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Hello!
I’ve recently moved into a house that was built in 1910 with and we’ve been having a drain back up problem. The sewer lines inside the house are cast iron, but they transition to terra cotta the moment they head underground. The guy who snaked the sewer line told us that the stoppage was about 100 or so feet from the house, but that he had so little torque at that point, that it was difficult for him to really clean the blockage out.
We had the drain line video taped and, sure enough, at 103 feet from the house, there was sitting water and you couldn’t really see anything. We could tell from the depth reading that the pipe dropped sharply at that point (possibly a 90 degree turn) to join the public sewer system which runs roughly 12 feet below the depth of our line. Up until that 103 foot point, though, the terra cotta looked to be in perfectly fine shape–no visible cracks or breakage–but it also did not appear to have any branchings that might lead to clean outs.
The video guy brought a plumber with him who was extremely anxious to just immediately dig up our entire sewer line (and charge us a minimum of $14, 000 to replace it). He was also very insistent that we couldn’t just dig up the problem area and fix it or simply add a clean out close to the problem area so that it could be snaked more effectively. I hesitate to say this, ’cause for all I know he reads this forum, but there was something about this plumber that just made us distrust his motives–he was just too insistent that we had no other options and too eager to start without giving us a moment to think about it or get another opinion.
Now, at this point, we don’t know what the problem is–we just know where it is (we staked the point where the video got watery). For all we know it’s just a soft clog that’s just too far away from the access opening to clear. I’m very hesitant to dig up and replace the entire line without knowing if that’s really necessary. Is there any reason that we can’t just dig up the problem area and replace that piece of pipe? If we can, do we replace it with terra cotta or is there a way to transition from terra cotta to something modern like PVC? Also, could we install a clean out at that location? Again, could it be PVC or something like that? I don’t know if it makes any difference, but the terra cotta is 4″ diameter and appears to run in 4′ sections.
Thanks for any help you can give us!!
Yours,
Judy Herrmann
Replies
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We have old lines as well, and so far it has seemed that you can splice just about any pipes together using Fernco fittings. These are rubber sleeves with hose clamps at each end used for just this purpose and they come in a seemingly endless variety for connecting different size pipes. The web site is: http://www.fernco.com/
*Judy,There are several factors to consider here. First, is $14K a fair estimate? How much would a localized repair cost? Does the difference in cost warrant only replacing the colapsed / clogged area?If you do proceed with a local repair (and yes it can be done), then the couplings that Flather cites will work. These are also known as mission couplings. You want to get the "non-shear" variety, especially if you have to over-excavate around the pipe at the repair location. These are stiffer construction than standard and will resist shearing due to settlement. Explain the problem to a couple other plumbers (ie; two more estimates). I hope the TV guy made a video tape of the line and gave you a copy. You can show this to the plumbers when they visit your site.Bottom line is how much do you want to spend now and how much do you want to spend over the long haul? A repair will work for the present, but with clay pipe this old you're running on borrowed time with the rest of the installation.Good luck and let us know how it turns out.Eric
*The plumber I use on a regular basis charged $1,200. to replace a sewer line from house to city connection. A fall from zero feet to eight feet at the connection, approx. 80 foot run, sandy soil, NE Florida. That was with a completely open area, no trees or other surface obstructions, no buried pipes other than a run of irrigation plastic and no buried electric or phone lines. Permit fees for that work are negligible and material cost might be as high as $2. per foot depending on your location. Digging and protecting the trench and pit are unknown factors. Hand digging or machine digging? Here they just ignored angle of repose rules and dug it out by hand.Good luck on yours.
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Get a more "local" plumber and splice to hearts content. Fernco's are the way to go. Any good plumber will know to use the ones with the full stainless banding.
It sounds like the blockage is near the interface between the public service connection and your lateral. The service connection is probably NOT terracotta, and the connections made are often "rigged". A perfect place to things to get hung up.
If it is blocked now, it will block again.
Clean-outs should be spaced no further than 75 feet for good cleaning. You should also seriously consider installing a clean out at the street line (ok, 4 feet back), with a tee-wye. That way, if there is a blockage again, you (or your new plumber) can tell if the blockage is in your pipe or the "public" pipe.
In most areas, the service connection outside your property is under the jurisdiction of the utility (ie. they clear the blockage at their cost).
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Judy,
Did this guy have a mask and a gun when he gave you this estimate? I know excellent plumbers who would do this job for under $3000.00 including cutting into the street through the pavement,brick,concrete down to the city connection. I believe they would use schedule 80 (green)push pipe. Are you sure your clay pipe is 4"? A lot of pipe, at least here in upstate N.Y. is 6" and can be sleeved easily.
Get yourself at least 3 to 5 estimates and fix only what needs to be fixed. If you have the extra money or the price is right, replace the entire run, otherwise buy some mutual funds with the money you'll save and throw this guy off your property.
By the way, that price I told you about was for replacing the entire run from house to city connection. Just adding a cleanout on the run would be a lot cheaper.
Good luck!
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Hello!
I've recently moved into a house that was built in 1910 with and we've been having a drain back up problem. The sewer lines inside the house are cast iron, but they transition to terra cotta the moment they head underground. The guy who snaked the sewer line told us that the stoppage was about 100 or so feet from the house, but that he had so little torque at that point, that it was difficult for him to really clean the blockage out.
We had the drain line video taped and, sure enough, at 103 feet from the house, there was sitting water and you couldn't really see anything. We could tell from the depth reading that the pipe dropped sharply at that point (possibly a 90 degree turn) to join the public sewer system which runs roughly 12 feet below the depth of our line. Up until that 103 foot point, though, the terra cotta looked to be in perfectly fine shape--no visible cracks or breakage--but it also did not appear to have any branchings that might lead to clean outs.
The video guy brought a plumber with him who was extremely anxious to just immediately dig up our entire sewer line (and charge us a minimum of $14, 000 to replace it). He was also very insistent that we couldn't just dig up the problem area and fix it or simply add a clean out close to the problem area so that it could be snaked more effectively. I hesitate to say this, 'cause for all I know he reads this forum, but there was something about this plumber that just made us distrust his motives--he was just too insistent that we had no other options and too eager to start without giving us a moment to think about it or get another opinion.
Now, at this point, we don't know what the problem is--we just know where it is (we staked the point where the video got watery). For all we know it's just a soft clog that's just too far away from the access opening to clear. I'm very hesitant to dig up and replace the entire line without knowing if that's really necessary. Is there any reason that we can't just dig up the problem area and replace that piece of pipe? If we can, do we replace it with terra cotta or is there a way to transition from terra cotta to something modern like PVC? Also, could we install a clean out at that location? Again, could it be PVC or something like that? I don't know if it makes any difference, but the terra cotta is 4" diameter and appears to run in 4' sections.
Thanks for any help you can give us!!
Yours,
Judy Herrmann