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Discussion Forum

sewer line install messed up.

dockelly | Posted in General Discussion on September 21, 2007 06:55am

So I finally get someone to put in a new sewer and water line at our 2nd home, I was not there, and they put the sewer line on the wrong side of the house. At this point in the project I’m not the least bit surprised, sometimes I think I must be speaking French, things get messed up a lot. Had a hole on the correct side to allow the DWV to go through the foundation. Now I have to come up with a plan B. Before you ask, I have called the guy and am waiting for a call back.

Assuming the worst, and I have to fix the problem, I see 2 choices: Cut a hole in the foundation wall to tie into the sewer line, or go under the footing near the front of the house and tie into the sewer line there, assuming the line is deeper than the footing in that location. At the back of the house, where the sewer line is incorrectly installed, it’s not deeper than the footing so the waste would have to go uphill if I go under the footing, sort of a “P” trap configuration, that’s why I would need a hole in the foundation wall above the footing, . My guess is going under the footing and back up to hit sewer line would not be code.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Kevin

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Replies

  1. DaveRicheson | Sep 21, 2007 01:02pm | #1

    bump

  2. User avater
    CapnMac | Sep 21, 2007 05:56pm | #2

    Had a hole on the correct side to allow the DWV to go through the foundation. Now I have to come up with a plan B. Before you ask, I have called the guy and am waiting for a call back.

    So, have you checked that they even got the drain elevations right?

    Not "on you" so much as on the contractor who swapped left for right.  Were there any plans drawn showing where to run the trench? 

    Guess we won't know until you get the call-back if there was some insurmountable "thing" in the way, perhaps, of the "correct" routing.

    The what-to-do-now is a bit simpler, though.  You will need the invert elevations of the line as installed.  Then, you have to go back to your DWV plan and see if it will drain to that elevation at the location of the drain line.  If the answer to that is "no" then you need a new line.  Now, who gets "done over" for the work wil lget into a tussle on whether there were drawings, landmarks, written instructions, whether any of that was folled, etc. yada yada yada.

    Sometimes these things happen.  Utility trenching can be unglamourous work that is tedious and yet has to be precise.  A person can go out with the utility contractor, and lay out the run of the lines in unique, distinctive, even singluar spray paint--and yet still have the norb with the trencher come dig in the wrong spot.  (This can be really fun when Norb and his brother Darryl and his other brother Derrel lay in a 6" fire main, and backfill said line, compacting it entire--only to the wrong side of a building and without getting an pre-cover inspection . . . )

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
    1. dockelly | Sep 21, 2007 10:02pm | #4

      instructions were simple, put the new one, water and sewer, where the old ones were.  Dug out the old sewer in two spots, at house and midway to curb.  They had my numbr if there were questions.  Called about a 6" core drill, about $400 for the day.

      1. User avater
        CapnMac | Sep 22, 2007 12:15am | #6

        Called about a 6" core drill, about $400 for the day

        Sounds about right.

        But, you did check that you have a good elevation, correct? 

        It can be bad if you need 1/8"/foot and going to the other side of the house has the drain 10-12" lower than where it connects to the new line outside the house. 

        Been to that game one too many times.  Plumber can stop running line 36" or 60" out--then utility contractor gets the rest.  Each will then claim the other screwed up.  (This is even more fun around Austin near the Colorado river, where all the lines have to be ditched into solid rock--missing an invert elevation is very, very bad.)Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

        1. dockelly | Sep 22, 2007 03:32am | #7

          I was told the line had to be 42" deep, I dug where it ends near the house and it's about 12" down.  Now there will be about 18" or so of backfill placed on top so it will end up around 30" deep.  I guess they tied into the main sewer line and worked backward towards the house to get correct slope, who knows, supposedly it was inspected before they covered it.  I'm still waiting for a return call to  discuss what happened.

          1. FastEddie | Sep 22, 2007 03:45am | #8

            Are you still holding money?"Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

            "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

          2. dockelly | Sep 22, 2007 04:28am | #10

            yup

      2. RalphWicklund | Sep 22, 2007 04:06am | #9

        What did they do with the core drill? Hope you didn't OK that.

        It's a simple solution. The boys come back out and put the lines where they are supposed to be. No back talk, no extra money. No plan "B". Just get it done right.

        1. dockelly | Sep 22, 2007 04:30am | #11

          they didn't do anything with core drill, I was looking for a solution.  I've been thinking about it all day and agree they should fix the problem, that's it.

          1. alwaysoverbudget | Sep 22, 2007 04:56am | #12

            around here you can get  a guy to come out and core bit it for 110.00.20 mins he's gone.

            but that said i would have to have a talk with the sewer guy and find out if he's relocating the line or paying for the core bit and plumber to correct. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.

          2. dockelly | Sep 27, 2007 04:41am | #13

            Spoke with the guy about the problem and he doesn't recall any conversation about sewrer line on other side of house. Thought he would send his guys over with a 2 pound hammer and chisel to break one of the blocks. Had to laugh at that, asked him if he was listening, solid concrete, no blocks. Said he had a 4 inch core bit and a 12 inch. I told him use the 12 and that's it. He than said the 12 never works well with his drill, why bring it up? Any way, I do have the opening for the crawl space door right there, so I can send the DWV that way, no drilling at all. Just frame up the door to accomodate pipe. I was thinking if I have to do drill, maybe a bunch of small holes, say 1/2", in a 5 to 6 inch circle and knock the concrete out. I drilled 46 1/2" holes in the top of the wall 4 inches deep, to anchor the sill plate with out a problem and it went fast. Never met the guy on site or had anything put on paper so I take some responsibility. Just looking to fix the problem at this point.And to Capnmac, the elevation at 1/8" per foot would have the pipe drop only 3 inches.This would make it over 2 feet, maybe even 3 feet, above line outside house I'll be tying into. Run is about 24 feet.ThanksKevin

            Edited 9/27/2007 4:37 pm ET by dockelly

          3. dockelly | Sep 27, 2007 11:37pm | #14

            bump

  3. todd | Sep 21, 2007 07:14pm | #3

    I must be missing something. If they had proper instruction and screwed it up why not make them do it right?

    1. dockelly | Sep 21, 2007 10:02pm | #5

      see below

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