Anyone fixed their own sewer line?

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jsguitar

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Make me feel better with your success stories please. We apparently have a break in ours. I still have to get it scoped to see exactly what and where the problem is but it's likely a huge tree in the back causing the problem. I'm almost certainly going to have to replace a section myself. At least it's flowing right now so I could finally take a shower ect. We just have to be super careful and keep our fingers crossed for awhile.
 
Make me feel better with your success stories please. We apparently have a break in ours. I still have to get it scoped to see exactly what and where the problem is but it's likely a huge tree in the back causing the problem. I'm almost certainly going to have to replace a section myself. At least it's flowing right now so I could finally take a shower ect. We just have to be super careful and keep our fingers crossed for awhile.

Are you sure the pipe needs to be replaced?

If you have a cleanout available in front of your house, you can rent an auger to go in there and grind out root intrusion. I'm 90% sure home depot rents them. They have inspection cameras to see in there, too.

The cleanout by code must be in the front of houses in my area, but your area might be totally different. It's a 4" cap normally, sticking out of the ground.

There are chemicals that you can put down there to attempt to dissolve the roots. Use the foaming kind if you can - they fill the pipe and get all the roots, not just the roots that are in the lower flow of the pipe. RootX is the big name, but there are others. I think it's best if you can put this stuff in at a cleanout instead of at a toilet. It's highly unlikely that you have root intrusion under your house (if you have a slab), extremely unlikely you have intrusion in your basement :) So, get as close to the front (or back) of your house as you can and put the root killer in there. If you're like me, you'll just double the recommended dosage. Shoot twice, ammo is cheap.

If the pipe is collapsed, or the root is massive, I guess you might have to trench and relay the pipe. I haven't done that, but like all PVC stuff, once the trench is dug I'd guess the rest is easy. I'd definitely scope it first before I tackled that.
 
Thanks PP but I'm pretty sure. I won't be 100% sure until I can see inside it but two different plumbers have told me the same thing now. In my house the sewage line starts in the basement under a slab and runs out to the back yard. What the guy today said is that they're getting dirt on the snake with the water running and apparently that means there's dirt coming in the pipe from a break. I think one spot was hard to get through too or something. IDK but it's an old clay line. The house was built in 1961. There's no outside clean-out either unless it's underground or something. It has to be cleaned from the basement.

BTW, the tree is likely as old as the house. It's an old ugly motha' A big silver maple I think. I'm really hoping it's not right under that tree . I may pay someone to do the video thing even though it's expensive because I think it might be tricky to mark it accurately outside. IDK, I have some research to do.
 
Thanks PP but I'm pretty sure. I won't be 100% sure until I can see inside it but two different plumbers have told me the same thing now. In my house the sewage line starts in the basement under a slab and runs out to the back yard. What the guy today said is that they're getting dirt on the snake with the water running and apparently that means there's dirt coming in the pipe from a break. I think one spot was hard to get through too or something. IDK but it's an old clay line. The house was built in 1961. There's no outside clean-out either unless it's underground or something. It has to be cleaned from the basement.

BTW, the tree is likely as old as the house. It's an old ugly motha' A big silver maple I think. I'm really hoping it's not right under that tree . I may pay someone to do the video thing even though it's expensive because I think it might be tricky to mark it accurately outside. IDK, I have some research to do.

You should be able to find where the sanitary line runs behind your house, and you should have a large cleanout somewhere just before your own sewer drain leaves your house. I'd think the line would run per

Home depot near me has this in its rental room. Don't know the daily cost.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzMrGujPyNo[/ame]
 
My father in law owns a Plumbing, Excavating, Sewer business. Are you on public sewer or have a septic tank?

If you have a septic tank there most likely is a clean out somewhere, but depending on the type of system it may be under the ground. How long have you lived in the house and have you ever had to have the tank pumped?

If you're on public sewer there doesn't have to be a clean out, unless it's required by code where you live. You should be able to call you local "sewer district" office and get a survey for where the lines SHOULD be, they don't always get updated so...

Either way if a plumber came out I'm surprised they didn't do a video inspection, fairly common with most of them now. But, from what I know dirt in the lines is almost always a sign of a broken pipe and dirt is getting in. Like others said in the short term you could use some chemical to dissolve the roots, if it's a tree, and break down the dirt in the line. The dirt will keep getting in until the break is fixed though. If it's in your backyard and your comfortable running a small excavator you could do this fairly inexpensively, just the cost of renting the excavator and some pipe. The hard part is figuring where the break(s) are. If it's broke near where it connects into your public main then it can get expensive due to having to involve your local sewer district and dealing with the main.
 
Make me feel better with your success stories please. We apparently have a break in ours. I still have to get it scoped to see exactly what and where the problem is but it's likely a huge tree in the back causing the problem. I'm almost certainly going to have to replace a section myself. At least it's flowing right now so I could finally take a shower ect. We just have to be super careful and keep our fingers crossed for awhile.

I have had to dig down and replace a section of PVC pipe twice, 5 foot deep at the base of the house, Home Depot has everything you need flexible sliding rubber fittings or ACE hardware, just need to dig the darn hole larger than you think because you need room to work at the bottom, giving yourself room to cut/saw the broken section of PVC out,
the hole digging is the hardest part of the job!
Home Depot has the larger snakes that you can rent along with various tips, start with the smallest tip and work your way up to the largest.
You really should flush root killer down your lines once or twice a year if you have trees near your lines.

Good Luck
and I hope you don't have to dig to far down, have a plumber run a camera with a locator on it that way you can mark the trouble spot at the surface.
 
Do they even sell clay sewer sections anymore? Can you patch a clay line with a PVC section?

If this were simply a patch of a section, I'd say sure. Go for it. It is a lot of digging depending on how deep the line is.

But, it sounds like you may be replacing, possibly rerouting, the entire line. Yeah. I'd hire that out.
 
My father in law owns a Plumbing, Excavating, Sewer business. Are you on public sewer or have a septic tank?

If you have a septic tank there most likely is a clean out somewhere, but depending on the type of system it may be under the ground. How long have you lived in the house and have you ever had to have the tank pumped?

If you're on public sewer there doesn't have to be a clean out, unless it's required by code where you live. You should be able to call you local "sewer district" office and get a survey for where the lines SHOULD be, they don't always get updated so...

Either way if a plumber came out I'm surprised they didn't do a video inspection, fairly common with most of them now. But, from what I know dirt in the lines is almost always a sign of a broken pipe and dirt is getting in. Like others said in the short term you could use some chemical to dissolve the roots, if it's a tree, and break down the dirt in the line. The dirt will keep getting in until the break is fixed though. If it's in your backyard and your comfortable running a small excavator you could do this fairly inexpensively, just the cost of renting the excavator and some pipe. The hard part is figuring where the break(s) are. If it's broke near where it connects into your public main then it can get expensive due to having to involve your local sewer district and dealing with the main.

Hey, thanks.

It's a public sewer and there's no visible clean-out outside anywhere.

Ok, that makes sense about the dirt.

It's pretty expensive to have them do the video thing and this plumber already charged me a ****load for just cleaning the line. :) I may still try to do the video myself. I have limited funds so I have to save where I can. I thought about renting the snake but I needed a huge one and I couldn't have gotten it here without borrowing a truck and probably getting some help with it.
 
Should be able to use a flexible rubber fitting on a clay line
 
There is also "trenchless sewer lining" where you wouldn't have to dig up the yard. If they auger the roots out then you would have someone feed a sleeve into the sewer line that hardens in place and acts like a new sewer line inside the old one. It wouldn't work if the existing line is really shattered in one place. I don't know how reliable it is but its a cool idea. I think there was a This Old House episode on it...
 
Root X is popular in residential and commercial use. We don't use it at our wastewater plant because we don't need it in plant, and have an arsenal of pigs and snakes to do mechanical removal in the collection system. I've heard good reviews from other facilities who have used it, when it's used correctly. It positively must be given the full contact time without use of the line. How long it lasts is heavily dependent on what roots are growing into the line, soil conditions, climate, and how big the cracks are that let the roots in. It's not a forever solution. Maybe a year. Maybe five. Depends on how much the line is used, too.

There are a lot of slip line options. The less damage to the line is the greater the success. A terribly collapsed line shouldn't be slipped. It may not even be possible. Sometimes replacement of at least a section is best. A great advantage of slip line over replacing a section is that the entire length of slipped pipe is fortified against later damage. We have large slip lined sections of collection system and influent pipe. It works. The thing to consider is that slip lining does reduce the inside diameter a little. It's usually not a big deal so long as you don't start operating a meat processing plant in your bathroom.

Digging the hole certainly is the hard part of replacing line, once you find the break. We get off easy there. It's usually water lines that we have break, and they spert out the ground. A camera and a measure on the cable is the best way when the leak doesn't reach the surface or may present in a location away from the break. There are also listening devices. I've seen them used on water leaks under a slab, but don't have experience with them. It's a bit of an art. You'll definitely have to dig wider and deeper than the break to have room to work. Call the city to find out how deep the line should be.

Once you get down there, you'll want to cut a little past the obvious damage on either side to be sure you don't clamp onto a section with fine cracks. That would be asking for trouble. Clay pipe is actually pretty freaking hard. A snap cutter or angle grinder with a cutting wheel for clay pipe is best. Wear at least a good dust mask if you use a cutting wheel. Sawsalls with the right blade will do it, but all the jiggy back and forth is risky. Bounce around too much, and it'll crack the good section. A hacksaw down in a hole would be a real beat down.
 
If you want to save money, and are up for digging, I would say skip the camera and just dig up the line. You will be able to find the break, and identify any weak areas. They do sell clay to pvc couplers, if you don't want to replace the whole line. Those insertable sleeves do work, but are not very durable. You might as well fix it right if you plan on living there a while. My in laws are contractors, and they repaired my mainline. I still have part clay, patched with pvc. Good luck!
 
Man I am remembering the HORROR we went through when our old house plumbing broke AT the city connection! 5' from my swimming pool! Had to drain the pool. remove a block wall fence and drive a tractor through 2 of my neighbors yards. repairing 3 fences once it was all said and done.... 3 weeks without plumbing basically living in my parents motorhome sitting outside our house... $20K later the city decides its NOT their problem. IT WAS THEIR CONNECTION THAT FAILED! I was able to get them to pay for 1/2 ... Uhhhhhhh the memories! OK my walk down memory lane is over!

I don't have much to add for help accept... Keep your chin up and stay positive. Good luck and keep us posted....

Cheers
Jay
 
Thanks @Jaybird! That is truly a horror story! I figured there'd be some of those as well. The plumber today was telling me about a brand new house where they had to completely redo the sewage line for some reason. I can't imagine.

I tell ya, I feel really good just getting a shower in today! I decided I'd better have a bourbon tonight as well . :D

It's super cold here now. It got down to 15 today or something. I'm probably going to have to wait until the Spring before I can do much of anything with this.
 
My son is a licensed plumber and he repaired my main sewer line when it snapped at the foundation (local code required cast iron pipe thru the foundation wall). With the help of a backhoe we did the job in 4 hours.

In your case I would suggest that you pay for a video inspection to verifying the condition of the pipe to determine if you can get away with just replacing a section of pipe or need more extensive repairs.

The advantage of hiring a professional is that the repairs can be done within a day. If you want to tackle the job yourself, allow yourself multiple days and a backhoe makes digging the trench much quicker. Also have the phone, cable, electric, gas and water lines marked before you dig.
 
FIL had a drain in his garage that was blocked. Came in from the outside (Clay pipe) and rented a power auger. Out came 30' of maple roots!

The tree was another 30' away from that spot. The roots found a nice wet spot to grow in and followed that pipe almost to the drain entry. We cleaned out the holding tank (steel drum in the ground and got the drain working again.

Trees can really do a number on your sewer pipes.
 
Ours gets clogged with roots every couple of years. We just have a guy come and clear the roots out and that keeps it clear for a couple of years until it happens again. Don't call Roto Rooter, they are the most expensive.

That said, I can also say it is possible to replace sewer line on your own. We were at my mom's cabin and the sewer/septic system backed up. We had to replace a section of the sewer line. The original was made of a cardboard material that had deteriorated. It was a hell of a lot of digging and I would not have wanted to do it myself, but we got it done in a day.
 
I have repaired my home sewer line. I have hired a sewer repair team. I worked with them whole day. This is not a single man work.
 
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