Sewer line collapsed

[Rock knocker]

Only a Texan can tell a tale like that! LOL! Yeah...one of the funniest stories I've ever heard.

Reminds me of Grandpa Simpson and the ferry to Shelbyville back when people wore an onion on their belt because that was the style back in the day.

 

[EddieWalker]

I recently finished a bathroom remodel job where I relocated the toilet to a different wall and installed about 6 feet of new PVC schedule 40 drain line and connected it to the existing cast iron drain line. It worked great for a couple of months, then the mother of one of my clients came to stay with them for a few weeks and she backed it up. They hired a plumber to rotor it out while I was away on my honeymoon and get it going, but he said the pipe was so bad that it needed to be replaced. He wanted two grand to do this and said that he would have to tear out all the brand new tile I had just installed. Then after he was done, they would have to hire me to install it again.

I did it for a quarter of that amount by digging down under the foundation and then under the house to where the new connected to the old. The pipe had some serious issues about mid way through it where it looked like growths had built up on the inside of the pipe that restricted the flow and caught all the toilet paper, eventually building up to a serious blockage.

Having seen that, I'm wondering how long the millions of homes with cast iron pipes will last before needing replacement? This house was build in the mid 70's. Seems like 40 years is about all they got out of their drain lines. They can't be the only ones who are going to have to have their pipes replaced.

Eddie

 

[Gary Fowler]

See that on sewer lines near the house. Usually it was intentionally done for a cleanout at one time or another.

NOPE, had the cleanout next to the house. Cut was about 3" or so wide thru about 1/3 of the top portion of the pipe, very obvious that a ditchwitch cut it especially since the electric lines were right on top. Electric should have been deeper also per Code.

 

[JRobyn]

See that on sewer lines near the house. Usually it was intentionally done for a cleanout at one time or another.

Seriously???? You are alleging that anyone, ever, would INTENTIONALLY take a ditchwitch to an installed sewer line to make a "cleanout"?? A ditchwitch? If someone DID intentionally do something like this, wouldn't just a sawzall suffice?

- Jay

 

[Loadstar]

NOPE, had the cleanout next to the house. Cut was about 3" or so wide thru about 1/3 of the top portion of the pipe, very obvious that a ditchwitch cut it especially since the electric lines were right on top. Electric should have been deeper also per Code.

Gotcha, a few times I went to help family with plumbing. Located line and dug pipe up in appropriate area for a clean out. Upon unearthing pipe many times I find a simple patch where someone beat me to it. They just never brought it to the surface like I like to. I dont enjoy taking or operating sewer machines in houses.

 

[2manyrocks]

I

Having seen that, I'm wondering how long the millions of homes with cast iron pipes will last before needing replacement? This house was build in the mid 70's. Seems like 40 years is about all they got out of their drain lines. They can't be the only ones who are going to have to have their pipes replaced.

Eddie

My grandfather's house was completed about 1920, and still has the original cast iron drain lines. I don't see how you could wear them out. Most often, people want to remodel. They can't find the materials to work with cast iron, and it gets taken out. At least, that's the way it seems to me it goes.

 

[dave1949]

My grandfather's house was completed about 1920, and still has the original cast iron drain lines. I don't see how you could wear them out. Most often, people want to remodel. They can't find the materials to work with cast iron, and it gets taken out. At least, that's the way it seems to me it goes.

That's similar to my son's house of about the same age. A leak or problem develops and replacing with PVC is a no-brainer. Cast iron will rust away eventually, especially around any seepy joints that are ignored for years.

The one advantage to cast iron is that it is quieter than PVC when you have a drain line in a wall coming from an upper level.

 

[ultrarunner]

I maintain several 1922 homes on one street constructed by the same builder.

I own one of the them and bought it from the original owner... the cast iron is perfect.

The other two needed all the cast-iron with the galvanized drops replaced because tenants in both bought sulfuric acid drain cleaner which turned the cast iron into Swiss Cheese.

One reported a drain blockage.. her daughter pour hot grease down the drain and I had my rooter guy coming over... in the meantime, her son comes back from the hardware store with the acid drain cleaner which wiped out the line...

One city bans all plastic including P-traps and the next is OK with all plastic... strange how codes work since they all are treated at the same regional sewage plant.

 

[Loadstar]

Seriously???? You are alleging that anyone, ever, would INTENTIONALLY take a ditchwitch to an installed sewer line to make a "cleanout"?? A ditchwitch? If someone DID intentionally do something like this, wouldn't just a sawzall suffice?

- Jay

Uh no that's a Negative... I was not sure if he was for sure it was a ditch witch.(he cleared that up saying electrical was right over it) I would enjoy watching someone cut a cleanout in a clay tile line with a sawzall. When I hear root problems I instantly think clay tile pipe as about 99% of what we see around here when it comes to root problems is in clay tile. Many of the cleanouts you see put into clay tile you would not be able to tell if it was from a ditch witch, a drill and hammer, or any other tool because they are often broken into to get to the problem.

 

[JRobyn]

Gotcha. I did assume that it was PVC. Forgot all about clay tile pipe!

- Jay