Need your HELP!!


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Old 07-14-14, 08:22 AM
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Need your HELP!!

Hey guys, I'm in a pickle here. I'll try to cut to the hard facts.

I had my drains snaked twice about 2 months ago with a BIG clog while renovating the house, just moved in a few weeks ago and hooked up my washing machine downstairs. Turned it on and when it drained, water flew everwhere from the stack... The elbow that goes into the stack was clogged, got some draino and opened it up a little with some work.

NOW, when I use ANYTHING upstairs, water comes out from the "washing machine drain" elbow in the stack.... clearly they didnt get the full clog out and just pushed it further down the stack.

They want to charge me for another service call ($150) to come back out, but with the past two, all they did was push it down further.
I'm scared they may push it outside and then im beyond screwed after that.

What do I have for options? Can I cut the stack and replace with PVC or just snake the lines again?
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Old 07-14-14, 08:33 AM
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Also, you can see the white cast iron sink that is below the clog, this does not back up at all and I've used it the past 6 months.
 
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Old 07-14-14, 09:08 AM
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Or I could attempt to remove the elbow and pour down a bottle of sulfuric acid drain cleaner..... Just thinking out loud now lol
 
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Old 07-14-14, 09:56 AM
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You have a rubber Fernco coupling, probably 2" right above the suspected clog. Loosening that fitting may allow you to push the plumbing out of the way and give you access to us a rod or snake. That close to the clog a drain cleaning rod worked thoroughly could break up the clog, even in a large 4" main.

I suspect you'll never be happy with the washing machine drain. It should be 2" and it appears yours is 1 1/2". Then having the trap without any or much of a vertical riser is probably susceptible to backing up depending on how fast your machine pumps.
 
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Old 07-14-14, 09:59 AM
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Thanks Dane! I am having the company come out tomorrow morning.

I do have a riser for the elbow that I took off BTW.
 
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Old 07-14-14, 10:48 AM
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Hello.. IMO have the washer drain into the sink. Then take that existing washer trap and cap it..

If they are coming to snake the line again add a video inspection to it for piece of mind. You want inspection all the way to they street to check for roots.

$150 is cheap to snake the main... And if they see roots you want a cutting bit put on and snaked again. Then treat the line with root X once a year..

My final opinion after thats would be to replace that whole mess with PVC and then try to vent it all properly. Even some AAV's will be better then whats there.

Since there are fixtures in the basement I would also install a backwater valve on the main... I would not want waste dumping in the basement from a mainline clog, of even a municipal sewer main back up....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jECONnQIAxY
 
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Old 07-16-14, 07:39 AM
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Update:

Guy came and snaked out the drain, had a tough time getting down the tree into the main but it was done, spent about 5 minutes down there snaking it.

Now he had the sink running and it was fine, he packed up his stuff and started to leave. I turned on another sink and sure enough, it was leaking again. He said that with the volume of water that was coming down there, there was going to be some back draft and I should close that elbow off and leave the washing machine drain in the sink.

I took a shower this morning and I had a bucket hanging from the elbow, exactly 1 gallon of water came out from a 10 minute shower.

thoughts? They have a 30 day guarantee and I'm not sure how much the camera would cost.
 
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Old 07-16-14, 07:56 AM
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Need the camera inspection.. Your only guessing what type of blockage you may have..

there was going to be some back draft
In the plumbing world I have never heard that term. Must be like the left handed wrench...

You need to pull the toilet upstairs and run the camera and snake though there...Preferably the camera first so you can see what it is...

IMO your wasting time and money...
 
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Old 07-16-14, 08:12 AM
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Camera costs is $265 YIKES!

They are coming tomorrow to snake the lines again from the toilet. I really cant afford to spend the $265 for a camera.

Would a good snake and a cap on the line be sufficient?
 
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Old 07-16-14, 08:39 AM
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They need to snake from the upstairs toilet. They need to take it to the street.. Slow and steady. As they are snaking water should be run down that copper line on left to flush whatever down as they snake.

Machine should look like this, or a jetter can be used...

Drain Cable Model 2001 | Spartan Tool

The bit should look like this click pic of 3" U blade or knife blade. Anything else they are wasting your time...

Drain Cable Model 2001 | Spartan Tool

Just a note: I have been doing this 30 years. I know some guys, if not most are snake and run types..

Camera costs is $265 YIKES!
Thats BS IMO.. Should be $99 and included in snake job. I usually do it for free. This way when I see roots or pipe collapse, I offer to do the repair or root X treatment and make more money...

Possibly you picked the wrong drain cleaning service... They are all not equal...
 
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Old 07-16-14, 08:40 AM
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A snaking alone can clear the clog (fix the problem) it's sometimes difficult to determine the cause of the clog. A camera will clearly show if it's a simple clog, roots intruding or if you have a collapsed or broken pipe but a camera does not fix anything. If the cause of your problem is known, like a collapsed pipe or tree roots, then the money is probably wasted but if the cause of your problem is not known then the camera a very good way to find the cause.
 
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Old 07-16-14, 09:16 AM
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Thanks guys, he is coming out tomorrow and I am going to make him spend some time down there.

I am going to make my OWN camera, I have everything I need and the know how to do it, just need to buy a small backup camera with LED's in it.
 
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Old 07-16-14, 02:40 PM
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The professional cameras are shaped a bit like torpedos so they can slide over and around obstacles. You might need to make a guard of wire to form skis to get your backup camera to slide over obstacles. Camera cords are quite stiff so it can be used for pushing the camera. I imagine your cord will be too limp but if you get a drain cleaning tape or electricians fishing tape you could tape your camera and wire to the tape which should give enough stiffness to shove it down the line.
 
 

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