Another issue with our house. We have an access point outside for our sewer and noticed no flow, With one of those cameras was able to see what appeared to be roots and toilet paper and was able to clear with a smaller non-motorized snake. Tried to get several people to come out with no success so I added some root killer. This was pre-Christmas and have not had any problems but still see some small roots. Could I use the attached or is this better left to the professionals, have heard that you can get it wound up in the line and not be able to get out.
Last edited by PJmax; 01-03-22 at 01:20 PM.
Reason: added pic from link
I'm not an expert in this area but want to offer my amateur reaction. Assuming you're correct in your interpretation, roots blocking your flow require cracks or othr damage for the roots to enter. If you're able to eliminate the roots, vacated spaces will create leaks. Those leaks could make quite a mess. I'd leave the problem to the pros.
Hard to tell size from the picture but the cutter needs to be pretty heavy duty for roots. My parents simply steeled themselves to having to have a pro out once a year to do theirs until the maple tree provided the roots eventually died and the problem went with it.
Root kill products work but only if done in strong enough concentration. Then, it doesn't remove the roots so you still have the same roots clogging the pipe. The root kill just prevents the roots from growing any more. The best fix of course is to repair the damaged pipe that is letting the roots in.
The little drill powered auger in your photo is good for clearing sink and tub drains but not much more. You really need something bigger and with enough power to turn a 3 or 4" cutting head. Plumbers, at least in my area, are in extremely short supply. Simply getting one to return a phone call can be difficult and getting one to take a small job like augering a drain line can be even more difficult. If you are in a large metropolitan area I would even contact brand name drain cleaning companies.
Just to reiterate what others have said, you need a snake and cutter head that can take on the roots, and that one isn't going to do it. In the long-term, you should look at replacement of at least that section, since even cutting the roots is only a short-term solution.
The plumbing companies here will use a root cutter for a bit of root infiltration, but anything significant they'll use the hydro-jetting, which is also safer on older pipes.
Hi all,
freeze last year ruptured my on/off 1" valve w/ test port, and parts were non-existant at the time. I got a 1" Midline valve with "test port" as a replacement, but it has a weird 5/16" sized male threaded test port on the side.
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I cannot find anything in the way of fittings that would go on that so I can create a blow out port. Anyone know of something that might work? I'm not even sure what thread size it is!
Appreciate any thoughts!
I am in the process of repainting my laundry room (houses washer, dryer, furnace, & water heater). The attached photo shows the PVC pipe plumbing at the point where water enters the home. The original plumbing was copper and did not follow the winding path shown in the photo. To keep this post short, I won't explain why the original copper pipes were replaced with PVC. Briefly stated, the change was related to a potential addition of a water softener, but plans changed and a water softener was not installed.
The PVC piping was installed by technicians who would have installed the water softener, had one been installed. The PVC piping actually touches the wall and it is a nuisance to try to work around it when painting. And, that's what I'd like to change. I've never installed or modified PVC pipes. So, I'm wondering whether I could cut out the piping that runs up along the wall and connect the pipes back together without all the excess piping. In other words, I'd like to get the piping away from the wall. If a water softener is installed in the future, the piping can then be modified/extended as needed.
I imagine pipes could be cut with a hack saw or some type of power tool. Then, the open pipe ends could be connected together with elbows and a short section of pipe, bonded together with a special adhesive. Does this sound feasible?
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01-03-22, 01:02 PM
