Power Snake Didn't Work?
We rented a power snake last week-went down 100 foot- using the hook tool and the cutting tool. It didn't fix the problem. My father in law suggested we check the sewer vent, so I got up there and it didn't look clogged. I put the hose in and let it run. It backed up into the tub and the toilet-overflowing that. There was some lint type looking crud that backed up with the water. I just put in a heavy duty drain cleaner-not the usual stuff. All the drains gurgle for lack of a better word, and the toilet will flush but the water sucks out of it after it fills. All the drains do work, but we had to unhook the washer in the basement because everything was backing into it. It's a very old house in the city-we called the city guys and they came out-said they thought it was clear at the road and to try clearing it for roots. We bought a root cleaner first and poured that down- it did nothing. Then we snaked. We're on a budget and I really want to try everything I can to myself to fix the problem. Any ideas? Thanks, Chuck Where did you start snaking from? It sounds like the clog is upstream of where you entered with the snake. Did you pull up the toilet and snake from there? If not, maybe you should consider doing that. Well, ROOT KILL and other such products designed for roots work over a period of weeks, not hours... They kill the roots over time and then it takes a long time for the roots to rot and run off... It is really more of a preventive measure... As for the snake, it would likely work if you got all the way to the stoppage... How far is it to the street from the place where you have access to clean it out? If 100' is not enough, then you will have to get cleanout access closer to the street or get more cable... A plumber will likely just do what you are doing but will have the equipment to get it all the way to the street... The county will only tell you that it is clear at the road, which means literally right at the road, and they won't usually offer any further assistance on your property... Thanks, we talked to a guy today at Home Depot in town and he said in Grand Rapids where we are 100 foot is all we would need. They don't rent longer ones. We're going to call the city tomorrow to make sure though. I just wondered if there was some other reason other than a plugged drain that would cause the back up like that. Chuck A loss of gravity could do it but that is unlikely. Just kidding! The first rule of plumbing is S**t flows downhill. It really is that simple. Clear the clog and clean the pipe and flush it with plenty of water and you will be set. Don't be discouraged. As ragnar said you will clear the stoppage when you hit it with the snake. You still didn't answer my question about where you went in and if the clog could possibly be behind your point of entry. We took off the toilet, which is directly above the main pipe that goes out of basement to the road. The road is 75 foot from the toilet and we went out the 100 foot of cable... Today things almost seem worse-my father in law is here and we're trying to brainstorm. I called the city and they are sending a guy out again-I can find out how deep the line is just to make sure. You don't think this could be a problem with the sewer vent??? If all else fails do we snake again? We used two ends-that second one was a 3 inch saw bit. Chuck Well, I'm no expert on this but if you went in the toilet that didn't work right and went toward the street, you would get as far as the house trap, but I don't think you would get through that. Maybe you should open the cleanouts on the house trap and check that. The vent would not seem to be the source of the trouble because you said when you put the hose down it, a drain in the house overflowed. That indicates that the vent is open and something on the downstream side of it is blocked. Yea, we just snaked out the vent and only got a little bit of stuff...now on the house trap. We can't find it. The main pipe goes out of the house about 3 foot off the basement floor. There isn't anything in the floor itself it's all off the ground. The main pipe is directly under the toilet and next to it is the sewer vent pipe. The house is probably about 90-100 years old. Any ideas? My father in law has worked with house traps and he can't find it either. Thanks, Chuck If you look outside the house in line with the sewer drain, you should see a vent cap. That should be in line with the cleanout caps on the house trap. They might be covered up but the vent shouldn't be. The vent could be teed off inside the house and go through the wall from the inside, but I'm pretty sure you would have a trap outside. You probably don't have a house trap. They are no longer used and while they are more common out east they are going the way of the dodo. I have in-law's in GR and I have never seen a house trap when looking around the family basements. Your venting sounds like it is open, otherwise the water you are running down from the roof wouldn't make it to the tub. I am assuming that you ran the 100' snake from a 3 or 4 cleanout access in the basement. If you put a garden hose into that same cleanout will the water flow out continuously? If a clog is far away it may take several minutes (5 to 10) of running a hose befoe the water will back up. Let the water run for a while and keep an eye on the inside of that pipe. You don't want to flood your basement. If the water backs up in that cleanout then you will need to clean again. That would mean that your snake wasn't long enough or you have sewer sludge and the snake went through the clog without moving it. If the water flows out of that cleanout with no problem, then that means that the clog is upstream of that point. Between the cleanout and the bathroom where you get the overflowing. Putting the hose down the vent like you did suggests that your clog is shortly after the bathroom fixtures combine into one pipe. If I were at your house, and you already tried my first hose test, then I would try cleaning it again from the pulled toilet or down the vent on your roof, or upstream from the house cleanout (if you can get the snake to make the turn) -good luck Thanks everyone-it's been a LONG day. The guy from the city came out and you were right Paulypfunk, it's not a trap-it's just the cleanout value next to the main pipe in our basement-they had hooked the washer into it-the people we bought the house from. The city guy was actually a big help. Looked at our pipes and talked to us about what we had done. He said 100 foot was more than enough-he explained that our pipes are 4 inch pipes and at the sidewalk they widen out to 6. He thinks we missed the roots. They hang down and you have to keep going back and forth-watch the water level in the drain with a flashlight (keep it by running water into a drain on and off while snaking) and when you see if moving up and down then you've probably hit the area. Just keep working it. He also said after pulling the snake out to run water in the pipe with a hose. If the clog/root is gone it won't back up. Thanks for the help-and I'll let everyone know what happens after Saturday when we snake again. Maybe it will help someone else with the same problem. Chuck If you do have roots inside your drains I suggest that you rent one of the roto rooters periodically and go through the drain as they are very stubborn. The only permanant solution is to dig up round the drains and make sure there are no leaks from the drain as this is what draws the roots inside to begin with. When you cleared the drain did you take a reasonable measurement of how far down the drain the cables went as this would give you an idea of where to dig if need be.
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