Old plumbing in this house: What should I do? EDIT: After nearly 2 weeks, it's semi-fixed.

[Hossenfeffer]

Ok, the plumbing in this house is old... like 1934 old. I swear that we have to dump liquid plumber down the sinks every 6 months or so...

Currently the drain line that runs from the kitchen sink down past the laundry and into the main drain is somehow clogged. The water backs up through the laundry line (a new thing for me).

I "think" I'm going to try and get the main cleanout open and try to snake the thing. I only have a half-decent hand-turned snake though. Not sure if I should go spring for a drill-driven one.

Should I give liquid plumber a shot down the kitchen sink (which still kinda drains but I guess just spills out from the basement laundry pipe)? Should I give it a lye treatment? Send a rabid weasel in to do the work?

As much as I hate to do it, I might have to call a plumber in. I'm just terrified of the ungodly hourly rates.... We're scraping to get by as it is.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

move

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Would love to move. It ain't happenin' for awhile.

 

[Willoughbyva]

Are the pipes to where you can get to them? Do you think you could replace them yourself with PVC or something?

 

[Eli]

Link(non-subscriber)

Heh, not much help.. but that's what we went through a couple of weeks back.

I'm just glad we're renting and didn't have to deal with the bill ourselves.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

If I had some help I think I could replace at least some of the pipes. It's old cast iron or steel, so not a walk in the park.

Tried a bit more to get the cleanout cap open to no avail. Might try to put an extension on the pipe wrench for some extra torque.

Thinking more about trying to negotiate some in-kind trade with a plumber. Tickets to the show I'm in and computer work/support or something. If anybody knows a plumber in Seattle that might be open to that, let me know

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Originally posted by: Eli
Link(non-subscriber)

Heh, not much help.. but that's what we went through a couple of weeks back.

I'm just glad we're renting and didn't have to deal with the bill ourselves.

I'd call the bank (who manages this house) in a second and have them call a plumber. The only thing is, it's a messy situation.

Long and the short of it:
It's Grandma's house (but in a trust managed by the bank)
We pay rent to the trust (bank)
Grandma has been living off of payments from the trust
The bank doesn't want to make any more payments to Grandma

So, I'm hesitant to have them pull any more cash from the trust for a plumber... but I just might have to. If they were smart, they would have replaced the oil furnace (a converted coal furnace), the plumbing, added a 2nd bathroom, redone the walls... If they would have done that, the house would have doubled in value in this neighborhood.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Hossenfeffer

Originally posted by: Eli
Link(non-subscriber)

Heh, not much help.. but that's what we went through a couple of weeks back.

I'm just glad we're renting and didn't have to deal with the bill ourselves.

I'd call the bank (who manages this house) in a second and have them call a plumber. The only thing is, it's a messy situation.

Long and the short of it:
It's Grandma's house (but in a trust managed by the bank)
We pay rent to the trust (bank)
Grandma has been living off of payments from the trust
The bank doesn't want to make any more payments to Grandma

So, I'm hesitant to have them pull any more cash from the trust for a plumber... but I just might have to. If they were smart, they would have replaced the oil furnace (a converted coal furnace), the plumbing, added a 2nd bathroom, redone the walls... If they would have done that, the house would have doubled in value in this neighborhood.

Hmm. Interesting.

Old houses can be kinda neat, though. If you ever do remodel it, make sure you're there when they take the walls down. You can find all kinds of cool magazines and newspapers in the walls, if that's what they used to insulate the house. Some things might even be worth money.

Hell, there was an antique beer can someone found in their attic that went for 19 grand on eBay a few months ago. :Q

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Hossenfeffer
Ok, the plumbing in this house is old... like 1934 old. I swear that we have to dump liquid plumber down the sinks every 6 months or so...

Currently the drain line that runs from the kitchen sink down past the laundry and into the main drain is somehow clogged. The water backs up through the laundry line (a new thing for me).

I "think" I'm going to try and get the main cleanout open and try to snake the thing. I only have a half-decent hand-turned snake though. Not sure if I should go spring for a drill-driven one.

Should I give liquid plumber a shot down the kitchen sink (which still kinda drains but I guess just spills out from the basement laundry pipe)? Should I give it a lye treatment? Send a rabid weasel in to do the work?

As much as I hate to do it, I might have to call a plumber in. I'm just terrified of the ungodly hourly rates.... We're scraping to get by as it is.

Try the hand snake first, I've been amazed @ how well they work, the gunk usually isn't in there so hard a hand snake can't get it out.

Won't cost you anything, & if it doesn't work, you can resort to the plumber.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Hossenfeffer
Ok, the plumbing in this house is old... like 1934 old. I swear that we have to dump liquid plumber down the sinks every 6 months or so...

Currently the drain line that runs from the kitchen sink down past the laundry and into the main drain is somehow clogged. The water backs up through the laundry line (a new thing for me).

I "think" I'm going to try and get the main cleanout open and try to snake the thing. I only have a half-decent hand-turned snake though. Not sure if I should go spring for a drill-driven one.

Should I give liquid plumber a shot down the kitchen sink (which still kinda drains but I guess just spills out from the basement laundry pipe)? Should I give it a lye treatment? Send a rabid weasel in to do the work?

As much as I hate to do it, I might have to call a plumber in. I'm just terrified of the ungodly hourly rates.... We're scraping to get by as it is.

Try the hand snake first, I've been amazed @ how well they work, the gunk usually isn't in there so hard a hand snake can't get it out.

Won't cost you anything, & if it doesn't work, you can resort to the plumber.

If this fails, 3 things,

A match, kerosene, and insurance.

 

[Codewiz]

My mom has the same issue with her house. We still haven't found a decent solution. Cast iron plumbing sucks to replace. My mom can't afford to replace all the plumbing in the house. We have had plumbers come over to take a look and they all say the same thing. It needs to be replaced.

 

[andy2812]

Hold it in!!!

 

[BatmanNate]

If you go the rabid weasel route, be sure and post pics!

 

[Harvey]

If you own the house, it's time for a copper re-pipe. It will increase the value of your property more than it costs, and it is always a plus when you want to sell it so you won't lose your investment.

If you are renting, your landlord has a duty to maintain the property. If the plumbing is failing, the owner should be legally responsible for bringing it up to spec. Also, as old as it is, it probably doesn't meet current codes so you can force the issue. If you have a good landlord, hopefully, that won't be necessary. Check your local laws for renters' rights and plumbing codes.

Of course, if they update the property, they will probably have the right to raise the rent to amortize the cost over a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Originally posted by: Harvey
If you own the house, it's time for a copper re-pipe. It will increase the value of your property more than it costs, and it is always a plus when you want to sell it so you won't lose your investment.

If you are renting, your landlord has a duty to maintain the property. If the plumbing is failing, the owner should be legally responsible for bringing it up to spec. Also, as old as it is, it probably doesn't meet current codes so you can force the issue. If you have a good landlord, hopefully, that won't be necessary. Check your local laws for renters' rights and plumbing codes.

Of course, if they update the property, they will probably have the right to raise the rent to amortize the cost over a reasonable amount of time.

We're renting the place. I'd call the bank (who manages the house/trust) in a second if it weren't such a sticky situation with my fiance's grandparents... The less we have the bank pay right now, the better. They want to sell the place and we're getting married at the end of next month. Moving any time soon would push us over the edge stress-wise. It's all about the drama...

 

[BooGiMaN]

go easy with the drill snake...if they are that old last thing u wanna do is crack one

 

[DanceMan]

If I remember correctly, cast iron pipe (which is probably what you have) suffers greatly from constriction, which is usually caused by hard buildup over the years. Snaking and draining it every now and then will help temporarily, but it will come back. You might try one of the 'organic' drain cleaners that use bacteria to eat hard buildup if it's organic, but if the buildup is not organic (like corrosion), the only solution is to replace the pipe. This is what most people have to do over time anyway.

DanceMan

 

[BooGiMaN]

Originally posted by: DanceMan
If I remember correctly, cast iron pipe (which is probably what you have) suffers greatly from constriction, which is usually caused by hard buildup over the years. Snaking and draining it every now and then will help temporarily, but it will come back. You might try one of the 'organic' drain cleaners that use bacteria to eat hard buildup if it's organic, but if the buildup is not organic (like corrosion), the only solution is to replace the pipe. This is what most people have to do over time anyway.

DanceMan

yeah ibut i think that has also been known to eat through the pipes when they are in bad shape

 

[MikeMike]

email the guys at http://www.brownwestern.com they might be able to give you suggestions, but i dont believe they would ship anything cross country.

(check the contact us page most ppl there know what they are doing)

MIKE

 

[RayH]

I've been able to connect a hand snake to a drill just by removing the handle and clamping the end in the drill. It also helps if you take a pair of pliers to the drain end of the snake and unbend the coil a bit to make it wider.

Once the drain is flowing the organic type cleaner that's a powder that you mix with water should help. I've only seen it in hardware stores.

 

[Graphicd00d]

Dynamite

 

[Hossenfeffer]

STILL haven't been able to get the cleanout cap open.

On a whim (and rather than be smart and actually post the pics I have....) I decided to journey into the realms of ASCII (art). Did this little blurb to show what's what (I think).

Ended up dumping more chemicals down the kitchen sink last night and then running hot water for 15 minutes or so. This water (and chemicals) would back up and out the laundry line. Then I used a drain opener hose attachment and put it in the laundry line; let it run for 10 minutes or so. Took it out, and the kitchen sink will now (tentatively) drain without backing up. It's far from a victory, but it's somethin.

---------Vent
v
[]...[]<----------Kitchen Drain
[]...[]
[]...[]
[]...[]
+====+...............[]<------Laundry Line
[]...[].....|................[]
[]...[].....|................[]
[]...O=/=====......[]
[]...[]..............[]__[]
[]...[]
---------------------------
Floor