Happy Easter...
… said our sewer. “It’s a holiday, and so I thought it was time to back up again.”
“Do you have to?” I asked, as water began to pool around my ankles in the shower, before Easter dinner. As if in response, the Sewer gurgled up some bubbles in a long belch. Flipp’in great. I climbed out of the shower and glared at the drain which wasn’t draining as I dried off. Tentatively, I flushed the toilet, which promply filled to the rim.
The last time this happened was Thanksgiving. And before that, the Thanksgiving prior, with my family visiting. That time resulted in a minor disaster when I called the plumber and he proceeded to empty my checkbook by digging up the front lawn. He promised I’d call him back in the spring, and I promised I would never call this dunce who charged $200 / hour to dig a hole.
He was right about one thing: roots have infultrated our side sewer - the 4” clay pipe that runs from the house to the main sewer line out in the street. The cheapest and most effective way to combat these roots has been to rent a power snake (with cutting attachment) from the Home Deposit and spend 30 minutes flossing our line. But enough is enough - this spring we’re going to dig it all up and put in plastic. Stay tuned - we’ve already started digging.
Has anyone else done this?
5 Comments
Gary·March 29, 2005
The most I have done is put in a storm drain. Even that was a lot of digging. It is much easier to buy some root killer (some form of copper sulphate I think)and flush it down the toilet evey six months.
Glad to know I’m not the only one cursed by plumbing!
Saple·March 29, 2005
You can also try flushing a gallon of straight chlorine bleach once a month. I had the same issue of the roots invading the pipe and bleach kills the shoots that are in the pipe. Try it and see if it helps. I usually do it right before I go to work or before I go to bed so the bleach has sometime to coat the pipe walls before other water invades the pipe. Cross your fingers it has been 2 years without a backup. Am I jinxing myself?
Trissa·March 29, 2005
That is definitely worth trying. I will try the bleach trick tonight and write in on the calendar so I don’t forget and end up wondering why I didn’t keep doing it!
derek·March 29, 2005
That’s no fun, a sewer system that waits for holidays. I had that happen in a house I lived in, flush the toilet upstairs, and everything came out the basement shower. It ended up being on city property, so they had to fix it. Now I know why you’re looking for people to help you dig! We have to replace out water supply, it’s galvanized steel, and it’s near the end of it’s life. The sewer has been fine, knock wood.
Phill & Andrea Gaines·August 6, 2007
Hello, welcome to the wonderful world of sewer / plumbing expenses!
We have had a 100 yr colonial house in Upper Peninsula Michigan for only 2 yrs now and have to have the basement cleanout floor drain and main lines augered once a year in the spring.
They finally ran a camera down today and we found roots at most every two foot seam of clay pipe until it hits the main at the street 75 feet away.
We will probably do the work ourselves since we had to completely re-roof the house last year and replace a 30 yr old furnace the year before. Aren’t these old houses great?! :?