Sewer Snake

[MacMcMacmac]

I have a friend who I'm quite sure has a plugged sewer lateral. I have a good idea why, but talking about it leads to the exchange of heated opinions, so lets just say it's not a collapsed pipe or root intrusions.

Floor drains back up when the washer drains. Not a lot, about a 5 sq ft circle of water, so it is obviously still passing some water through. The drains will revert back to normal level if left alone.

She is not able to undertake this herself. She's not flush with cash and is worried about a large plumbing bill.

She thinks the problem is the huge amount of rain we received on the 1st. Many flooded basements here, but not hers. She thinks the sewer is overloaded and it's preventing the evacuation of her line. I said that's highly unlikely 72 hrs after the event, but she wants to wait another day to make sure. I've explained sanitary vs storm sewer but it hasn't changed her mind.

So, having once again to defer to "the internet" wisdom, I have to wait another day for things to shake out before the inevitable realization the the lateral is indeed plugged.

So, seeing as how this will once again fall to me to take care of, can someone suggest what I would need? I see snakes for rent from Home Depot. I have seen old style flat steel band snakes being used for this purpose before. It had a large brush head on the end. It worked well.

I'm wondering what the difference is between a 1/2" and 5/8" snake is. Drive cable size? Do the heads pull themselves forward, or must they be hand fed?

Would you recommend renting a camera as well? Can both be used at the same time to monitor progress, obviously keeping the camera back from the cutting head.

I told her to get an estimate for the job and hire a pro, but she figures shes always going to get screwed.

Looking forward to this like a kick in the nads. Happy 4th!

 

[zendriver]

"Steel band snakes" ****

Rent one with a root cutting blade if there are trees in the are of the line. We had roots cut out professionally but the line was only about 6' long so I probably could have done it myself.

How long is the line to where they think it goes?

It great it at least drains.

Have fun.

 

[mikey03]

Rent one with a root cutting blade if there are trees in the are of the line. We had roots cut out professionally but the line was only about 6' long so I probably could have done it myself.

if it turns out you got roots in the line, does that mean the roots broke through into the pipes? If you the cut roots won’t that mean the pipes have a hole in it that leak out? Or are you just cutting some of the root that is inside but the rest of the root is still there and keeping the hole shut?

 

[rlitman]

if it turns out you got roots in the line, does that mean the roots broke through into the pipes?...

The camera will tell you that. If it's full of dirt, then yeah. But any crack or poorly sealed joint will leak, and roots will follow the water source. So if it's just roots intruding in a loose joint, then you may be fine (as I was).

 

[mikey03]

The camera will tell you that. If it's full of dirt, then yeah. But any crack or poorly sealed joint will leak, and roots will follow the water source. So if it's just roots intruding in a loose joint, then you may be fine (as I was).

But if you see roots doesn’t that mean the pipe is broken? So If you cut roots the pipe is still broke even though you cleared the roots?

 

[kbuhagiar]

OP clearly stated it was NOT a root intrusion.
I'll bet it has something to do with flushable (not!) wipes.

 

[rlitman]

But if you see roots doesn’t that mean the pipe is broken? So If you cut roots the pipe is still broke even though you cleared the roots?

Depends on the pipe, but not necessarily. Roots don't absolutely mean the pipe is broken. In the past, terracotta pipes might have been placed with nothing (or just oakum) packing the hubs. Nobody cared if they leaked a little, and that'll happen if the earth shifts at all. All it takes is a big enough opening for water to get out, for roots to find their way in, but roots on their own don't have to destroy the pipe.

 

[signcrafter]

OP clearly stated it was NOT a root intrusion.
I'll bet it has something to do with flushable (not!) wipes.

Reading the OP post leads me to believe the same, or feminine products.

Since it's slowly draining you have a partial block in the line. The volume of water from the washer can't flow through the block fast enough and blocks up, let it sit and it slowly goes down. Depending on the blockage it can trap more stuff and block up worse. It's not the storm water causing this.

What size and pipe and how long of a run from the drain/clean out to the street? I have a ridgid k-400 drum machine and it can open up a 3" or 4" line depending on the blockage but a bigger machine would be better. The cutting heads aren't big enough to clean all the sides of the pipe. I bought a sewer camera off amazon that works really good. This is the one I bought for 450 dollars but isn't available anymore, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0874VT178?tag=atomicindus08-20. I bought it after the guys boring the lines for fiber went through my sewer and I had a similar situation that it would back up and then slowly drain and my machine couldn't get through the blockage. After I saw the orange plastic looking object in my sewer I wished my auger would have went through their conduit.

Another option if it is wipes or similar is a jetter attachment for a pressure washer. I bought this one but haven't used it, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TMBN987?tag=atomicindus08-20. This should be able clear wipes and clean the walls of the pipe.

 

[larry4406]

Don’t they make a balloon like device that expands and plugs the line while applying pressurized water to blow the slug down the line?