What's your diagnosis quiz

[SlimTim]

Ok, a customer called yesterday very concerned about a plumbing issue because he was leaving town in two days and wanted to get it resolved.

I asked him three questions over the phone to form a tentative diagnosis and confirmed it later with a trip to his house.

Here is what he reported. I'll tell you the first 2 question and answers. What do you think the third question and diagnosis is?

"I've got a leak in my yard and I think it's the sewer backing up. It smells like sewage. I was aerating my front yard and when I got through I noticed a hump in the ground and a root, about as big as a broom handle, coming out of and going back into the ground. I cut the root in two places underground. I must have hit a pipe or the roots must have broken the sewer pipe because the ground is wet and bubbling and we have been using water in the house."

1st question: Did you see a vertical piece of pipe or a cleanout near the water? Answer: No.

2nd question: Did you see any other pipes around where you cut the roots?
Answer: No

3rd question: ?
Diagnosis: ?

[JCsPlumbing]

Do you have a sewer pump? Hit the line?

[rooter-mania]

Are you on town sewer or septic?

Bubbling out of full tank or buried manhole ?

[SlimTim]

I already knew he is connected to the city sewer and he does not have a sewer pump. The yard is on a slight grade from the house down to the street. He has an irrigation system which was still shutdown for the winter.

[PLUMBER RICK]

#3 does it bubble every time you flush the toilet or run the washing machine?


sounds like a partial stoppage and he disrupted the pipe and ground around it with that root he cut.

rick.

[SlimTim]

Well, I didn't ask that question and he already told me he noticed it bubbling after they used the plumbing.

[SlimTim]

Did I mention he is a lawyer, with all that entails, and was not apt to be running back and forth to check that.

[JCsPlumbing]

Sounds like he cut or "aerated" his sewer line.

[MPMGinAL]

Most aerators that i have seen don't go deeper than 8" or so. I would be hard pressed to say that he cut the line. How big was the equipment he was using? Big enough to callapse line? At any rate he definately has a collapsed sewer. Be sure to load up the seesnake when you go over.

[SlimTim]

Nope. Not a cut or collapsed sewer. When I drove up to his home I could see before I got out of the truck that my phone diagnosis was probably correct.

It's still early, If no one guesses correctly I'll put the answer up late tonight.

But for now, I'm back to work.

[j.auld]

was he wearing rubber boots???lol

[Drain Medic]

My top questions wouldve been.

Your number 1 question

#2 Have you ever had a problem with your sewage system backing up before?

#3 Have you lost water pressure in your house?

#4 Have you been noticing any backups, or gurgling sounds in your lowest point?

[JCsPlumbing]

Well if he didn't have a cut or damaged sewer liine, then the only thing I can think of that would smell "sewery" is a nicked gas line. I know that's a crazy guess but everything else has been said that I can come up with. Doesn't explain the wetness and bubbling during plumbing use though.

[SlimTim]

Drain medic,
To answer your questions as I think he would have:
#2. Not in the last 10 yrs.
#3. Have not lost water pressure in the house.
#4. No gurgling or backups inside the house.

JCsPlumbing, Great guess but nope, that wasn't it.

I'll give a hint later tonight, I just got in from work and I smell DINNER!!

[Aaron91]

Does the homeowner have a french drain for their wash machine?

[SlimTim]

Does the homeowner have a french drain for their wash machine?
Answer: No.

I realize i had quite a bit of advantage over everyone on the forum since I had been to this home many times over the years. So, there are obviously a lot of questions i wouldn't have asked since I already knew the answers.

But, frankly, if any homeowner had discribed to me what this one did over the phone I think I would have asked the last question which no one has mentioned yet. (Uh, and maybe with hindsight, one more to clinch the diagnosis.)

[TOPDAWG]

Maybe he was lucky like Jed Clampett and struck OIL in them there hills

[libbyloulou]

Excuse my ignorance, whay do you mean by aereate the yard, ? a yard where i come from would be concrete.is it a lawn and was using a tined thing that you stand on and push into the lawn?

[Gene Bickford]

Excuse my ignorance, whay do you mean by aereate the yard, ? a yard where i come from would be concrete.is it a lawn and was using a tined thing that you stand on and push into the lawn?
Yes your right. But here we like to drink a pint when doing lawn care so we tow the tined thing behind a riding mower so we have a free hand for the pint:D

[libbyloulou]

Now that's sounds more my type of work:D

[Gene Bickford]

Come on with it already man. Your driving me freaking NUTS with this:banghead:.

Did you ask if hes checked the basement or under the home?
Could someone actually not notice sewer water flowing out from under and down the hill???

[libbyloulou]

gone over your post umteen times, and cannot sort it, the bloke has obviously disturbed something, or punctured something, i think?

So, cmon'e tell the answer,gotta go to bed:p



EDIT.....Did he have is glasses on?

[rooter-mania]

Bump in the ground, root the size of a broomstick, aerated lawn, Hmmmmm.

sewer smell, water emulating from surface. repeat customer,Hmmmmmm.


My last stab at it is he buried one of his clients in a shallow grave( after screwing him or her out of their life savings) that accounts for the bump,....

High ground water, neighbors complaining about a foul smell from the property thats why he aerated his lawn. as to the root it's made up (no root) your screwing with us... ;)


I give up on this thread.

[JCsPlumbing]

The only thing that irritates me is that Slim acts like it's the first thing we should think of. And I think we've seen enough things to know what the first thing to think of would be. I've seen sewer line breaks, pump line breaks, old abandoned septic systems break out, struck gas lines, graywater systems, french drains etc.

So I am interested to see what we all should have first thought of based on the information given. And it better be good.:mad:

[Gene Bickford]

I think your on to something Rooter, but it's a dog not a human.
Client seeks advice of Lawyer in regards to leaving $500,000 to care for beloved fluffy in last will and testament.
Lawyer says "TRUST ME" I have a large sloping front yard with plenty of water.:D

[SlimTim]

Oops. Didn't mean to yank on anyone's chain. I'll skip the hint and go right to the answer.
The question I should of asked 3rd was
Does it smell like sour milk?
(He equated it with a sewer smell)
Next question, do you have a River Birch tree in your yard?

He had cut a river birch root. They will leak like a busted pipe and smell like sour milk.

I'm going to go hang myself now to save ya'll the trouble.

[Aaron91]

Since I cut so much River Burch down, I should have known that one. :rolleyes:

[gear junkie]

Since I cut so much River Burch down, I should have known that one. :rolleyes:
You too huh? I cut 5 River Birch down today with the k60.

[Aaron91]

:rotflmao:

[Gene Bickford]

Thats not fair. I live in Maine. Our trees smell good, not like A$$.

Good quiz though. Got us thinking.

[TOPDAWG]

I use River Burch juice on my cereal every morning, love the smell and taste of it. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for not getting that!!!

[SlimTim]

The only thing that irritates me is that Slim acts like it's the first thing we should think of. And I think we've seen enough things to know what the first thing to think of would be. I've seen sewer line breaks, pump line breaks, old abandoned septic systems break out, struck gas lines, graywater systems, french drains etc.

So I am interested to see what we all should have first thought of based on the information given. And it better be good.:mad:

You're right JC and I apologize. The River Birch wasn't the only thing that stank around here.

But, I did have a customer who called me back out on an underground pipe I had repaired because it was still leaking. I dug it up AGAIN and that was my first encounter with the smelly beast.

[Service Guy]

No wonder nobody guessed it! This is not even plumbing related!:angry:

[All Clear Sewer]

I was gonna ask if he got a K-60 off ebay and was drilling for oil?
WTF is a River Burch ??? We aint got none of them dair things here :finger:

[SlimTim]

If you prune the branches in the spring you had better have an umbrella, the sap comes down like rain.

[TOPDAWG]

No wonder nobody guessed it! This is not even plumbing related!:angry:
Hey Service Guy, You should take it easy, We would hate for you to have a stroke over this:D

[haycad]

whathe f is a river birch? i guess i didnt get martha stewarts "plumbing for idiots" book when it hit the shelves.:) thats not a wuestion ive ever asked a customer

[SlimTim]

I get the point. I should have named it Regional Diagnosis Quiz.

[Aaron91]

No...

More like....

The Memphis, TN, stupid environmental quiz would of fit alil better.

[haycad]

it was a good question. it got peoples attention it just doesnt apply to most of us.

[SlimTim]

No...

More like....

The Memphis, TN, stupid environmental quiz would of fit alil better.


Ouch!

[JCsPlumbing]

Ok Slim, I'll let you off the hook. I like figuring all kinds of things out but this was not plumbing related. I've dug ground multiple times that smelled what could be described as a sewer smell. But I would never assume or think that this is a plumbing related riddle that all should know. Anyway, good way to phrase your question to get us interested, just not a very good ending.:(

Long story short, didn't care for this one, but keep postin'.

J.C.

[DuckButter]

Sorry Slim, I gotta hop the train with these guys..I been quietly reading this thread trying to figure out what it could be...all to end with a leaking tree root.
Ya got me.
Kinda like reading a fantastic novel that ends with a cheesy thud.
Come again with a real plumbing troubleshooting quiz and I think we'll forgive ya.:cool:

[libbyloulou]

gone over your post umteen times, and cannot sort it, the bloke has obviously disturbed something, or punctured something, i think?

So, cmon'e tell the answer,gotta go to bed:p



EDIT.....Did he have is glasses on?


No one got on to my EDIT, i said this as i could only assume he could.nt see if he'd cut a pipe, or a root, never heard of a river birch tree either.

[PLUMBER RICK]

Next question, do you have a River Birch tree in your yard?

He had cut a river birch root. They will leak like a busted pipe and smell like sour milk.

quote]

[quote=All Clear Sewer;130067]WTF is a River Burch ??? We aint got none of them dair things here :finger:

now if you said ficus, then i would feel stupid:withstupid:

but i've never heard of this tree.

bring some to the roundup so we can get a wif:D

rick.

[Josh]

I enjoyed this thread. You guys should start more like this. Helps you think and ya learn something knew.

Caught my attention ;)

[proplumb]

boooooo ii sat here reviewing senerios in my head for a tree,whet the h. the presentation of this frustrates me. next time just tell me the story and thats it, im supposed to be at my inlaws right now for dunner and i was so stumped im late for a tree ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:thisthreadisworthle (minus the pics)

[haycad]

hey look on the bright side. no one on here can ever say that they havent heard of a river birch tree

[TOPDAWG]

I'm with Josh, I had a fun time reading all of your responses to this thread.

[gear junkie]

boooooo ii sat here reviewing senerios in my head for a tree,whet the h. the presentation of this frustrates me. next time just tell me the story and thats it, im supposed to be at my inlaws right now for dunner and i was so stumped im late for a tree ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:thisthreadisworthle (minus the pics)
Gotta admit this was interesting, the ending is the only part that sucked. If the ending was good, there would be no complaints. I think we should do this again. Just no river birch trees.