soap on a rope

[PLUMBER RICK]

well not exactly:D

the mighty k-60 had a work out today.

i had a customer that i haven't seen since 2003:eek:

she's lived in the house for 45 years. as far as i know she has never had a main sewer issue, until today:rolleyes:

of course no clean out. i went on the roof and spotted a 4'' vent line;)

problem was the roof was approx. 30' above the street. meaning that the stoppage could be a bear. i was right. tried the 7/8'' with the 3.5'' sawtooth cutter and couldn't get past 88' pulled out and cutter was clean. tried again. still no luck. 88' should put me into the 6'' pipe past the sidewalk.

informed the owner and the daughter (worked for her for 20+ years) that i can try the straight auger to punch a hole, but there is a chance i can get stuck:eek: they agreed and i went with the auger.

well you guessed it, i got stuck and the cable was 105' in. the toilet was flushing ok, just not great. i get the dish washing soap out and flush the toilet to help lube the cable.after an hour or so and some flushing, i get the cable to free.

i pulled back some roots. and a soapy cable.

the real issue was the vertical height and the distance out. plus 45 years of no track record. not to mention a root stoppage in a 6'' line.

saturday i go back with the camera. i will install a ground level cleanout.

so even though it was a ruff one, the k-60 with the help of some soap on a rope:D was able to save the day.

by the way the other guy was going to come the next day and attempt to dig up the line to install a c/o without snaking.

rick.

[AFM]

Rick

10mts off the ground to clear a blockage you are a better man than I am.


Tony

[drtyhands]

well not exactly:D

the mighty k-60 had a work out today.

i had a customer that i haven't seen since 2003:eek:

she's lived in the house for 45 years. as far as i know she has never had a main sewer issue, until today:rolleyes:

of course no clean out. i went on the roof and spotted a 4'' vent line;)

problem was the roof was approx. 30' above the street. meaning that the stoppage could be a bear. i was right. tried the 7/8'' with the 3.5'' sawtooth cutter and couldn't get past 88' pulled out and cutter was clean. tried again. still no luck. 88' should put me into the 6'' pipe past the sidewalk.

informed the owner and the daughter (worked for her for 20+ years) that i can try the straight auger to punch a hole, but there is a chance i can get stuck:eek: they agreed and i went with the auger.

well you guessed it, i got stuck and the cable was 105' in. the toilet was flushing ok, just not great. i get the dish washing soap out and flush the toilet to help lube the cable.after an hour or so and some flushing, i get the cable to free.

i pulled back some roots. and a soapy cable.

the real issue was the vertical height and the distance out. plus 45 years of no track record. not to mention a root stoppage in a 6'' line.

saturday i go back with the camera. i will install a ground level cleanout.

so even though it was a ruff one, the k-60 with the help of some soap on a rope:D was able to save the day.

by the way the other guy was going to come the next day and attempt to dig up the line to install a c/o without snaking.

rick.

did he try snaking

[All Clear Sewer]

I would not have been on that roof with a K-60 or anything else. Rick there is a right way to do that job and putting your life in danger is not one of em ;)

[Service Guy]

I would not have been on that roof with a K-60 or anything else. Rick there is a right way to do that job and putting your life in danger is not one of em ;)

I agree, there are better ways to have handled that job.

[PLUMBER RICK]

did he try snaking

i saw his quote after i finished. he was quoting to pull a toilet and attempt to clear the line. also a quote to dig up the planter and install a c/o.
funny part was he couldn't do either that day as he didn't have the equipment on board.:eek:

i was still $80 less by going on the roof and no mess or toilet to deal with. and i was there for 3.5 hours on this one.

I would not have been on that roof with a K-60 or anything else. Rick there is a right way to do that job and putting your life in danger is not one of em ;)

it wasn't as scary as you might think. the house is 15' elevated above the side walk and the roof is another 15'. so the scary part was the the 45 years of no stoppage, old lady secanario, and 6'' stoppage.

although a spiral cutter rolled off the roof and into the bushes. i saw it roll and couldn't find it. when i go back saturday with my camera. i'll bring my metal detector to find it. it's either up in the bushes 10' or buried in the ivy:confused: it's worth a shot as i think it's within a 10' circle.

i work for her daughter for the last 20+ years and see her at the bank almost every week. i couldn't walk from this one. hard to say no to an 80 year old widow.

i did take a couple of pictures, but have not posted them yet as it's mixed with the hundreds on the card.

rick.

[HouseOfAtlas]

saturday i go back with the camera. i will install a ground level cleanout.


Is this going to be an outside cleanout?? If so, it must be nice to only have to dig a few feet down to install a cleanout :D

[PLUMBER RICK]

Is this going to be an outside cleanout?? If so, it must be nice to only have to dig a few feet down to install a cleanout :D

exactly.

the other persons quote was to install a c/o too. but not knowing where it is or how deep is just a guess.

my c/o estimate comes after i camera the line to locate and get a depth measurement. plus once i camera, i might find the real issue and install the c/o at the problem area.

at 88' out, i feel the issue is beyond the side walk. it's not allowed to install a c/o at that point.

i'm hoping for a 3' or less depth. at this depth i can dig 18'' x 24'' and not even get in the hole.

rick.

[All Clear Sewer]

Most of em we install are only 1 1/2` to 3` deep. I just hand dig most of em. We do have some deep ones but most of em are no deeper then 3'

[Service Guy]

Here in the mountians, the sewer depths can get crazy. I have heard of private sewer lines over 20' deep on some terrain here.

[saysflushable]

Most of em we install are only 1 1/2` to 3` deep. I just hand dig most of em. We do have some deep ones but most of em are no deeper then 3'

Not to many basements or what? Or do you not have plumbing going out the basement floor? Man 1.5 to 3' would be awesome.

[HouseOfAtlas]

Here in the mountians, the sewer depths can get crazy. I have heard of private sewer lines over 20' deep on some terrain here.

:eek:

And I thought our 7-8+ feet below grade (outside) was bad.

[wrench spinner]

up here in NY most of them are about 4' to 5' deep unless it is to a septic system then it is generally only 18" to 3' deep at most

[westcoastplumber]

Clearing a stoppage from the roof vent is a poor cleaning indeed.

I would never attempt to clear a stoppage from a sewer that has never been cleaned before, this is asking for trouble.

out here, it is easy to give an estimate for a cleanout, without the use of a camera, most sewers are approx 3' in depth coming out of the house.

Glad you were able to get your cable removed. ;):D

[HVAC HAWK]

when working on a roof do you where a harness with a safety rope tied to some thing so you cant fall off :shocked2:

[gear junkie]

Clearing a stoppage from the roof vent is a poor cleaning indeed.


Why? I do it all the time and it works great. Remember that rock story I told you? No way you could have done that through the toilet bend. As long as you're using the right cutters, it's a piece of cake. Also, when you have a main line stoppage and have to remove a toilet, that crap in the toilet has to go somewhere. Snake it through the roof vent and the extra head pressure helps to open the stoppage up.

[All Clear Sewer]

Not to many basements or what? Or do you not have plumbing going out the basement floor? Man 1.5 to 3' would be awesome.
Theres a few but most of em got C/O`s when they were built. Most of the time we can just open the C/O in the basement if there isn't one :eek:
I love that part of my job :grin-loving:

[MrsSeatDown]

when working on a roof do you where a harness with a safety rope tied to some thing so you cant fall off :shocked2:

It isn't that dangerous-or at least that's what he tells me.:shocked2:

[PLUMBER RICK]

Clearing a stoppage from the roof vent is a poor cleaning indeed.

would you rather use a 4'' vent that is a straight shot into the 4'' main, or remove a toilet that is a 4x3'' closet bend, heel outlet and a bathroom floor that is going to get wet when the toilet is removed?

I would never attempt to clear a stoppage from a sewer that has never been cleaned before, this is asking for trouble.

at some point the sewer is going to plug. how would you fix it, if you would never attempt it?

out here, it is easy to give an estimate for a cleanout, without the use of a camera, most sewers are approx 3' in depth coming out of the house.

by all means, if you can accurately tell me where the sewer is as it comes out from a concrete patio, then stairs and into a planter. you will save me the hassle of going onto the roof and dragging my camera up there.

with the camera, i will know exactly where the sewer exits, the depth, and the real problem along with the total distance to the city main. by knowing this, i can properly do a repair, or cleanout in the most feasible place. there is no guess and there is no need to pad the estimate as i already know what i'm up against.

the $300 for the inspection, video and location will easily be offset by the cost of installing a c/o at the proper location.

12 years ago, we had to pretty much guess at a proper location. today, i can use my camera to give the best possible location.

so the camera is not making me extra money. it's actually saving the customer from a wrong location that is overpriced to cover the unknown. plus i know that i will be installing the c/o at the best location possible.

Glad you were able to get your cable removed. ;):D

so was i. the purpose of this thread was to highlight the soap trick. without the soap, i would still be tugging. it actually lubed the cable and the roots.

in another 8 hours. i'll be on the roof with my camera;)

rick.

[Drain Medic]

Suck out the toilet with the shop vac, close the stopper on the bath tub, BAM no more water :D

[cpw]

It isn't that dangerous-or at least that's what he tells me.:shocked2:
At least he (hopefully) doesn't do it in the snow. In December I was having my chimney fixed. They were supposed to come at 8AM. He called at 8:00 saying he was running late because of traffic, I told him I had snow on my roof (1/4"). He said that it didn't matter if it was bad he can just throw a hook over the gable. Got there, no hook, just bounded up on the roof.

Guy from the same company the week before was pretty heavyset. He basically jumped from the roof to the top of the chimney (only about 2 feet), climbed on top and was looking down all supported by the very think stainless steel chimney cap he later described as "rotting". :eek:

[MrsSeatDown]

At least he (hopefully) doesn't do it in the snow.

Nope! No snow or sleet or ice here in the heart of Los Angeles:D It barely even rains. He doesn't go on roofs in the rain.

Hopefully he doesn't go roof hoping either. . . .Rick if you don't don't tell me. I like thinking you are smarter than that:eek:

[Cuda]

My question Rick is why not just jet it after you do the cleanout install? You will have already ran out your camera and since there has been no cleaning done to the line it will probably need a good jetting. And yea thanks for posting the soap thing I have done it before but it is one of those things I need to be reminded of sometimes as an option when I get pissed that my cable is stuck and the people are watching me and tapping there foot waiting

[lonestardrain]

i think i would have jettetted iot from the roof with a strap on transmitter if i couldnet get past that bad spot, and then located the area and repair and install cleanouts there to kill two birds with one stone. here in Dallas if its on the city side they will come and unstopp it for free..)-;

Lonestar

[PLUMBER RICK]

well i camered the line and fortunately because of the camera, i was able to pinpoint a wye with a test cookie just before the sidewalk. this was at the 67' mark and my issues were at the 88' mark. anything from sidewalk out to center of the street/ saddle would require a bonded sewer contractor and big money.

i dug a 12'' x 12'' hole 2'3'' down and actually was able to pop the cookie off the wye. then i was in for a real fight with my 1.25'' sectional cable. the problem was in the street at 5'7'' deep at the gutter/ curb. the 6'' pipe was completely packed with roots. after using a couple of different cutters and then my 4''x 6'' expanding cutters i was able to completely remove the roots. the line is offset approx 1'' and has shifted allowing the roots to grow wild.

i extended the wye to the surface with a fernco band and abs 45.

with the use of the seesnake i was able to precisely locate and dig out the sewer wye. i will post photos later as i need to get to dinner.

total price with camera, snaking 100% clean and installing cleanout,
$848.00 very reasonable considering the job went from a total stoppage to a clean line. plus now they have a cleanout for future and a total run of 42' to city main for reference later.

rick.

sure i could have jetted, but it would have made a mess in the planter and would have been a lot more money for the trailer jetter.

[gear junkie]

Did you use the drill or your 1500 with the 1 1/4 cable?

[Service Guy]

Wow, good job rick. It sounds like you went the extra mile to make sure that line was working for your customer.

[MrsSeatDown]

Wow, good job rick. It sounds like you went the extra mile to make sure that line was working for your customer.

Always;). . .It took longer than he thought though. I went on the Revlon breast cancer walk and he went to this job. We were suppose to meet up at my work where we were having a Mother's Day Tea for the moms and a petting zoo/pony rides for the kids.

Rick never made it though:sad:

[PLUMBER RICK]

Did you use the drill or your 1500 with the 1 1/4 cable?

the drill allowed me to get in close to the area. i also have a short 4' section when 10' is too long when you hit real torque.

i made 3 passes with a 3'' spiral saw, 4'' pear and a 4'' x6'' expanding cutter.

video before and after.

rick.