Over 698,000 strictly plumbing related posts
Plumbing education, information, advice, help and suggestions are provided by some of the most experienced plumbers who wish to "give back" to society. Since 1996 we have been the best online (strictly) PLUMBING advice site. If you have questions about plumbing, toilets, sinks, faucets, drains, sewers, water filters, venting, water heating, showers, pumps, and other strictly PLUMBING related issues then you've come to the right place. Please refrain from asking or discussing legal questions, or pricing, or where to purchase products, or any business issues, or for contractor referrals, or any other questions or issues not specifically related to plumbing. Keep all posts positive and absolutely no advertising. Our site is completely free, without ads or pop-ups and we don't tract you. We absolutely do not sell your personal information. We are made possible by:
Author:
Khendr (MN)
My fiance and I bought a house in January it was built in 1967 and as far as we know has cast iron pipes, when we were having inspections done we paid to have a plumber run a camera through the main line and he said it's absolutely clear. Well now the drain in the laundry room over flows every time we use the plumbing on one side of the house. Everything on the side over by the main line drains fine. Everything on the other side, washing machine, dishwasher, kitchen sink all cause a major over flow. We used draino before we learned that could cause issues. We have been using a plumbers snake that's 50 feet it goes in about 10 and stops but we appear to be getting a black sandy silt type stuff. After he snakes it for a long period of time it drains better but isn't clear.
Is it likely just clogged or is it possible it collapsed it was working fine until about a month ago! I don't know what to do!!
**UPDATE** Neighbors told us today the people who lived here previously(they were renters) had this happen at least one time a year?! Note we used this from Feb 1st to like mid July with no issues, only thing that changed is we had a new dishwasher installed.
Edited 1 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Wheelchair (IL)
If its on the washing machine side.... it could be sand after all these years. Perhaps, power flushing will resolve that if it is sand.....
Best Wishes
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
packy (MA)
if you paid someone for a camera inspection, he would have no reason to lie about the condition of the pipe.
so, you have to assume the a good cleaning of the pipe will resolve the issue.
run water into the pipe as the snake is spinning..
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Khendr (MN)
I am not doubting the main being clear, this is a separate drain in the floor in our laundry room which connects to the main. I am trying to find out if this pipe is collapsed or if it's just full of gunk. Even after an hour or two of augering it doesn't completely clear.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
hj (AZ)
Any snake you have is probably completely ineffective as far as clearing the stoppage. You need a plumber with a "big" snake.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Wheelchair (IL)
A 1/4 inch tube with hot waters is part of the power washing system. The tube has a head on it with directional streams that actually pull the tube into the line as it clears the ID of the pipe and forces any debris (like sand) forward to the main line.
Best Wishes
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
hj (AZ)
That is not quite true. The same jets that pull the line forward force the debris backwards, (there is usually a single jet pushing stuff forward), which is why the best jetting is done from downstream, so it pushes the debris out as the hose progresses up the pipe.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Wheelchair (IL)
I'm sorry. This is true. I love "Jetting" for sand clogs.
Best Wishes
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
KCRoto (MO)
I don't think the previous inspector even checked the line to which you are referring. It sounds like this is probably a 2" cast iron line that is a branch to the main line. The camera which is used for most main line inspections won't even traverse a line that small, and a separate camera is needed. If this wasn't done, it is impossible to say what the condition of the drain line is. Many kitchen sink drains that I have had to excavate have had a slight sag in them, which led to standing water, which then leads to a buildup of debris, and specifically, grease that solidifies on the standing water. Grease and cast iron are not friends, and the cast tends to corrode away along the bottom of the pipe. Eventually, small pinholes develop, and water leaks into the soil surrounding the pipe, which further promotes corrosion. Now, my advice is to have a professional snake out the drain line. Generally, flowing water and a spinning snake will break up and wash out any kind of buildup, and I would do this as a first step. If you jump to jetting the line, it could flood out of the clean out and make a huge mess in the basement. In addition, if the pipe is broken, and a small snake exits the like and starts digging, it is pretty easy to tell. The cable comes back shined up nicely, with clay and sand packed into the wire. If the line doesn't appear to be broken with a snake, I recommend sending a camera down it after it has been cleaned to check the structural integrity. Best of luck.
|
Post Reply
|
Please note:
- Inappropriate messages or blatant advertising will be deleted. We cannot be held responsible for bad or inadequate advice.
- Plbg.com has no control over external content that may be linked to from messages posted here. Please follow external links with caution.
- Plbg.com is strictly for the exchange of plumbing related advice and NOT to ask about pricing/costs, nor where to find a product (try Google), nor how to operate or promote a business, nor for ethics (law) and the like questions.
- Plbg.com is also not a place to ask radiant heating (try HeatingHelp.com), electrical or even general construction type questions. We are exclusively for plumbing questions.
Search for plumbing parts on our sponsor's site:
Special thanks to our sponsor:
|