Sewer clog help needed.

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BigTex308

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Well ive spent valentines day trying to unclog my sewer drain. Got to head into work so I'm forced to let it be for now. So I figured I'd see what yall have to say.


There's a pipe that come from the bathroom and another from the rest of the house that (I'm assuming) tie in together under ground. They are about 7-8 feet apart and both T under ground and have a pipe coming out of the ground with a cap. The water has been flowing out of the pipe closest to the house (because it's the lowest.)


There is another pipe located about 60-70 feet down stream of the other two by the street. I am assuming the other two tie into this one before draining into the sewer.


The two pipes by the house have water standing in them. The one by the street is dry. I have run a 50' flat sewer rod through all three pipes. I also capped one upstream pipe, ran a water hose through the other and shoved a towel around it and let the line pressure up. Then I removed the cap and the pressure forced the excess water back out. I did this on both pipes about 5 times each. And still no water flow on the downstream pipe.


However, when the water backflows, some toilet paper/paper towels/ baby wipes or something comes out with it (among other things)

Any ideas?


My plan is to let it sit overnight till I get off work then come back and see if any water has managed to leak by.


If not i plan to run a disconnected water hose down one pipe and using PVC pipe and another hose create a venturri suction to pull as much water out as I can and then pour drain-o down it to see if that helps.



I may just have ti call a plumber but I'd really rather not.




Thanks in advance.



If I left anything out or you need more info let me know.




Ike

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These are the first 2 pipes. The 3rd is downstream in line between the two.

uploadfromtaptalk1360880807960.jpg


Ike


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My neighbor is a plumber and he said to get some stuff called "liquid fire" and pour it down the pipe. DO NOT POUR IT IN YOUR TOILET OR SINK, THEY WILL BURST. Use the closest cleanout to your house and let it sit for awhile. Then flush it down with water. This stuff is serious, do not get it on you. Wear rubber gloves and safety glasses.
 
You need a man sized auger with a cutter head. Might be a job for the pros, I have had it done in NJ for about $150. Got any nearby trees? The roots can get in there. When you clear it get some copper sulfate and pour it in there at least once a year to kill any new roots. Old drain pipes suck. I could write a book about old plumbing disasters in my 70 year old house. Good luck.
 
I use this stuff "Instant Power" I purchased from Home Depot. It contains lye, and has to sit overnight (8 hours). Saved me the plumber call or snake rental.
 
since you have access

Since you have access points you can try getting a wire snake at the hardware/lowes whatever store, open the pipes and run the snake as far as you can reach.

Oh, my mistake, you said you tried that. The liquid fire stuff is great, but don't get it anywhere except in the pipe!

Are your neighbors having trouble?? That may tell if there is a problem in the main line.
 
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I have to do this about once a year, old house and a lot of trees, forget the mouse milk liquids, call the plumber, you need a rotary cutting head snake. I guess you could rent one but easier to let the plumber deal with it.
 
Don't call a Plumber until you read my PM. If your problem is what I think it is you'll save yourself enough money to buy a SW 642!!
 
I had a clogged drain periodically at my home in PA. It had PVC, but not schedule 40 and I think I had a spot where it was crushed a bit. I would take the end off of an air hose and feed it in till it stopped. Then I would plug the other end in to the compressor for just a second or two. Too long and it would back water all over.
 
You are getting PAPER TOWELS in your drain??????????? I would whip the kids with a belt if I ever saw a paper towel get flushed.
 
No it's not too good to share. It sounds to me that the problem it a clogged P-Trap causing the system to air lock. This can be caused by several different things. Baby wipes are usually the number one problem because although they go away when you flush your toilet it doesn't mean they actually find their way to your sewer system. Tissue paper and paper towels can also cause this problem. Once there is any restriction it's usually just a matter of time until you have a backed up system. To remedy this problem you need to modify a toilet plunger, remove the threaded handle, replace it with any threaded broom handle, trim the plunger to fit snuggly into the vent ( white pipe ) and slowly plunge away. You may have to do this several times until the trap is free of any debris. Warning if you have put any type of drain cleaners Wear Eye Protection!!!! Hopefully this helps and if it you just saved yourself some money and if it doesn't you will only be out few bucks.
 
I was gonna suggest a flat, spring steel sewer rod but it looks like you already tried that.
Our drain backs up into our basement occasionally. I was jamming the sewer rod down it and when I pulled it back out it had a couple of used tampons hanging off the end like a couple of fuzzy dice. I told my wife over and over to not flush tampons, so of course she doesn't listen and does it anyway.
At least until I made it clear that she's the one that's gonna get raw sewage all over her hands clearing the pipe including this one.
 
snubbyfan said:
I was gonna suggest a flat, spring steel sewer rod but it looks like you already tried that.
Our drain backs up into our basement occasionally. I was jamming the sewer rod down it and when I pulled it back out it had a couple of used tampons hanging off the end like a couple of fuzzy dice. I told my wife over and over to not flush tampons, so of course she doesn't listen and does it anyway.
At least until I made it clear that she's the one that's gonna get raw sewage all over her hands clearing the pipe including this one.
Click to expand...

Never heard them called "fuzzy dice" before. :D
 
It sounds like you've got a stoppage that the flat sewer tape is just not getting. Can you attach something on the end of it to make it bigger? Just make sure it won't come off in the line.
Do you have a rental place near where you can rent a sewer machine with a 100' cable? That is what the plumber will use.
They are not hard to use but try not to let the cable get slack in it. If it does and twist up on your hand you'll wish you never saw one.
Paper towels, baby wipes and tampons don't belong in the sewer.
 
I had an issue in our old house a couple of times. Apparently the Insinkerator did not do a very good job. Shrimp heads once and lettuce the other time. I used a huge honking pot of boiling water. Think Crawfish Pot.Twice on one of the clogs. Apparently the grease had build up and the the lettuce and shrimp heads stuck to the grease.
 
There is water coming out of the cleanout outside his house. From the cleanout to the main sewer line there is no p-trap. It is a straight run to the main.
 
Toilet unclogging tip; squirt a little bit of dishwashing soap in the toilet and let it sit for 30-45 minutes. Flush and it should clear it. If not, don't wait 2 days after eating beans & rice to go! :eek:
 
This time, call the plumber. Watch him, see what he does that works. Next time, consider renting equipment. If you decide to rent an auger, wear leather gloves. Plastic can melt on your hand.
 
One thing I've learned over the course of my life.

If I try to fix something and it won't work and I have to ask and try and ask and try, It's time I let a professional handle it. Don't waste your time trying this and that.


Just call, get it over with and get back to living.
 
I've called in plumbers when I'm scratching my head trying to figure something out. Often times after watching them I can go the same job by myself and have on occaison after watching them do something that in the end was resonably simple, he just knew what he was doing. The other side is that they can run fiber optik scopes down your pipes and literally see what the problem is. Back in the 60's there was a sewar pipe on the market made out of asphalt coated cardboard, I think they call it "orange-burg". It was used on my house and through-out this area due to the sandy soil, it will collapse over time, especially with tree root growth. You can auger out the pipe and get water to flow again but eventually you will get something to create enough of a blockage that the only real fix is replacement.
As a point of interest, in the plumbing business tampons are referred to as "white-mice."
 
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