Plumbing Woes

After the first week in the new house we noticed that the sewer drain was backing up to a drain in the rear of the house by the back door and actually coming in the basement once it got to a level of about 3" deep. We hadn't had brown water, only gray water - laundry/shower) On Saturday we had a plumber come out and snake the drain and we though all was good... Until Sunday when it did it again while we were doing laundry.

Yesterday they came out with a camera and a snake. Lo and behold we have what looks like a ball in the drain about 72 feet from the clean-out (mid way through the front yard, 10' down) That's the snake going past it on the lower left.


So a snake won't take care of it so the plumber recommends Jet Lining - basically a pipe pressure wash/flush, or dig up the yard. Pressure wash is less expensive so we say ok. The pressure wash guy arrives and fires it up along with his camera. So, not a ball...



It's like a small metal urn or vase. We did get it turned so the opening was facing the camera and managed to push it 10' further down the line, but it got stuck and would go no further at about 84' from the clean-out. So, on Thursday or Friday of this week, they will excavate the lawn and cut the waste line to remove the blockage. $6,400 down the drain...

I feel sorry for whoever shit out that vase.

nice pun about $6400 down the drain.

I hope it isnt grandmas ashes in that urn

No plumbing inspection done before purchase?

Ardvark said:

I hope it isnt grandmas ashes in that urn

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No shit. I hope not either.

that was no accident.

Justin said:

No plumbing inspection done before purchase?

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We had a home inspection, but only a camera sent down the drain would have found the vase. The drain was flowing, but really slowly. We didn't put enough water down the drain during the inspection to make it back up.

Drop an M80 down there, maybe the urn will break

mojokat said:

that was no accident.

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I completely agree and I have already contacted the seller about it. He claims no knowledge and that he snaked the drain twice before he sold it. I'm guessing that he knew there was a slow drain, but never sent a camera down to look.

D-Dog said:

Drop an M80 down there, maybe the urn will break

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That's some solid JUOT logic right there.

what have you been eating?

Wonder how they got that in the pipe

D-Dog said:

Drop an M80 down there, maybe the urn will break

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That sounds like solid logic. Put saran wrap over the first few toilets to control the spray. If it blows the pipe up they were already planning to dig that spot up anyway

cast iron or ceramic pipe should blow just fine, I wouldn't send an M80 for the job tho. at least a full stick or maybe even some C4.

miwico said:

Wonder how they got that in the pipe

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Exactly. It is too large to go down a toilet drain which means someone opened the clean-out at some point and dropped it in. The previous owner never lived in the house, nor was it occupied at all while he owned it. For all we know, it could have been the owner prior to him.

mojokat said:

cast iron or ceramic pipe should blow just fine, I wouldn't send an M80 for the job tho. at least a full stick or maybe even some C4.

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Yeah, it's cast iron. Definitely want to have enough pressure to move the vase out of the way so C4 is probably right. Just need a long enough fuse to get it the 84 feet down the line before it blows.

Schnervel said:

Yeah, it's cast iron. Definitely want to have enough pressure to move the vase out of the way so C4 is probably right. Just need a long enough fuse to get it the 84 feet down the line before it blows.

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fish tape and a long fuse.

dude that sucks

Someone dropped that in the clean out. Brutal. Is there a handle on it?

I assume it's metal? Get a big ass junk yard magnet and drag that shit to the clean out!