For questions regarding the underground pipes that carry foul or "black" water to a treatment works.
Questions tagged [sewer]
227 questions
17
votes
1 answer
Is abandoned sewage pit hazardous?
I own a family house that used to until about 20 years ago have a sewage collector pit in use. It has been abandoned for about 20 years now. It has concrete walls and roofing and gravel on the bottom. It was never disinfected or treated in any…
Benjamin Márkus
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13
votes
4 answers
Plumber got his sewer jetter hose stuck. Whose fault is it?
On Wednesday, a service plumber came to my house to jet the drain for my kitchen sink. He came around 9 a.m. and by 9:30 had pushed his hose beyond the clog. Then he spent 3 hours trying to get his hose out. He went to lunch and came back with a…
B. Goddard
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7
votes
5 answers
Can rock salt be used for sewer maintenance?
I have read that flushing a glass full of rock salt down your toilet every month is good practice if you have a cast iron sewer line. Reason being is that the salt will kill off any tree roots in the pipe and also prevent more roots from coming in…
Jared
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6
votes
1 answer
How is a septic system different from a cesspool?
Here in New England many towns do not have public sewer systems, so homeowners have either a septic system or a cesspool. What is the difference between the two?
Vebjorn Ljosa
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5
votes
3 answers
When snaking the main sewer line, how do you know when you've reached the street connection?
I've had good success clearing out a blockage but am wondering - how do I know when I hit the street line? What does it feel like?
Right now I hit a seemingly impassable point (I didn't force it) about 5-6 feet past the obstruction I cleared - would…
Jason
- 51
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4
votes
2 answers
Planting tree - hit sewer line?
I was digging a hole to plant a tree in front of my house last night (it was still light but the sun was down). The home is only a year old and is in California.
When I got a bit over a foot down, I came across a layer of rocks. Below the rocks, I…
Hannover Fist
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3
votes
1 answer
Sewage coming out of concrete in basement floor
My basement has been flooding a little (1-inch or so pooled around a ~20 square foot area) for the past week or so. Whenever I pump out the water, new water starts seeping back in from through the concrete in the floor. It appears to be sewage…
gadolphus
- 31
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1
vote
1 answer
Emergency my waste is leaking over my back patio
The toilets make a gurgling sound and waste p
Spills out of an outside cleanout. Or at least thats what i think it is theres 2 beside each other. We have a septic tank and have well water system. Also rocks and sand in my cleanout
user37409
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1
vote
0 answers
Best backflow prevention for sewer surges from storms
I have a townhouse in New York City that is on relatively high ground but has had stormwater and sewage backup during intense short-burst periods of rain. What is the most effective way to prevent the backflow if I have difficulty cutting the…
MonkeyBonkey
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1
vote
1 answer
Backwater Valve Access Sleeve Cap Broken... sewer gas smell?
Related to this question.
Summary: I have a sewer smell in my condo unit (top floor). Recently a smoke test was done and smoke was coming out, from what appears to be the division wall between my unit and the unit next to me (which also connects to…
rufo
- 167
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1
vote
1 answer
What options for replacing a leaking soil pipe?
There are tree roots growing in the soil pipe leading from my home to the street. (The pipe is about 75 feet long.) When it is time to repair or replace the soil pipe, what are the options and their pros and cons?
Yehuda_NYC
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1
vote
1 answer
Replace soil pipe or continue cleaning it annually?
Tree roots grow into the house sewage drainage pipe some 6+ feet out of the house. Each year I have a company clean out the roots with a large drill. Replacing the pipe will be expensive. What conditions or symptoms should I take as indications…
Yehuda_NYC
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0
votes
3 answers
Sewer main backups
I have a 6 inch main from house to city Main drain. It takes alot of water from the roof and a drive way drain when it rains. Many downspouts go into the main because of the design of this old house (built in 1927). Assuming the main is root…
0
votes
1 answer
Gray water pit ( bleach or no bleach )
I installed a ( 4’x 4’x 32’) gravel bed gray-water pit in order to relieve the load on my 20 yr old septic tank. I also placed a (4” x 3’) septic-tank effluent bristle brush in the feed pipe going down into the gravel. When I pulled out the bristle…
Oily Tex
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0
votes
0 answers
Sewer Access Pipe
So I demolished my sewer access cap/pipe with the lawn mower. I was wondering exactly how to fix it. One choice would obviously be to dig down to it and replace the pipe and cap. I also thought about cutting it flush and just getting a new cap.…
DrZoo
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