Plumber didn't seem to think he could safely navigate the p-trap.
County permits & inspection records?
- Thread starter wct097
- Start date
Talked to several people at the County this morning. They transferred me all over the place, but they seem to think that the Department of Environmental Services retains the info I'm looking for. Left a message. Will see what they say when they call back.
Just call your Digline and they'll scan the ground and tell you where all pipes and electrical lines are.
I'd be surprised if the county has this info. My builder wasn't a douche and put a main clean out on the line that runs to the septic tank outside the foundation. Pretty easy to locate everything that way.
I'd be surprised if the county has this info. My builder wasn't a douche and put a main clean out on the line that runs to the septic tank outside the foundation. Pretty easy to locate everything that way.
Last year it backed up with condensation draining from the air handlers. There are two drains in the slab, one for each air handler, one of which is shared by the water heater. Plumber came out and snaked it resulting in some flow movement, but did not believe that it was flowing correctly. We couldn't determine the outside location (listening for ticking when the snake was running) and he felt that it was draining to grade rather than into the septic since the snake didn't pull anything like toilet paper back with it. Also, he claimed it would be unusual for floor drains in the basement to be draining into the septic.
There is also a sink at the wet bar that drains really slowly. I'm not sure if it drains to septic or to grade, or of it's tied to the floor drains on the other side of the basement (doubtful in my mind).
It sounds like the snake went beyond the building foundation. An equipped plumber would leave the snake in place, attach a line locater and mark the location in the basement and yard.
Maybe you need to change plumbers.
Maybe you need to change plumbers.
Bah, they stick to documented utilities. They don't mess with piping installed by property owner.
Well, I'm not really sure what to make of this other than the apparent location of the septic tank and drain field.
Doesn't look like it'll help me find the location of anything draining to grade, though it is nice to know where the septic tank and drain field are. I do find it interesting that the main drain stack is on the complete opposite corner of the structure from the septic tank.
Doesn't look like it'll help me find the location of anything draining to grade, though it is nice to know where the septic tank and drain field are. I do find it interesting that the main drain stack is on the complete opposite corner of the structure from the septic tank.
I believe that the issue is that the line is a 1.5" line and the transmitter is too long to make the turn on the p-trap.
Hire a honeydipper to pump out your septic tank. You are probably due for a pump out. It is much cheaper to pump out than replace a septic drainfield ruined by the sludge. Also, the honeydipper will locate and open the septic tank for you. Talk to the honey dipper about opening up the access port for the incoming pipe if your tank has one.
With the septic tank opened, do a dye test with your floor drains, then your sink drain. Use plumbers dye intended for this purpose.
If the drains are not connected to septic, you might also be able to locate the outlet with a smoke test depending on how the drains are trapped. Equipped plumbers have smoke test equipment. I guess you can do it JUOT style and rig something up with a shop vac and accidentally fill your house up with smoke so the neighbors call in the fire department. That would be best.
With the septic tank opened, do a dye test with your floor drains, then your sink drain. Use plumbers dye intended for this purpose.
If the drains are not connected to septic, you might also be able to locate the outlet with a smoke test depending on how the drains are trapped. Equipped plumbers have smoke test equipment. I guess you can do it JUOT style and rig something up with a shop vac and accidentally fill your house up with smoke so the neighbors call in the fire department. That would be best.
I am not talking about a pinger that might get hung up. There are line locaters that use the entire snake as an antenna putting out a specific frequency. I use one that probably dates back to 1950s and it works great.
They find anything you ask them to find where I live.
The two needs are unrelated. If you don't know the last time your septic tank was pumped out, pump it out! Gov recommends a pump out frequency of 5-7 years. I would at least test the sludge level with a dipstick every 5 years. If the septic tank sludge overflows into the drainage field, it will easily cost five figures to replace it, and that is only if the sludge hasn't fawked up the native soil. If the soil is ruined (which often occurs), Gov will require a new field (if you have suitable ground) or a sand mound. Big bucks. Even if Gov is not calling the shots, once your field is ruined, your yard will smell like a cesspool every warm summer day and the sewage often surfaces. Not worth the gamble.
In tracing a line and locating a clog, my strategy is to exhaust non-invasive methods before moving on to ripping and tearing. It sounds like your plumber passed the snake beyond the trap and beyond the house foundation wall in order to conclude that it is likely daylighting or going to a drainage pit. I am assuming he cannot remove the clog with a snake. That means to me the the endgame to fixing the clog is likely a yard excavation. I don't see the purpose of tearing up the basement floor in order fix a clog in the yard. Your plumber has the first hand knowledge. I am just armchair quarterbacking based on limited G2.
I'm not pumping the septic unless it's mandated in the contract when we try to sell it next year. Plumber thinks its probably roots or the end of the pipe being buried. He couldn't hit anything obvious with the max length of the snake. I need to fix it before I do floors in the basement bedroom.