down to 2" pipe for some reason. Not sure I like that so will probably cut out that reducer coupling and run the rest of the way with 3". The sucker is 30" deep in the ground....
So both drains have been located...now I just need to dig a trench and run them away from the shop and figure out if I should drain to daylight or do a drywell. Luckily, the back of my shop is on a hill, so it will be easy to get the water running away.
I still don't like the idea of just dropping soapy, dirty water out into your yard without treating it someway. Is that even legal where you live? I mean the floor drain is bad enough, at least where I live. All the snow melting off my car and mixing with the road salt. Wherever it drained would kill everything around it.
Yes, people run grey-water to drains so all that water is not going into the septic system.
I'm not sure its any different from washing your car, does that water go through treatment? Same with washing the dog, pressure washing your house, etc. Soapy dirty water going everywhere lol. Not to mention chemicals like Round Up, fertilizer run off from agriculture fields, etc.
You should see the water that comes out of our AC units here in the south, talking about a big wet spot on your lawn...
The soapy water from my hands is not going to bother anything.
FredWanaker
Well-known member
it isn't the soap. It is the things on your hands, rags, parts, etc., that the soap removes. My mom's family had kitchen grey water into a small ravine in Alabama. For 100 years. Nothing grew where that water drained and it smelled awful.