Looking for break in buried 4" drain pipe... can i drill hole in top of pipe?
#1
03-25-16, 08:48 PM
Looking for break in buried 4" drain pipe... can i drill hole in top of pipe?
4" thinwall drain pipe from a septic tank. I was installing inspection ports on it by using saddle tee's, and i think i have found a problem between two of the ports. Water drains partway, but it acts real funny and i can only get a hose through it in one direction (it's less than a 50 ft section).
Ideally i could use a camera in it to find out what's going on, but i dont have one and dont really want to rent one.
It's buried about 1.5 feet deep, and i dont want to dig the whole thing up trying to find where the break is... what would work best would be if i could drill a small hole (say 1/2" or something) in the top of the pipe and then look to see if i could see the hose in it... then narrow it down until i find the problem area.
Is this a dumb idea, or could i do it and use some type of sealant (foam/silicone/tape/combination) to fill in the hole? It's just a drain line, so no water would be coming out the top, but i would want it sealed to keep roots from entering. This is basically the same idea as using a saddle tee, except i dont want to drill 5 or 6 holes and have to buy 5 or 6 saddle tees... i just want to drill a small hole, inspect the pipe, and then reseal it.
Ideally i could use a camera in it to find out what's going on, but i dont have one and dont really want to rent one.
It's buried about 1.5 feet deep, and i dont want to dig the whole thing up trying to find where the break is... what would work best would be if i could drill a small hole (say 1/2" or something) in the top of the pipe and then look to see if i could see the hose in it... then narrow it down until i find the problem area.
Is this a dumb idea, or could i do it and use some type of sealant (foam/silicone/tape/combination) to fill in the hole? It's just a drain line, so no water would be coming out the top, but i would want it sealed to keep roots from entering. This is basically the same idea as using a saddle tee, except i dont want to drill 5 or 6 holes and have to buy 5 or 6 saddle tees... i just want to drill a small hole, inspect the pipe, and then reseal it.
#3
03-25-16, 10:30 PM
Group Moderator
If you put the hose in to the pipe and it only goes in so far...... why can't you measure how much hose went in to the pipe to find the broken location ?
If the hose only goes in 20' then that's where the problem is.
If the hose only goes in 20' then that's where the problem is.
#4
03-25-16, 10:46 PM
@pjmaxx - I tried to do that, but i think it might be traveling out of the pipe and into the ground or something, and i cant get a good read on where it is at. it goes further than the inspection port before i cant push it any further, but it also never shows up in the inspection port.
it's weird because when the water to the hose is on, and im snaking it, i see water flow past the inspection port, but i never see the hose. But if i feed it the opposite direction, it shows up at the opening like normal. Dont know if maybe the pipe broke and is at different levels, so the upper section will feed it all the way through, but the lower section will stop when it hits the break.
@Pulpo - yeah i mean it would suck, but i could dig that section out. still, though it would be 100 times easier if i could just dig down till i see the top of the pipe, drill a hole in it, and see if the hose is visible at that point. Any ideas on how i could seal the small hole back really well, or is it a dumb idea?
it's weird because when the water to the hose is on, and im snaking it, i see water flow past the inspection port, but i never see the hose. But if i feed it the opposite direction, it shows up at the opening like normal. Dont know if maybe the pipe broke and is at different levels, so the upper section will feed it all the way through, but the lower section will stop when it hits the break.
@Pulpo - yeah i mean it would suck, but i could dig that section out. still, though it would be 100 times easier if i could just dig down till i see the top of the pipe, drill a hole in it, and see if the hose is visible at that point. Any ideas on how i could seal the small hole back really well, or is it a dumb idea?
#5
03-26-16, 01:04 AM
though it would be 100 times easier if i could just dig down till i see the top of the pipe, drill a hole in it,
#6
03-26-16, 09:15 AM
not following you as to why it would take 2 days. if i dig the whole thing up, i have to dig completely around the pipe, and potentially for the entire length unless i get lucky and it is close to where i start digging. if i drill a hole, all i have to do is spend 2 or 3 minutes digging until i can see just the top of the pipe so i can drill a hole.
#8
03-26-16, 02:54 PM
Ok, if you think that it's faster that way, go ahead. In the meantime, I thought of another idea. Use a long steel bar with a point on the end. Jam it in the ground, in various places. Wherever the ground is the softest, that where the leak is.
#10
03-26-16, 06:09 PM
Some people poo poo it, but two copper wires about 2' long, bent about in half will form two divining rods. Hold them at arms length and 2' apart. When you approach the concentration of water they will close in. Don't doubt it until you have tried it.
#12
03-27-16, 03:08 AM
I needed to know which way a pvc water line ran and didn't have time to wait on 811 to locate it. It was just to install a yard hydrant. An old man at the dime store told me about this method. With the wire in hand I walked across the yard and it indicated every time I walked across the pipe. I was dumbfounded.
#13
03-27-16, 04:32 AM
Is this the pipe that serves as the outlet for the same Septic Tank that you just had pumped this past week; the one with the mass of scum comprised of baby wipes and cigarette buttes ?
Was the filter somehow dislodged, allowing this material to enter the Leach Field ?
Was the filter somehow dislodged, allowing this material to enter the Leach Field ?
