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Matt Meiser
11-07-2013, 11:19 AM
Real enjoyable morning here as we had a sewer clog. Luckily the water trapped in the lines was from a load of laundry and a couple showers and was clear with no "solids". Still, don't think I didn't wash my hands about 1000 times despite wearing gloves and take an long shower after. We are on septic and the drain line exits the house about 6' above the basement floor. Draining down the lines took forever to prevent a huge mess and there's a cleanout that looks straight down the line to the septic which sits about 15' out from the house. I was able to break up a plug at the T inside the tank with a couple pieces of PVC conduit. After I reinstalled the cleanout plug I ran a bunch of water and rechecked and it was fine. I repeated that cycle a few times. Debating whether I need to get a drain cleaning company out to make sure the legs of that T are completely clear. We weren't due for a tank pumpout for another 14 months according to the sticker the guy gave me last time but I'm thinking I should have that done just to be sure everything is OK there. I think we are as the water, and anything else, in the line ran right out as soon as I broke up the plug but better to find it now than the dead of winter.

We've never had trouble before, but bought a high-efficiency washer this summer. I know there was recently a thread about this somewhere but can find it. The gist of the thread was that the significantly lower amount of water tends to not flush the lines. Anyone remember the advise there? Any other advise? House is 22 years old with PVC sewer plumbing.

Duane Meadows
11-07-2013, 11:39 AM
Think this is the thread you are looking for, Matt...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?207135-Sanitary-Sewer-Troubles&highlight=plumbing+slope+drain

Brian Elfert
11-07-2013, 11:49 AM
A 22 year old house should be built to reasonably current plumbing standards. Your drain pipes are probably all sloped properly and a high efficiency washer should not be an issue for you. The issue with drain slopes is usually in far older houses. I demolished a badly neglected 1911 house that had the drain line from the kitchen at a 30 degree angle!

Matt Meiser
11-07-2013, 12:16 PM
That was the thread Duane. I thought there were more answers in that thread. Definitely no bellies in the line and its a nice straight shot until that baffle T. Need to make sure no one is flushing anything they shouldn't and need to keep an eye on it. Could have just been years of buildup finally catching up to us too but I think I'll get the tank pumped and have the guy get a good look at the T.

Anyone have any experience with something like this pressure washer attachment (http://www.cloghog.com/sewer-jetter-drain-cleaners.html)? Given that I've got a nice straight shot it looks like it could work well for me. Not sure I'd try to run it trough a sink or tub. $125 shipped is most likely cheaper than one plumber visit.

Pat Barry
11-07-2013, 1:06 PM
That was the thread Duane. I thought there were more answers in that thread. Definitely no bellies in the line and its a nice straight shot until that baffle T. Need to make sure no one is flushing anything they shouldn't and need to keep an eye on it. Could have just been years of buildup finally catching up to us too but I think I'll get the tank pumped and have the guy get a good look at the T.

Anyone have any experience with something like this pressure washer attachment (http://www.cloghog.com/sewer-jetter-drain-cleaners.html)? Given that I've got a nice straight shot it looks like it could work well for me. Not sure I'd try to run it trough a sink or tub. $125 shipped is most likely cheaper than one plumber visit.

A few years ago I had a similar problem with a clogged sewer line. It happened two days before thanksgiving. I had to cut open some sheetrock to get access to the drain pipe (from the kitchen sink) and rent an industrial sized snake and go about 40 more feet to clear the drain. Afterward I dumped lots and lots of hot water down the drain to get things to flow. I used hot water, straight from the water heater and I put the garden hose down the pipe as far as it could go. A pressure washer would have been a plus. Nasty job.

Mel Fulks
11-07-2013, 1:20 PM
Heard a smart local guy on radio say in the never ending battle between high standards and those who do the work that some contractors are being allowed to use less slope. He was specifically talking about my area and new development.

Brian Elfert
11-07-2013, 1:23 PM
Heard a smart local guy on radio say in the never ending battle between high standards and those who do the work that some contractors are being allowed to use less slope. He was specifically talking about my area and new development.

Contractors usually only want changes if it saves them time or materials. What would it save them to use less slope? Do they want to use less slope than plumbing code requires?

Mel Fulks
11-07-2013, 1:40 PM
He was talking about new areas ,and went so far as to actually name one . The impression I got was they were being allowed to use older standard to save work. It is pretty well acknowledged that older lines were flatter and he named areas of this city from which they get frequent calls and had people calling in from those places saying their area was terrible. Codes are written by committees with at least half the guys at the table wanting lower easier to follow standards.

Tom Stenzel
11-07-2013, 2:03 PM
Is it possible there's a crack in the PVC near the tee and tree roots moved in? From the description you give it doesn't sound like you would have a tree in the area anyway.

The only other possibilities I can think of is lint buildup from the washer, or maybe you had a visitor to the house that flushed something inappropriate down a toilet.

I wish you luck. Several times I've come home and found a foot of water in my basement from a backed up sewer. No matter how many times it happens it never becomes fun.

-Tom Stenzel

Ole Anderson
11-07-2013, 2:15 PM
Boy, that brings back memories. When I was about ten, we had a sewer backup in our old house (cottage updated to house). My dad pulled the cap off of the cleanout just as it exited the house going to the septic tank, but didn't relieve the pressure first. He got the full shot of the black, very nasty sewage under pressure right in the face. One of the few times I ever heard him swear. Still gives me the willies just recalling it as I was right there, just out of splash range..

Thomas Hotchkin
11-07-2013, 4:13 PM
Matt
My septic tank guy was telling me last time they pumped out our tank for normal service, don't allow flushable wipes in your home, they cause a blockage at T drain in the septic tank and do not decompose. He said they have doubled the number of backup service calls, since they come on the market. Tom

Phil Thien
11-07-2013, 4:38 PM
Well, this close to Thanksgiving, I'd call the pumper guys and have them take a look. Otherwise I'd be afraid it would come back and bite me over the holiday weekend.

Matt Meiser
11-07-2013, 4:47 PM
No roots--I can see right to the T in the tank. No flushable wipes but I need to make sure the women-folk in the house about not flushing anything besides TP. I know the dogs and I aren't :D

Ole, that was my fear. I can only say thank goodness it happened after showers and laundry. I cracked open a cap and let it run into a trash can which took a long time but wasn't too bad on the nasty-factor.

George Bokros
11-07-2013, 5:22 PM
Matt since my son had is problems we, though our house built in 1999 should handle the low volume toilets, we have taken to flushing twice.

Jerry Bruette
11-07-2013, 9:31 PM
You have to be careful with a device like the Clog Hog. The jets that shoot in the reverse direction will be blasting water straight back at you, and it won't be all clean water. You also have to be careful that the small hose doesn't double back at you in the 3 or 4 inch line that you're trying to clean.

At my previous place of employment we had a hydroblaster that used a similar tip on a 1/4 inch braided hose and it would blast mineral deposits out of heat exchangers we used. IIRC we ran about 8500 PSI.

Jerry

Ole Anderson
11-08-2013, 8:02 AM
You have to be careful with a device like the Clog Hog. The jets that shoot in the reverse direction will be blasting water straight back at you, and it won't be all clean water. You also have to be careful that the small hose doesn't double back at you in the 3 or 4 inch line that you're trying to clean.

At my previous place of employment we had a hydroblaster that used a similar tip on a 1/4 inch braided hose and it would blast mineral deposits out of heat exchangers we used. IIRC we ran about 8500 PSI.

JerryIf you jet out a pipe using high pressure water and a reverse nozzle, you need to do it from the down stream side of the clog so the backup has a place to go when it clears, this means from inside the tank, which due to the tee is pretty much impossible.

Matt Meiser
11-08-2013, 8:21 AM
Yeah, if using something like for regular maintenance is going to be necessary, I should probably look at installing an outdoor cleanout which would be pretty easy to do as the line isn't very far underground. We encountered it installing the wiring for the generator and had to go UNDER it to get the conduit to code depth.

Jim Matthews
11-08-2013, 8:49 AM
Did I infer correctly that there are multiple sources of long hair, conditioner and makeup in your home?

I suspect a hair mat is the likely culprit.
Just pulled one from my shower drain.

Eww.

FWIW - I would not purchase any of the readily available pressure jets. These can scour the pipe walls clean,
and perforate the pipes as well. The expensive services will inspect with a camera, first and have insurance
to cover damage. DAMHIKT

Myk Rian
11-08-2013, 3:04 PM
I can tell you one thing for sure.
Don't use a leaf blower down the vent pipe.
I turned our toilet into a bidet.

phil harold
11-08-2013, 9:37 PM
Anyone have any experience with something like this pressure washer attachment (http://www.cloghog.com/sewer-jetter-drain-cleaners.html)? Given that I've got a nice straight shot it looks like it could work well for me. Not sure I'd try to run it trough a sink or tub. $125 shipped is most likely cheaper than one plumber visit.

I have one from Northern Tool
60' footer

the trick is to coil it in a 5 gallon pail so that the working end is on the top feed it into the pipe
when you are done run cram it back into the pail
this really controls the mess
when done clean it all up outside and store it back pail I also keep the heavy duty rubber gloves in the pail

David C. Roseman
11-08-2013, 10:13 PM
If you jet out a pipe using high pressure water and a reverse nozzle, you need to do it from the down stream side of the clog so the backup has a place to go when it clears, this means from inside the tank, which due to the tee is pretty much impossible.

Matt, I've used a 90 footer from Northern Tool ("NorthStar Drain Cleaning Hose - 90ft") to bust out a near-to-impossible clog in a 120 ft. outflow pipe leading from the bottom of the overflow standpipe of a neighbor's 2-acre pond. Nothing else would work for us, including a power snake. We got it started by hand the first five or ten feet to be safe, then gave it a shot with a 3600 psi pressure washer. The thing took off like a greased ferret. We could hardly believe how fast it traveled through the 4" pipe to bust up the clog about 100 feet in from the downhill end. (The pressure washer hose adds to the length of the cleaning hose).

I take Ole's point on needing to have a place for the water to go, but this thing works so fast we really didn't need a lot of water.

Here's what we used: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200330903_200330903 There's a video on that page.

David

phil harold
11-08-2013, 10:32 PM
On a rental, we had a tree root clog the drain
Hired a contractor who came in for 250 bucks he removed the branch with a 4 cylinder diesel engine pressure washer
just a couple of pulses with the foot switch he cut thru a 3" root with the skill of a surgeon and guaranteed his work for a year
It was neat watching the video scope as he preformed the job

Charlie Velasquez
11-09-2013, 8:44 AM
..... We got it started by hand the first five or ten feet to be safe, then gave it a shot with a 3600 psi pressure washer. The thing took off like a greased ferret. We could hardly believe how fast it traveled through the 4" pipe to bust up the clog about 100 feet in from the downhill end. (The pressure washer hose adds to the length of the cleaning hose).

I take Ole's point on needing to have a place for the water to go, but this thing works so fast we really didn't need a lot of water.


Similar story with a 200' line. Slightly different scenario: Line is about 8-12' below ground with a cleanout in the basement and another (with the corresponding extension to ground level) aout 100' from house. Started with the outside cleanout- Finished that section in about 10 minutes. Flushed with a lot of water from garden hose. Then went to the basement. Cleanout is about 4' above the floor. No water backup, so it didn't use enough water to fill up the pipe to a height of 4' (minus whatever was able to run out the drain).
Result was good news, bad news. Did a great job cleaning out the clay drain, but we scoped it anyway and discovered the cause of the clog was the drain had settled at a joint and was no longer connected. Ended up replacing most of it.

Jim Matthews
11-09-2013, 8:48 AM
The thing took off like a greased ferret. David

Just to help me picture this little tableau; what was the ferret chasing up a drainpipe?
That's a new one for my lexicon.

Jim Matthews
11-09-2013, 8:50 AM
... guaranteed his work for a year
It was neat watching the video scope as he preformed the job

This is the sort of approach I would recommend.
A botched drain isn't fun to deal with when the ground is frozen.

Video inspection makes real sense, for something like this - even if it adds cost upfront.

Matt Meiser
11-09-2013, 10:11 AM
Had the septic guy (who we've used since becoming homeowners 13 years ago and my parents have used since the early 80's) out this morning. The baffle area is concrete, not a plastic T like I thought, and was pretty well packed with paper. He said its probably best if we have it pumped ever 2-3 years instead of the 5 usually recommended, which he thinks will prevent further issues. Also, he said if should happen again call them and he can come clean that area and release the clog instead of dealing with it from the inside. And should it be an emergency, he showed me where the cover over the baffle is. He said I could have knocked it out with a stick very easily from there which would be way less nasty of a job than what I did. But most importantly, nothing to be concerned about with the system. Phew.

Bill Cunningham
11-09-2013, 10:34 PM
We are finally off septic and onto sewers after almost 40 years. Things we found over time to never use.

Powdered laundry detergent (over time it turns into something like styrofoam)
Paper towels
Toilet paper advertised to be soft and tough..(Like the 'bear brand' or the stuff that compares to wiping your butt with a kitten)
Kittens..;=)
Most feminine products
Cigarette butts
condoms
Flushing gold fish is ok, it's almost a tradition

When I had a boat, the sign in the head used to say "don't flush ANYTHING you haven't eaten first"
It's a good rule to follow for septics as well