I'm not sure how exactly it is laid out. I do know that if you could draw a straight line from the kitchen sink through the wall and into the garage, you would run into the washing machine. The kitchen appears to be directly above the exit, so I'm guessing the "t" is either under the kitchen or perhaps a bit farther back.
Shane ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 4:23 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] sewer problem fixed (for now) Hi Shane, If I understand your description correctly could there be a 'T' where the drain from the laundry meets the drain from the bathrooms then passes under the kitchen picking that up on the way out the back? This might explain why the kitchen and the laundry are working when the toilets go out. You wouldn't want to excavate under the slab. I only suggested that the sewer line might have a dip in it because the blockage is well under the house so to me it is unlikely to be roots. A low spot will collect solids and even a flush passing through might, at best float some for a while then allow it to resettle perhaps with a bit more sediment added. Finding it though would be tough. One always assumes that the pipe is laid on a firm base but this is not guaranteed and a load of wet cement over a part of it sitting on soft or loose ground might well cause it to sag a little. I don't envy your situation at all. You may be able to snake it out by hand, that is not a nice job and I don't know that snaking as prevention is particularly useful, it could be but I am doubtful. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: Shane Hecker To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] sewer problem fixed (for now) The shower is a sunken shower. The city guy did use a jet, but only at about 10% of normal pressure. And as soon as he hit the blockage, he stopped because he didn't want to fill the house with sewer goo. Also, the washer is no where near the shower. It is in the garage. It may be helpful to try and give a layout of the house. This discription is going to be from the viewpoint of approaching the front of the house. On the far left, there is the garage. Go a bit to the right and you find the dining room. A bit further to the right is a sidewalk going up to a small portch and then the entrance. To the right of this is the guest bathroom and bedroom, then the master. The bathroom with the shower is in the master. The washing machine is in the garage. The sewer line exits the house below the kitchen, which is behind the dining room. Based on information the city guy told me, I believe once the main line enters the house, it goes in about 12 feet, then makes a turn. Knowing where the bath Shane ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2007 11:04 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] sewer problem fixed (for now) I doubt roots would travel very far under a slab. There isn't the environment to attract them, being sheltered it is likely to be pretty dry and covered the soil won't usually have much nutrient. A decent leak over time might provide moisture and feed to spread far enough to attract the roots I suppose but that seems unlikely though not impossible. I think you will find that your city building code will specify what sort of sewer pipe is now required to connect to their mains. I would imagine A B S or some similar plastic. Finally, I would be very suspicious that there is a low spot in the pipe under the slab where residue is settling out and filling the pipe over time. The lighter materials and the water will generally continue to flow over this in the upper part of the pipe but as residue forms the turbulence over the growing obstruction will cause more sediment to precipitate out. You might benefit from running some chemistry down the toilets from time-to-time but there is a caveat, in 1968 they may well have still been using cast iron pipe which doesn't much like acids. I am not familiar with foam snake it may be helpful. If the blockage is, as I suggest, the result of a low spot a mechanical snake will be of limited value because once it has punched it's way through the opening will be only a little larger than the snake which will continue to make it's way through the path of least resistance so won't open it up enough for satisfactory drainage or at least not for long. Do I understand that the city guy used a jet of water up toward your house? If the blockage is, as you think, the wonder to me is that he didn't fill your house with streams of sewer goo! As I think of it, I wonder about your laundry and where it enters the system and if, when the washer discharges it's foam any of that appears up the shower drain. Usually too, because of the volume and pump pressure from a washing machine any blockage will soon have foamy water squirting out from around the discharge hose. This, and the sinks are also well above the water line in toilets and even more above the shower or any bath drains or floor drains if you have any. Never know though, maybe the problem is now solved never to return. Oh yes, and watch for salt in iron or steel or brass or copper or bronze plumbing too, it will eat it up. The idea of copper sulphate though might help discourage roots if in fact that is the problem. Really, you probably want a camera inspection. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: Shane Hecker To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2007 10:54 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] sewer problem fixed (for now) I called the city and they sent a crew out. There wasn't a problem on the city side, but the guy was nice and ran his power jet (at about 300 psi or 10% of full power) up through the line under my house. He got in about 40 feet and managed to clear the blockage. I have no idea what was cleared out, but now everything is working again. I also found out that the sewer line going from the cleanout closest to my house out to the city line is clay. The guy told me that there might be cast iron or pvc under the house. The house was built in 1968. In any event, I want to try and prevent the clog from happening again. We figured out that the shower (at the front of the house) is where the sewer line begins. It then appears to head for the middle bathroom, and exits out of the house below the kitchen. Since both bathrooms were affected by the clog, and the kitchen was not, that would mean somewhere between the kitchen and bathrooms is where the clog occured. Don't know if tree routes would grow that far under a slab, but who knows. In any case, I still want to prevent the clog. Don't want to have to call the city or a plumber every 3 months to fix it. Does foaming pipe snake do any good for keeping the lines clean? In the (hopefully) unlikely event the sewer line has to be replaced, what's the best material to use? Once again, any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. Shane [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ---------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/976 - Release Date: 8/27/2007 6:20 PM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.12/979 - Release Date: 8/29/2007 8:21 PM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
