Can a house not have main line cleanout?

How likely is it that a house does not have a cleanout installed for the main line?

The house was built in 1922 and we just purchased it last May. All inspections prior to buying were okay.

Now we have an issue with drainage and the plumber we called said it's a blockage in the main line. But he said that he cannot find a cleanout. He said he thinks we don't have one and wants to charge $750 to install one.

We have a crawlspace but none of the plumbers we have called wanted to go down there. They say that cleanouts are never installed in crawlspaces (is this true?)

I plan on going into the crawlspace today to see if I can find anything.

PS: I'm in California if that makes any difference with regards to codes.

 

Certainly possible, especially with a newer house.

I don't blame them, crawlspaces, even the best of them, are not very hospitable. Further, even if you do have a cleanout in the crawlspace it would likely be a huge mess (if at all possible) to run a sewer-cleaning machine in the crawlspace.

Absolutely false. I have at least three in my crawlspace (house built in 1987 or so) but I am also sure that none of them have ever been opened.

Why doesn't he simply run his machine down the toilet connection? That is the most common method of running a sewer machine when there is no readily accessible cleanout. Some bandits will charge upwards of $120 (or more) to reset the toilet (removal is free) after the cleaning but the charge should be either included with the cleaning or maybe another $50 or so.

 

The Plumber you received an estimate from didn't go in the crawlspace ?

Where would s/he install the new clean-out ?

When you had the house inspected . . . . did the Home Inspector venture into the crawlspace ?

Speaking as a Real Estate Broker, most Building Inspectors DO inspect within the crawlspace (they may not like doing it; but they DO do it), and they render appropriate comments on what they encounter down there , or what they don't see. They should carry Errors & Omissions Insurance (E&O) for items like this if they're missed.

 

In addition to what Furd said I install cleanouts on my rental houses whenever there is a main line clog. Most often I locate them just outside the house so the dirty work of snaking the line can be done outside. There are cleanout fittings or make up a assembly that allows the line to be snaked in both directions, back up into the house and out to the street.

Cleanouts can be installed under the house in the crawl space. It can be cheaper and less obtrusive as there's no digging involved. Unfortunately the tight space of a crawl space makes working difficult and nasty. If the plumbing allows I'll tie into the main drain line in the crawl space and run it through the foundation wall to put the cleanout access outside where you can work standing up and any mess is outside the home and not under it in the crawl space.

 

Thanks for the help Furd.

The house is pretty old. It was built in 1922. As far as running through the toilet, one plumber I called didn't want to and said it would cause a mess in the house. The others were charging $500 to remove the toilet, snake, and reinstall the toilet.

I've installed toilets with my dad before so I'm half considering renting a snake from the store and doing this myself, but given the situation and that it's working with the sewer line I'm slightly concerned.

 

No none of the plumbers went into the crawlspace. They opened the side entry hatch and looked down there with a flashlight but that was it. I get that it's small, but it's not impossible. My dad has gone there and so have other install guys.

And yes the home inspector did go into the crawlspace. There was never any mention of missing sewer cleanouts or anything of that sort.

Thanks for that info. I really do want to just get the issue resolved and then think about building or extending the cleanout at a later point. But none of the guys I'm finding want to acknowledge that the cleanout might be down there.

Also, it looks like there is significant water leakage/flowing out when this blockage occurred underneath the house in the crawlspace. I'm wondering if during the blockage the cleanout cap popped off and water waste has been flowing out. Can this happen?

 

Going into a crawl space is one thing. Trying to operate a drain snake in a crawl space can be a totally different matter. My big one for main drain lines is about 3' tall with the handle removed and it simply won't fit into most crawl spaces.

 

Yes, the cleanout cap can under certain circumstances pop off although it is a rare happenstance.

You should be more than slightly concerned as a house of that age, unless the drainage plumbing has been updated, will almost certainly have a lead "closet bend" connecting the toilet (water closet) to the cast iron sewer piping. Easing a drain auger through the lead is not an easy job and could end up being catastrophic if you puncture the lead.

Here is a picture of a double cleanout as is often retro-fitted just outside the house's foundation. This particular one appears to be fabricated from two wye fittings but there are also models made as single piece. Some jurisdictions require these when the house is built.

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(image courtesy of allthingsdrain.com)

There are also fittings that use a single riser but they are much more difficult to direct the auger to one the street or to the house if the riser in any more than maybe a foot tall.

You could, if you choose, probably install the cleanout yourself. It would likely require a permit and inspection (maybe not) from your local building department or sometimes local health department. If you want to go the DIY approach there are several people here that can help.

 

How tall is your crawl space? Is it clean and clear or is it muddy (with poo water) and cluttered with debris?

 

I thought I would give an update here in case anyone was interested at all.

Well the situation before was that I had called 3 plumbers and none wanted to go under the house, not even to inspect. Each wanted to do various things like snake from the toilet or install a cleanout etc.

Earlier I had said that I was going to go under the house when I got back from work. Well, it so happens that the 4th plumber I had called ended up coming to my place right as I got home.

This plumber actually went under the house (finally!), and I went in also. Well I'm so glad someone finally checked because the situation was that our main sewer line had cracked under the house. Raw sewage and everything else was just backing up under there.

Good thing is we caught it early (still about 2-3 days) and the plumber was able to replace and fix everything we could. It's been a crazy week or two but the restoration guys are finishing up drying the crawlspace and getting everything back to normal.

I'm glad everything is getting back to normal. It just really annoys me that I had to have 4 people come over to my place over the course of a few days before someone actually took some time to troubleshoot and do a real inspection.

 

Glad to hear you figured it out - and despite a rather catastrophic plumbing failure, it doesn't sound like your house is too much worse for the wear. And thanks for coming back and letting us know!