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UPDATE: Plumbing issues
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GuitarDaddy
Lifer
As others have said you probably need a snake to clear the main drain. Unless the building is pretty old there should be a cleanout located outside, it will look like two capped pipes sticking up out of the ground usually in a flower bed or within 18in of the exterior wall of the building. The pipe closest to the wall goes toward the street, the fartherest from the wall goes back into the building. Take the caps off and run the snake in both directions, in my experience the clog is most often between the street and the building and caused by tree roots. If this is the case when you reach the clog with the snake, you may be able work the snake back and forth forcefully and repeatedly and breakthrough the roots, if not you will need to rent a moterized drain augger from your local equipment rental center.
Once you get the roots clear treat the drain every month or so with a granular root killer available at home centers and plumbing supply stores
Once you get the roots clear treat the drain every month or so with a granular root killer available at home centers and plumbing supply stores
zerocool84
Lifer
If everything is draining slow, it's a main line. Time to call a plumber.
it is 100% the responsibility of the landlord to repair. basically, if the toilet is useless and all the drains back up, the place is unlivable.
if he (the landlord) gives you a hard time, get in touch with the city's health department.
granted, it'll make your relationship rough with the landlord, you have a right to live with the basic comforts.
if he (the landlord) gives you a hard time, get in touch with the city's health department.
granted, it'll make your relationship rough with the landlord, you have a right to live with the basic comforts.
If it hasn't been said already, my bet is roots in the sewer line leading away from the house. Had the same problem in a place. Plumber fixed it right up very quickly; we were impressed.
How do they figure out where the breakage/blockage is? Put a snake down until it stops, and measure how far it went in?
How do they figure out where the breakage/blockage is? Put a snake down until it stops, and measure how far it went in?
runzwithsizorz
Diamond Member
If it was the main line heading out to the city, wouldn't others in the apartments be experiencing slow drains as well? I'm leaning a bit toward the OPs' sewer vent(s). A while back I had to snake some sort of critter out of my vent, piece, by furry piece.
Oh, I'm sorry, were you having dinner?
Oh, I'm sorry, were you having dinner?
We own our house, so I have to handle this myself. Our problem is just like yours, maybe once a year. The source most certainly in our case is large trees in the front yard over the main sewer line. Apparently there is a cracked pipe and tree roots enter there and build up. Ultimate solution would be to kill the tree, then dig down and replace the cracked pipe - big money, and we like that tree!
When the main sewer backs up I rent a snake from a local equipment rental firm. Usually I get a 1/2" snake, 50 feet long, with an end piece that has sharpened edges on the arms to cut through light roots. I have used a motor-powered snake, but found it difficult to control when it jams. So I prefer the manually-cranked kind, even though using it gives me a real good workout cranking the thing. From the resistance to turning and traveling through the drain pipe I can tell when it has hit the tree roots. That is confirmed when I pull it out and it brings mashed and cut rootlets out with it.
Any house should have a cleanout access point on the main sewer line, usually at the base of the 4" line that goes down through the basement floor. You unscrew the cap there (may take a big wrench if it's old and seized), push the end of the snake down into that a bit, and start cranking. The snake will pull itself into the drain line because it is a spiral coil. Wear good leather work gloves and guide the snake so it does not fly around on you. From time to time you may want to pull the snake back out a bit and re-run through an area you think has shown resistance, indicating a clog. In fact, where there is such a clog, deliberately hold back on the snake so that it proceeds slowly through that area and breaks it up thoroughly. Once you've got some unclogging done, use a hose to run water down the line. Be careful at first - if you only got part of it unclogged, the line may still back up quickly! But if it flows clean and does not back up, then push a lot of water through to flush away the material you broke up.
When pulling the snake back out, sometimes you have to turn the snake backwards to get it unstuck, but generally don't do that. Turn the snake the normal way and use your gloved hands to pull it back out of the hole. Occasionally you get a snake with the end fittings screwed on, and turning the thing backwards just might unscrew that, leaving the end tool stuck in the drain pipe!
OP, obviously you won't be doing this - that is your landlord's responsibility, and it appears he / she is going to have it done professionally. Just wanted you to know your symptoms definitely sound like a plug (or more than one) in the main 4" sewer line from the house to the street main line, and a plumber certainly should be able to fix.
I also echo the advice to avoid chemical drain cleaners. They are useful, but only for certain types of clogs right under the sink. The original products like "Drano" were caustic crystals (strong bases). When placed in a drain with water they dissolve, releasing a lot of heat. The resulting hot caustic solution could attack typical fat and oil deposits that were the "glue" holding hair and stuff together, thus breaking up the clog. After some time for this process (30 minutes, maybe) you could use water to flush the broken-up clog all the way down, or maybe even use some plunger action to help. Later we saw on the market liquid caustics that do a similar job, but lack the heat release property. Then came acid liquids. Acids can do a similar attack on fats and oils, sometimes not quite as well, and they have the downside that they attack metal pipes whereas caustics do not. But with plastic plumbing throughout a newer house, that is not a big issue. The newest products use enzymes for the attacks on fats and oils. The are slower, perhaps, but the are not nearly so hazardous as strong caustics or acids. But in ALL of these cases. the key is that the chemical needs to be kept in one location and concentrated for at least a half hour to do the job. So they are ideal for a clogged trap under a sink, but absolutely useless in a long horizontal drain line. And you certainly do not want to try to put enough into a sewer system to push it all the way down to a clog half way to the roadside to attempt attack on a clog there. Besides, that clog may not be hair stick together with grease, so the chemicals may not be able to break it up, anyway!
When the main sewer backs up I rent a snake from a local equipment rental firm. Usually I get a 1/2" snake, 50 feet long, with an end piece that has sharpened edges on the arms to cut through light roots. I have used a motor-powered snake, but found it difficult to control when it jams. So I prefer the manually-cranked kind, even though using it gives me a real good workout cranking the thing. From the resistance to turning and traveling through the drain pipe I can tell when it has hit the tree roots. That is confirmed when I pull it out and it brings mashed and cut rootlets out with it.
Any house should have a cleanout access point on the main sewer line, usually at the base of the 4" line that goes down through the basement floor. You unscrew the cap there (may take a big wrench if it's old and seized), push the end of the snake down into that a bit, and start cranking. The snake will pull itself into the drain line because it is a spiral coil. Wear good leather work gloves and guide the snake so it does not fly around on you. From time to time you may want to pull the snake back out a bit and re-run through an area you think has shown resistance, indicating a clog. In fact, where there is such a clog, deliberately hold back on the snake so that it proceeds slowly through that area and breaks it up thoroughly. Once you've got some unclogging done, use a hose to run water down the line. Be careful at first - if you only got part of it unclogged, the line may still back up quickly! But if it flows clean and does not back up, then push a lot of water through to flush away the material you broke up.
When pulling the snake back out, sometimes you have to turn the snake backwards to get it unstuck, but generally don't do that. Turn the snake the normal way and use your gloved hands to pull it back out of the hole. Occasionally you get a snake with the end fittings screwed on, and turning the thing backwards just might unscrew that, leaving the end tool stuck in the drain pipe!
OP, obviously you won't be doing this - that is your landlord's responsibility, and it appears he / she is going to have it done professionally. Just wanted you to know your symptoms definitely sound like a plug (or more than one) in the main 4" sewer line from the house to the street main line, and a plumber certainly should be able to fix.
I also echo the advice to avoid chemical drain cleaners. They are useful, but only for certain types of clogs right under the sink. The original products like "Drano" were caustic crystals (strong bases). When placed in a drain with water they dissolve, releasing a lot of heat. The resulting hot caustic solution could attack typical fat and oil deposits that were the "glue" holding hair and stuff together, thus breaking up the clog. After some time for this process (30 minutes, maybe) you could use water to flush the broken-up clog all the way down, or maybe even use some plunger action to help. Later we saw on the market liquid caustics that do a similar job, but lack the heat release property. Then came acid liquids. Acids can do a similar attack on fats and oils, sometimes not quite as well, and they have the downside that they attack metal pipes whereas caustics do not. But with plastic plumbing throughout a newer house, that is not a big issue. The newest products use enzymes for the attacks on fats and oils. The are slower, perhaps, but the are not nearly so hazardous as strong caustics or acids. But in ALL of these cases. the key is that the chemical needs to be kept in one location and concentrated for at least a half hour to do the job. So they are ideal for a clogged trap under a sink, but absolutely useless in a long horizontal drain line. And you certainly do not want to try to put enough into a sewer system to push it all the way down to a clog half way to the roadside to attempt attack on a clog there. Besides, that clog may not be hair stick together with grease, so the chemicals may not be able to break it up, anyway!
skyking
Lifer
paperdoc, the tree probably does not have to die.
I work for a commercial plumbing contractor and we repair several sewer connections every year. The old pipe is most likely concrete tile with a joint every 4~6'. Those joints are easy pickings for tree and shrub roots; they get right in.
Modern SDR35 PVC pipe has a gasketed joint every 13', and roots do not get in. Period. The pipe can be broken by improper backfill and inadequate bedding, but it is impervious if installed right.
Unless you have to go right under the tree directly, a contractor should be able to replace your sewer connection to the edge of the right-of-way and only cut a few roots in the process. That is typically where the sewer municipality takes over responsibility for any problems.
I have also gone out and "tved" the line with our system, and found the problem out in the street. At that point I go back, pop in a VHS tape and record the problem and the location. The owner takes the tape to the city or sewer district and THEY have to fix it. We know where the homeowner's responsibility ends and the city/municipality takes over in our areas of work; a good local contractor in your are will have that same information.
I've billed a few customers a couple hundred bucks and saved them many thousands that way.
I work for a commercial plumbing contractor and we repair several sewer connections every year. The old pipe is most likely concrete tile with a joint every 4~6'. Those joints are easy pickings for tree and shrub roots; they get right in.
Modern SDR35 PVC pipe has a gasketed joint every 13', and roots do not get in. Period. The pipe can be broken by improper backfill and inadequate bedding, but it is impervious if installed right.
Unless you have to go right under the tree directly, a contractor should be able to replace your sewer connection to the edge of the right-of-way and only cut a few roots in the process. That is typically where the sewer municipality takes over responsibility for any problems.
I have also gone out and "tved" the line with our system, and found the problem out in the street. At that point I go back, pop in a VHS tape and record the problem and the location. The owner takes the tape to the city or sewer district and THEY have to fix it. We know where the homeowner's responsibility ends and the city/municipality takes over in our areas of work; a good local contractor in your are will have that same information.
I've billed a few customers a couple hundred bucks and saved them many thousands that way.
UPDATE:
Sorry I didn't get back to you all sooner. Here is where I stand.
Plumber couldnt get here until about 3 or so. Came in investigated. Checked the vents. Checked the commode and tub.
Pulled everything apart and tried to snake the hell out of it. Apparently the jokers who put the plumbing in the house a million years ago made all sorts of complications and it seems that under my house (I live in southern west virginia where holes go no deeper than 2 feet and basements are a luxury of the civilized un-rocky world) there is a iron trap that is at a weird angle. For a list of reasons I don't understand, he can't physically get to the clog (or as he said, that's gotta be one hell of a clog). So, talked to the sewer authority and there is no good access to my lines. So they are going to come in and backhoe my front yard and get it that way. or something.
Well, long story short, heavy machinery coming in tomorrow early to kick a little clog ass.
Sorry I didn't get back to you all sooner. Here is where I stand.
Plumber couldnt get here until about 3 or so. Came in investigated. Checked the vents. Checked the commode and tub.
Pulled everything apart and tried to snake the hell out of it. Apparently the jokers who put the plumbing in the house a million years ago made all sorts of complications and it seems that under my house (I live in southern west virginia where holes go no deeper than 2 feet and basements are a luxury of the civilized un-rocky world) there is a iron trap that is at a weird angle. For a list of reasons I don't understand, he can't physically get to the clog (or as he said, that's gotta be one hell of a clog). So, talked to the sewer authority and there is no good access to my lines. So they are going to come in and backhoe my front yard and get it that way. or something.
Well, long story short, heavy machinery coming in tomorrow early to kick a little clog ass.
I had the plumber here today to replace a section of mine...about 35 feet and tie into the city main. I had been experiencing what you had, sometimes it would bubble or gurgle. I rented the power snake three times. The first time, I had roots. The second time, there was a clog and the third time, something was bad wrong.
Come to find out, about 50 feet of the pipe was new, and it was the old part that was bad. It was made out of a paper-like substance. They fixed it today, added a new cleanout out there and are probably planning to gouge me for the work right now. I have no idea what to expect dollar-wise, but I'm hoping to be not much over a thousand.
Come to find out, about 50 feet of the pipe was new, and it was the old part that was bad. It was made out of a paper-like substance. They fixed it today, added a new cleanout out there and are probably planning to gouge me for the work right now. I have no idea what to expect dollar-wise, but I'm hoping to be not much over a thousand.
skyking
Lifer
The dreaded Orangeburg. I replaced a couple hundred feet of that on the first day of my "vacation."
linky. some pic links broken.
Squisher
Lifer
At my old house I had a clay pipe fail where it entered the main sewer line in my backyard. Unfortunately it was 21 feet down! Even though it is considered the homeowner's responsibility, the city and I split the cost of $2000. That was a lot of dirt. The contractor the city got to do the job did a real nice job, though. They covered my backyard in sheets of plywood and put the dirt on that. When they were done the only evidence that they were there was a small pile of dirt right over the hole that I thought would settle back down but never did (the berm came to be known as the grassy knoll).
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