Plumbing problem from Hell

[softailgarage]

The Following excerpt is from a previous thread titled "Tool Rave"...

When I find a good, solid, useful tool, I tell people about it and this is one. For a week I've been dealing with a clog in the main sewer line. Didn't have a snake so I borrowed one from a friend, actually two. A regular 6' toilet auger and an old metal 15' hand crank drum auger, both of which did absolutely nothing. I then rented a 50' x 1/2" electric auto feed drain cleaner, which made it just up to the clog followed by a 75' x 1/2" electric auto feed drain cleaner which seemed to clear up everything, until a day & half later. This time we were gonna make sure we got it and rented a 100' x 5/8 electric auto feed drain cleaner. This cleared the mainline but, the following day the master bath had a drain problem. Figured it was just a toilet, no biggy compared to the BS I gone thru. Ran over to HF and got a 25' Drill crank drum auger for $15. Sonofabitch didn't work. I hadn't returned the rented cleaner and tried that, it was too big for the drain, wouldn't even make the bend. I returned the rental to HD, walked over to Plumbing for a new wax ring and spotted this for $13. You know this thing worked like a dream. I used a stiff hose to get down there, the Flexzilla Garden hose was too...flexible. Save yourself a lot of money and get one, even just to have around for emergencies. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Medium-Drain-Bladder-82-976-111/30187920

This all started March 6th. Some background... Doublewide Mobile home my girlfriend bought in 1987 in the Colorado River town of Bullhead City, Az. Over the years its been severely abused and neglected by family members she let stay there while she was living in SoCal. This was supposed to be the retirement home. Rainstorm was headed in when pics were taken, that why the ground is wet, its not a leak

After using the drain bladder, as stated above, I thought the problem had finally been solved, that was 4 days ago. The following morning, once again the master toilet wouldn't flush correctly. It would flush, but the toilet bowl wouldn't fill up with fresh water, trying to flush it again would then overflow the toilet. Plunging the toilet would push the water up through the shower drain. At that point the only thing I could do was either vacuum up the water with a shop vac or wait for it to drain overnight. The sewer mainline cleanouts, 3, were all dry, unlike the first few times when they would top off. I finally broke and started calling plumbers. This is the desert, lots of people but not a lot of services, I called 4 out of the 5 plumbers, 1 said he couldn't come out till Thursday, the last guy actually answered. I described the problem and first thing he said was, "Have you had any street work done lately?" In fact, we had. The city and a fiber optic internet provider had recently installed fiber optic cables, new curbs and re-paved the road. "Call the city, they bored thru your sewer main, I had a guy on Ramar Rd that called me yesterday, we're working on it right now". ****, we live on Ramar.

Made the call to the city Wastewater Department and within an hour had a guy in front of the house checking the sewer. He tells me there is no flow and a pump truck is on the way to pump out our mainline. But the mainlines are dry, this baffles them too, so they send out a dude with a camera snake. This is where it gets interesting. 3 City crews in less than 2 hours, I was impressed, anyway, running the camera down the 2 cleanouts on the South side of the house, he spots a problem 16 feet in. It looks like the pipe has or is collapsing, then at 96 feet he hits a clog. Now, I had assumed the mainline ran East of the cleanouts about 7 feet, then made a left at the corner of the East end of the house, continuing North to the street. In order to find out where exactly the possible break is he grabs a wand that picks up the head of the camera while its in the pipe. That line is going in a complete different direction, it goes South 20feet, makes a right, continues West about 40 feet, then right, going North up the middle of the West side of the house to the street. At 96 feet we find the clog. The clog is a third cleanout that we thought was a cleanout for the septic tank that was put out of service years ago. The cleanout was level with the dirt, had no cap and was filled with rocks and dirt. Great, problem solved. Cleaned out the rocks, grabbed the hose bladder, size small and run it down the 4 inch pipe. This cleanout is a branch that leads under the house, runs almost the length of the mobile to a 90 degree elbow and ties in with the rear bathroom...I think. City guy isn't really sure either. City dude gets a call and has to split, but says he'll get a diagram and come back the next day.

Running the hose with the small bladder down the 4 inch cleanout, I get about 15-20 feet and hear the sound of a balloon popping coming from the same cleanout I'm working on, hmmm. To be continued....

 

[ChevyEFI]

I used to use a bladder like that, with a 25ft hose connected to the water heater drain. The kitchen drain would slow down and I would use it every several weeks.

Adding screens over the drains in the double sink changed that to every several months.

Sounds like your puzzle of cleanouts and multi drain routing was more Rubik than my slab. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I have this pressure snake, called a ClogHog. It runs off the pressure washer, and has been a blessing while fighting **** in drains. Changing my dishwasher and washing machine soap to pods has reduced my need to clear lines to twice a year, instead of every month, or less.

 

[DGersic]

Fun times indeed. I can’t figure out how (why) of that sewer routing.

 

[softailgarage]

Fun times indeed. I can’t figure out how (why) of that sewer routing.

You & me both. This is the first time living in a mobile and I gotta tell you, nothing in this place is easy, nor makes sense. Mobile's are built cheap to begin with, throw in years of abuse, this place would make Bob Villa piss his pants.

 

[softailgarage]

Yes, my bladder exploded. Back to Home Depot, picked up 2 more, 1 medium, 1 small. I figure either the exploding bladder was defective or using a small one in a large pipe allowed it to overinflate to the point it popped. This time I went with the medium and within 3-5 minutes, cleared that cleanout, went back to check bathroom, same problem...still. 3 Cleanouts are dry and empty. One thing I did do right is when I was at HD, instead of getting the plain old wax ring, I came across a re-useable ring. It's a hard plastic ring that mounts to the flange, the wax ring encased by the plastic. Depending on how the flange is mounted, below floor, level with the floor or above the floor, there is a large rubber adapter to use. I've had the toilet off and on so many times now I can align the studs to the base blindfolded. The perfect wax ring is pictured. So, here I am again, hovering over an open sewer drain dropping anchor. Did I mention that doing this repeatedly, usually for an extended period has made me ill twice now? I don't suggest it. Once again the bladder completes its mission in under 10 minutes and we're good to go...I hope.

The following morning, I get up at 7:00, look out the front window and see the City guy parked in his truck. He see's me and like a kid with a good report card comes running up all excited and presents me with an aerial photograph of the property showing the direction of the sewer lines and cleanouts, something we figured out the day prior but at least its now confirmed. I have to say, I'm extremely impressed with the city crew, so much so I emailed the City Manager and Utility Director , credit given when credit due. Now that this issue has been taken care of, I can look forward to doing something less meaningful like raking rocks and Hula hoeing the strange green objects popping up all over from the rains. Jump in the shower, everything is draining and flowing, its gonna be a beautiful day and I'm smiling as I pass the girlfriend in the hall who's headed for her shower. Then, 10 minutes later, I hear it, Goddddddddammit! Showers backing up!!!
So much for a beautiful day.

Instead of putting on my comfy Levis, I reach for my Duluth Trading Company Firehose work pants, rubber boots and hoody and head out in the rain. I've been avoiding this for a long time, but have no choice now, the plumbing under the mobile has to be inspected. If this were Summer, there wouldn't be a chance in Hell of me going under there. Cobwebs means spiders and in the desert heat there's also Scorpions and snakes, 3 of my least favorite things. It's also cramped, about 3 feet to crawl around in the dirt and God knows what else. Plus the fact of being under a 36 year old mobile home supported by stands makes my bowels twitch. Put on my gloves, pull the hoody over my head and start to ease my 6 foot, 220 lb, 61 year old body into the space feet first, crawling on my back, you know, so I can watch the mobile as it collapses on me. Its dark, creepy, wet from rain and stinks. Pretty sure something is going to lunge out of the darkness at me, I snap some pictures and get out. Now I have to go to the other side and do it again...lucky me. To be continued...

 

[larry4406]

Ugh, what a mess...

Best of luck OP.

 

[softailgarage]

Day 13
I don't like not being able to fix something, it pisses me off. I start coming up with ridiculous theories as to why the problem can't be solved, so if I start saying stupid ****, bare with me, I'm just frustrated. After waiting for the water level to go down yesterday, I ran the medium sized bladder down and let it sit. The guys from the city said they use them successfully all the time, they also told me to let it sit for hours, even overnight if I have to and so that was my intent. After an hour, I became impatient and started messin with it. Release the pressure, move it around, pressurize it, rinse, lather, repeat. I don't know WTF happened but suddenly the level came roaring to the top and over, I didn't even have time to yell to my assistant to turn off the hose, all I could do was to dance around and crimp the hose. After another hour of waiting for the level to drop so I could pressurize the hose again comfortably, without much luck, I said, "**** it, let it sit overnight" and shut down. As of 5:45am, it appears the level dropped about a foot, much slower than usual, but at least its still draining...a little.

Todays plan of attack, change the medium bladder to the small bladder, run it till I hit the clog, park it and walk away for a few hours. I started digging yesterday in the spot where the camera showed the pipe possibly collapsing. I had marked the area with yellow spray paint, had dug down about a foot and half, maybe two when I struck what sounded like something hard and was black. At first I thought I had found the pipe, nope. As you can see in the pics we've got rocks. I swear, Bullhead City is not natural desert landscape. The first time I saw the area I thought it was man made. The "hilly terrain" looks like the Gods...or man, made piles of dirt everywhere. The more I think about it and look around, the more I'm convinced that Bullhead City was built using all the rock and dirt from Hoover and Davis Dams, trucked in and dumped in neat piles. That said, our whole "yard" consists of dirt and a zillion rocks, some, most are small, but others are simply boulders. That black pipe i thought I struck turns out to be a massive black boulder sitting atop the very spot the camera showed the break. I haven't dug it up yet but I'd say its easily 2 feet across. I'm afraid that if I dig it up its going to create a bigger problem, yet I know it has to eventually come out . Annnd here is where my logic becomes fuzzy. I'm certainly no Engineer but I would think there could be some "suckage" involved in the fluid stream, in other words, a pressure that pulls the fluid created by pressure build up in the pipe, assisting the flow. If there's a break in the pipe, allowing air in, reducing the pressure, therefore restricting the flow? Is that possible? My other "theory" is that there is a massive clog at the elbow under the mobile that leads to the rear bathroom drain. Its at about the right footage related to where the hose stops.

Any Plumbers in the house? I'm 'bout at my wits end, so any and all comments, suggestions, theory's, etc. are welcome, just let 'em flow...(pun intended). Time to go to work.

 

[DGersic]

Post the city picture showing how this run works?

Can you run a camera down the entire length of this? At least as far as whatever is blocking it, you’d have a better idea what you’re dealing with. Follow that with a real sewer rod, or water jet, to remove whatever it is.

The bladders work by building pressure. If your clog has any other way to release pressure, the bladder won’t do much. It sounds like you have multiple toilets, so those will need to be blocked. Any vents would also need to be blocked.

Kay’s ClodBuster sounds like a useful attachment if you have a pressure washer.

Also, a tip on using them, go to the garden aisle and get an inline hose shutoff and a second hose. You need control of the hose at your hands, not yelling to an outside assistant.

I dislike dealing with sewer issues. So, good luck.

 

[DGersic]

That “yard” looks like a right b*tch to dig in. Lots of rocks. On the bright side, though, desert and no grass or other obvious decorative gardening to fix.

 

[housewolf]

I’m a (retired) plumber with a lot of experience but very little in the service side of the business. This looks like a job I would run from. In fact I’m having a hard time reading and thinking about it, seriously… but I’ll keep trying.

One thing I did pick up on was the “massive black boulder”. I think it’s unlikely the crew that originally installed the pipe backfilled the ditch with this “boulder”, or tunneled under it. Of course anything is possible and never rule something out unless your sure. In my experience digging over, or down to an old pipe is fairly easy digging (with machinery) even after many years. The only exception would be roots and it doesn’t look like you’d have any.

Posting an overhead view/diagram would be helpful. Have you tried leaving the clean outs (one ant a time beginning ant the house) open and letting the waste drain above ground? Not pretty but at least you would ensure you have good drainage to a known point. If it were me, I’d probably rent a Mini X and re-run the sewer from a known good point. Hand digging through large rocks you could be a long time without a working sewer. Good luck with it and if something comes to mind I’ll post again

 

[lynnbilodeau]

Well, this *****. Really hard to get a plumber these days; 15,000 retiring every year, and only 4,500 newbies coming into the business each year. Can only get worse.

I really thought this was going to resolve once the City got involved. Hope it gets better soon.

 

[softailgarage]

Started digging out the "massive black rock" which turned out to be a big *** chunk of asphalt, almost 5 inches thick and a brick. Seems to me if the pipe was broken, the dirt would be wet. So far, no pipe and no wet dirt.

 

[acer66]

Yes good luck.

 

[softailgarage]

On the map, it shows locations for "new" cleanouts, those do not exist, just the 2 under a patio cover that no longer exists and 1 at the opposite side of the mobile.

I started to run the hose down the toilet drain again and got nowhere, literally. The hose which worked fine yesterday has decided to take today off and just kinks and folds, I cant get it into the elbow, so now I'm off to see a man about a hose. I was able to get it down the cleanout on the side of the house which accomplished nothing. It didn't back up, the toilet drain or shower didn't back up. I'm at a loss and becoming extremely frustrated.

 

[housewolf]

On the map, it shows locations for "new" cleanouts, those do not exist, just the 2 under a patio cover that no longer exists and 1 at the opposite side of the mobile.

I started to run the hose down the toilet drain again and got nowhere, literally. The hose which worked fine yesterday has decided to take today off and just kinks and folds, I cant get it into the elbow, so now I'm off to see a man about a hose. I was able to get it down the cleanout on the side of the house which accomplished nothing. It didn't back up, the toilet drain or shower didn't back up. I'm at a loss and becoming extremely frustrated.

If I understand you correctly, and it’s draining at the cleanout, your problem is upstream. Like under the trailer.

 

[Drill Sergeant Arc]

Get a small strong magnet and tie it to a stout cord and lower it down the roof vent. I’m thinking an employee of a roofing company or even a disgruntled employee at the mobile home factory dropped something a few inches longer than your main pipe is wide, down a vent, that is now going across the cross section of the pipe. It’s skinny and still partially in the vent and too long to make the corner to go down the main pipe.

It collects the TP until it’s blocked up and then you clear it and then it starts collecting TP again. I’m hoping it’s like metal flashing that a powerful magnet can grab. But if it’s not I would try to shine a bright light and maybe even your camera on your phone set to zoom could get you a conformation.

Another thing is people don’t follow the three P’s of toilet use. Only put poop, pee and toilet paper down the drain. My wife when we first got married had been putting dental floss down the toilet and created over time a similar situation as you are describing. A strand got caught on a rough area of the cast iron pipe and picked up more dental floss over time and that tangled mesh caught Q-tips and then TP and it acted just like the problems you are having now. I’d get it to flow good and then a day or two it was back to overflow.

 

[Wolley]

You could put a clean out elbow in place under the house on the corner to the east main line. Then you could at least clear under the house and look at what going on inside. Then it Looks like a straight shot out to the old septic tank and the supposed disconnect. I wonder if they did it right in 2006 seeing some of the history of the place. Putting in a clean out near the corner at the old tank would be next.

 

[PCustoms]

Maybe I missed it, but have you run a camera down the toilet yet? Should show you exactly what the issue is and save you a lot of time.

 

[larry4406]

 

[softailgarage]

If I understand you correctly, and it’s draining at the cleanout, your problem is upstream. Like under the trailer.

Correct. From the length of the 100ft snake and the amount of feet travelled when it hit the clog, I'm guessing the problem IS under the mobile, specifically at the 90 degree elbow leading to the tie in at the front bathroom. That elbow as well as the coupler (pictured) are both white as opposed to the black pipe, which tells me that at some point this was a problem before, then removed and replaced. The elbow should have been replaced with (2) 45 degree elbows, which would have eliminated the chance of it happening again.

Get a small strong magnet and tie it to a stout cord and lower it down the roof vent. I’m thinking an employee of a roofing company or even a disgruntled employee at the mobile home factory dropped something a few inches longer than your main pipe is wide, down a vent, that is now going across the cross section of the pipe. It’s skinny and still partially in the vent and too long to make the corner to go down the main pipe.

It collects the TP until it’s blocked up and then you clear it and then it starts collecting TP again. I’m hoping it’s like metal flashing that a powerful magnet can grab. But if it’s not I would try to shine a bright light and maybe even your camera on your phone set to zoom could get you a conformation.

Another thing is people don’t follow the three P’s of toilet use. Only put poop, pee and toilet paper down the drain. My wife when we first got married had been putting dental floss down the toilet and created over time a similar situation as you are describing. A strand got caught on a rough area of the cast iron pipe and picked up more dental floss over time and that tangled mesh caught Q-tips and then TP and it acted just like the problems you are having now. I’d get it to flow good and then a day or two it was back to overflow.

Interesting. I did get on the roof and looked down the vents, I'll give this a shot too. The first snake DID bring out a tampon and a few baby wipes. Having had a houseful of female guests and a baby the day before, this could be the culprit, I'll check it out.

You could put a clean out elbow in place under the house on the corner to the east main line. Then you could at least clear under the house and look at what going on inside. Then it Looks like a straight shot out to the old septic tank and the supposed disconnect. I wonder if they did it right in 2006 seeing some of the history of the place. Putting in a clean out near the corner at the old tank would be next.

The plan in the pic is from when the city was putting in the sewer. According to my girlfriends daughter, who lived here then, says she watched the excavator fold in the sides of the tank, break it up and buried it.

Maybe I missed it, but have you run a camera down the toilet yet? Should show you exactly what the issue is and save you a lot of time.

No. The only access to a camera was when the city came out with one and that was for them to make sure they weren't at fault.

 

[Drill Sergeant Arc]

The first snake DID bring out a tampon and a few baby wipes. Having had a houseful of female guests and a baby the day before, this could be the culprit, I'll check it out.

Bingo, there is something catching stuff and building up till it plugs enough to backup and then you clear it enough to start the process all over again.

 

[DGersic]

Started digging out the "massive black rock" which turned out to be a big *** chunk of asphalt, almost 5 inches thick and a brick. Seems to me if the pipe was broken, the dirt would be wet. So far, no pipe and no wet dirt.

Wow. Ok, so now I understand how this sewer run goes, and why. It’s not ideal with all of those corners in it.

Can you rent a plumbing camera? Or get a sewer rodding company to come out with one? Pull the furthest toilet off, and go down it from there. I expect you’ll find something at the junction where they cut off the septic and turned left, marked “new c/o” in red at the back of the patio.

The **** you dug up is interesting. Rocks happen, but somebody put that chunk of asphalt there.

A partial collapse may not make the ground wet. The water and solids mostly flow along the bottom of the pipe. So a hole in the top may not seem like much from the outside. It does allow dirt and debris in to the pipe, which can plug it up.

You’re in desert, relatively warm climate, no frost line to worry about, and it looks like maybe this isn’t very deep? Here I have a basement, so the sewer starts around 10’ down and drops from there. Maybe dig down to where the sewer was attached to the old septic run. Replace that corner 90 with two 45 s for better flow, if that’s where the plug is.

 

[DGersic]

Bingo, there is something catching stuff and building up till it plugs enough to backup and then you clear it enough to start the process all over again.

It’s plugging up awfully fast. I don’t think he’s even getting as far as cleared, just clear enough for a couple of flushes. Could be snagged “stuff”, on any rough edge.

I think there’s going to be digging to fix this. I’d want a good view of it all from a camera first, though.

 

[housewolf]

Correct. From the length of the 100ft snake and the amount of feet travelled when it hit the clog, I'm guessing the problem IS under the mobile, specifically at the 90 degree elbow leading to the tie in at the front bathroom. That elbow as well as the coupler (pictured) are both white as opposed to the black pipe, which tells me that at some point this was a problem before, then removed and replaced. The elbow should have been replaced with (2) 45 degree elbows, which would have eliminated the chance of it happening again.
.

Unfortunately there isn’t a way to eliminate the chance of it happening again. Using two 45 deg bends there is better than a single 90 deg but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the problem. If I were to cut that 90 out and replace it with something, I’d do something like this and replace the 90 with a combination wye and 1/8 bend (combo) to extend another cleanout outside the trailer giving you a means of cleaning out everything downstream of the turn. I don’t know which direction it’s flowing so it’s an either/or of the two lower sketches.

 

[softailgarage]

Day 14.

Yesterday, I went and bought a 100' commercial grade hose. By the time I got back, the level in the drain had dropped to the point I could comfortably run it down and turn on the water which I did. Unfortunately my girlfriend decided she needed to do a load of laundry (after I specifically said don't use any water), so when the washer started to drain, it backed up (surprise, surprise) overflowing into the bathroom, which put a stop to the effort until today. It takes a full 5-8 hours for the drain level to lower. This morning she tells me, that in the middle of the night she got up and found a 1/4" of water (sewage) on the bathroom floor and had to clean it up. I guess it was payback for doing laundry. I haven't checked it out yet.

Today's goal, depending on the water level, is to get that hose to the clog and let it sit there and allow the bladder to work, as suggested by the city crew. The second goal is to monitor the girlfriend and make sure no water is used. I thought about shutting the water completely but that would defeat using the hose. Maybe a shock collar? To be continued...

 

[housewolf]

Day 14.

Yesterday, I went and bought a 100' commercial grade hose. By the time I got back, the level in the drain had dropped to the point I could comfortably run it down and turn on the water which I did. Unfortunately my girlfriend decided she needed to do a load of laundry (after I specifically said don't use any water), so when the washer started to drain, it backed up (surprise, surprise) overflowing into the bathroom, which put a stop to the effort until today. It takes a full 5-8 hours for the drain level to lower. This morning she tells me, that in the middle of the night she got up and found a 1/4" of water (sewage) on the bathroom floor and had to clean it up. I guess it was payback for doing laundry. I haven't checked it out yet.

Today's goal, depending on the water level, is to get that hose to the clog and let it sit there and allow the bladder to work, as suggested by the city crew. The second goal is to monitor the girlfriend and make sure no water is used. I thought about shutting the water completely but that would defeat using the hose. Maybe a shock collar? To be continued...

Pro tip:
When we are working on something and don’t want the user using water, we turn the water off

 

[softailgarage]

It’s plugging up awfully fast. I don’t think he’s even getting as far as cleared, just clear enough for a couple of flushes. Could be snagged “stuff”, on any rough edge.

I think there’s going to be digging to fix this. I’d want a good view of it all from a camera first, though.

Exactly.

 

[softailgarage]

Pro tip:
When we are working on something and don’t want the user using water, we turn the water off

My thought exactly, however I need water for the hose. This is where a shock collar comes in.

 

[Drill Sergeant Arc]

I’ve had a rental for 30 years, one time the teen girl in the house lost control of the toilet paper mandrel and the parts fell in the toilet and she thought she could flush it down rather than have to stick her hand down there. I had to pull the toilet for that one. I’m pretty sure you’ve got foreign material somewhere under the house that was catching the stuff the gals weren’t supposed to be flushing.

 

[DGersic]

Day 14.

Yesterday, I went and bought a 100' commercial grade hose. By the time I got back, the level in the drain had dropped to the point I could comfortably run it down and turn on the water which I did. Unfortunately my girlfriend decided she needed to do a load of laundry (after I specifically said don't use any water), so when the washer started to drain, it backed up (surprise, surprise) overflowing into the bathroom, which put a stop to the effort until today. It takes a full 5-8 hours for the drain level to lower. This morning she tells me, that in the middle of the night she got up and found a 1/4" of water (sewage) on the bathroom floor and had to clean it up. I guess it was payback for doing laundry. I haven't checked it out yet.

Today's goal, depending on the water level, is to get that hose to the clog and let it sit there and allow the bladder to work, as suggested by the city crew. The second goal is to monitor the girlfriend and make sure no water is used. I thought about shutting the water completely but that would defeat using the hose. Maybe a shock collar? To be continued...

Lock Out / Tag Out

 

[Hooked]

Get a small strong magnet and tie it to a stout cord and lower it down the roof vent. I’m thinking an employee of a roofing company or even a disgruntled employee at the mobile home factory dropped something a few inches longer than your main pipe is wide, down a vent, that is now going across the cross section of the pipe. It’s skinny and still partially in the vent and too long to make the corner to go down the main pipe.

Something like this is a real possibility.

When our daughters were very young I discovered a small tooth brush had been dropped in the toilet and flushed which resulted in the scenario mentioned by DSA. Fortunately for me it was stuck directly below the toilet.

Good luck.

 

[housewolf]

Something like this is a real possibility.

When our daughters were very young I discovered a small tooth brush had been dropped in the toilet and flushed which resulted in the scenario mentioned by DSA. Fortunately for me it was stuck directly below the toilet.

Good luck.

About 6 or 7 years into my plumbing career I was tasked with overseeing subcontractors and doing warranty work. I had made about half a dozen calls to unstop the same toilet. The lady was beginning to get rude and was upset her toilet kept stopping up so we finally agreed to replace it. It was an expensive colored toilet. When I pulled the bowl I could hear something rattling in it. I couldn’t retrieve or see it so I whacked the S Trap with a hammer and found her daughter’s toothbrush. I went back to her door and gave it to her, she recognized it immediately, became very apologetic and offered to pay for the bowl. I told her no worries, its worth it to me to put an end to our weekly routine

I never got another call from her.

 

[PoorUB]

Pro tip:
When we are working on something and don’t want the user using water, we turn the water off

My thought exactly, however I need water for the hose. This is where a shock collar comes in.

Shut off the water to each individual thing, washer, sinks, toilet.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Disconnect or cut the line at the last possible point where it goes into the ground. Connect a section of corrugated plastic pipe out into the yard. Do laundry, shower etc. and see how it behaves. Once you know the problem is or isn’t in the trailer, then proceed to hunt it down.

Amazon sells endoscope cameras for less than $40. It will change your life. You can look at the inside of every drain in the house.

 

[backupbeeper]

I’d install a cleanout under the hoise , so you don’t have to keep removing the toilet .

And install a “sewer popper” in the yard or install an elbow off the cleanout , extending outside the hoise and make it about three inches taller than the pipe under the hoise

That way the backup will overflow into the back yard and not into your house

We had semi frequent backups and I did this to keep sewage out of the downstairs shower .
Get a camera and find the clog .

We rented a powered snake a time or two and it cleared things up for a few weeks or few months but it always backed up again

We paid a plumber $500 to come run a camera down the line and theirs had the transmitter and they showed up exactly where the clog was and how deep

We figured it was tree roots in the line between the hoise and the city sewer at the street .

Plumber looks on the camera as he’s doing it and says your septic tank is clogged

I say we don’t have a tank we are on city sewer .
He says he’s been a plumber a long time and knows a septic tank looks like .

I saw we don’t have a tank, the city sends us a bill ever month for the water and a bill for the sewer .

He gets a length of rebar and shoves it in the ground and thunks it into the tank lid

Turns out the outlet pipe of the tank was collapsed
And the tank hadn’t been pumped in the 25 years we had owned the house .

It was also 90% full of sludge .

 

[Hooked]

I hope you contacted the city and got a refund for all the months/years of paying them sewer fees.

 

[backupbeeper]

I hope you contacted the city and got a refund for all the months/years of paying them sewer fees.

We got a partial refund .

It was just enough to pay for the repair to the tank outlet ,
And that was with me renting a mini ex and digging up the tank, since half the tank was under the back deck , that was loads of fun.

But we did install a maintenance hatch , so any future pumping can be done without digging it up .

 

[ZRX61]

I hope you contacted the city and got a refund for all the months/years of paying them sewer fees.

I've been fighting LA County for sewer fee's they charged me between '97 & '12 on a house that had a septic system. They admit they shouldn't have charged me, but have been delaying paying me back since I found out in 2014. Nine ******** years & it's around $4000.

 

[softailgarage]

Day's 15, 16, 17 & 18

Bought the biggest bladder HD had, couldn't get it past the first elbow, so I replaced the medium one that popped, still no luck. I sacrificed my big wet/dry vac and started using it to vacuum out the drainline every time it would back up from using the bladder. Tuesday and Wednesday we had heavy rain that came in from California, which slowed efforts a little. I did get up on the roof again to check out the vents. I have strong magnets but no way to attach them to a line.

While using the medium bladder, I got it to the clog and marked the hose with electrical tape, pulled it out and measured the length. The hose had gone 34', I then measure it out from the edge of the house, following the direction of the pipe, which took me to where the elbow is. My theory is correct, the clog is at the 90 degree elbow, UNDER the house. My girlfriends brother came back out and we've decided HE will crawl under, cut the elbow out and replace it with 2 45degree elbows.

Last year, I completely re-modeled the front bathroom, replacing the sink, toilet and tearing out the bathtub and put in a large shower. Having never had done this before, I screwed up and failed to hook up the shower drain to the sewer line before installing the shower, which left the shower unusable. The shower is a foot away from the East cleanouts and above the elbow that will be replaced, so in order to avoid having to crawl from the East access port to the work area, I got out the shovel and dug out a tunnel under the house.

Today we cut, replace and hook up drain lines