Brian Cooke of Marin Plumbing explains how advance diagnostic techniques helps diagnose persistent plumbing issues. In this case sewer line repair is the only thing that will keep this problem from recurring.
Theres a whole lot of comments from people who have no idea what they are talking about. That blockage was toilet paper and 'flushable' wipes that got caught at a bad joint. After the blockage is cleared out completely you can see that the joint is offset to the side. No real plumber would ever install a section of 3" pipe in the middle of a 4" line, this is going to cause reoccurring blockages at the bottleneck, and/or the craptastic joint where this blockage was. Another clue they weren't a real plumber is the bad joint its self where the pipe is transitioning back to 4". There are 2 options here, keep snaking it out every 6 months or replace the piece of 3" with 4". I would do PVC myself, the cast iron we get down here in florida just doesnt last. Replacing 4 feet of pipe burried under someones front yard will cost about as much as having it snaked out twice, the real crooks are the plumbers who dont want to make a permenant fix. Lots of shady plumbers survive solely off a clientele of people who call once or twice or 7 times a year who are led to believe 'this is part of the cost of living in this home'. I'm no longer a plumber, I do video sewer inspections for a living and pride myself on telling every customer the truth.
You are right. Except a lot of customers dont want to spend the extra money to dig up the lawn or even pass a camera to begin with. So often thats what they get. A drain that blocks regularly and need to be fished at least 1x per year. Ive had clients prefer to pay once a year than truly fix the problem. But yes there are a lot of crooks out there . Including the ones that tell you that you absolutely need to replace the whole line even if there is only a small amount of roots , just because they contract the job to a friend and get a 20 percent cut on it. If it isnt a major problem like this one, a screw up from an amateur, then i always advise them that if they dont have rhe money to dig up the lawn and replace the line then theyre better off to have it cleaned every year or so. Where i live here in montreal, canada, some places can run up to 10,000 $ to replace the drain believe it or not
@@garydohe some people are on fixed incomes. Many are older. They only get a out 1300 a month retirement. ... they have no mortgage anymore and cant afford to fix the pipes ... so spending 100 a year to clean the pipes would better then 10grand ....
@@garydohe 10,000 thats crazy but most people dont have the confidence to do it themselves. its not hard. But its messy . Im here because im trying to figure whats clogging the plumbing. Now from this video i got the idea to buy the camera and see for myself because it may be something simple like a paper clogg or the pipes could be completely ruined So before i break the floor i want to check it out with the camera. with be a simple problem
I’m with you. I do service work, video inspection, pipe tracing and jetting. I’ll tell them the truth and give them options. I work with a couple of other companies that I feel comfortable with and let them dig up the ground or slabs. I do stop by if time allows to reassure the home owners that the work will be good
Nice resolution on your sewer video camera. It gave really sharp images of the inside of the sewer lateral. The initial installation was faulty where they reduced the pipe size which caused the restriction and the toilet paper/grease accumulation problem.
I've cleaned a lot of sewers, and aside from the pipe being reduced, this looks like a very clean sewer line that did not need repairs or replacing. The blockage you found was common, The camera is a great tool, but you should also invest in the proper cutters for your snake. If you had cleaned it out using the correct size cutter instead of a retriever, you probably would have got it the first time and not had to come back 5 times. New Cutter $35.00 Camera system $3000 +.
+MJCPeters If hes coming out there to snake the main line every six months it seems like a solution to me. Snaking a isn't good for your pipe to begin with especially that frequent. This home owner now has a liner in there that bares a lifetime guarantee and that's a good insight for him when it comes time to sell that house. I recommend any home owner to stop wasting 4-5 hundred dollars for snaking a line and all other treatments and maintenance when they can make an investment and never have to worry about plumbing again.
Actually if you watched where He cut that blockage out you could see that the pipe was separating. Brian knows exactly what he is talking about on this. I’m a plumber up in British Columbia that has 27 years of experience in plumbing and Drain Cleaning. He was right to suggest replacing that sewer.
@@twincitydrain8041 it's a retrieval head that was sarpend to cut roots that a general drain cleaner rigged has a spiral cable with about 4 to 5 wraps and enlarges to 3-4 in
Very good video and excellent commentary. I have the same problem…every 6 months gotta snake my sewer line. 2 foot clay tile 4" diameter lateral. 100 foot run to street. belly 15-20 feet from my house and goes about 40 feet! water in my sewer line! My house was built in 1931. 88 year old sewer line. time for a new one. its 10-11 feet deep. my sewer guys charge $12,000 to replace. gotta dig up old line. gotta cut through brick patio, 12 feet of asphalt driveway and a sidewalk, plants etc…will back file with 2-3 stone (all way updriveway patio and sidewalk). tamp it does as they go.
I believe that white blockage was grease build up. Grease turns white and cheese like. It sticks to the pipe and eventually blocks it completely. That was a salesman not a plumber if you ask me.
Definitely greedy salesman. That was not extremely hard for him to clear and completely ripping out a yard to redo the entire thing is more about cash in his pocket than doing right for the homeowner.
Kef103 not really... Either they rip apart the yard and replace the pipe or they have him out there every 6 months to clean the pipe again because it will just keep getting clogged
Dig up and use 10' cast iron pipe for replacement? Looking for a payday. Use a pipe locator on the camera cable. Locate the exact position to the foot above what looks to me like a cracked pipe with root intrusion which then captures the grease. This way you minimize the trench size 3'x4'. Cut and replace a 12"-18" section with ABS. Camera in the pipe makes roots look huge. Little fine roots around the seams are normal. It's the gnarly brown tree roots that will cause backups. Use root killer or copper sulfate crystals once a year to control them.
I would agree with this but the difference in pipe diameters creating the lipped pipe can be a nuisance nonetheless it was poorly thought out and poorly executed. 😊
Came to look at sewer videos to get a better handle on what's going on in our house. We've been smelling a funky old water smell for several weeks and never thought of looking in the basement to discover that the sewer had backed up. Had it cleaned by a sewer and drain specialist yesterday, then scoped by a plumber. We've had the sewer cleaned numerous times over the years we've lived here. Never thought to have the camera done but glad we did. Turns out we have a cast iron pipe to the boulevard at which point it switches to clay pipes going out to the manhole. Our part is in good shape but the city pipes have collapsed about 4-5 feet from the manhole. To think of how far everything has been backing up is disgusting. What's even more disgusting is to be told that property owners are responsible for paying for repair from the house to the manhole. I don't know how municipalities can get away with that. We currently have been told not to flush solids down the line. Wondering if anyone has any comments on how to proceed with the city.
Your contractor Might be able to use a drain liner look into those They are great. The city does this all the time They still use clay 2ft and under till this day It's cheaper anything 2ft and bigger is PVC and concrete ...So your gonna have to pull a special permit to tap into the city sewer pipe and have inspection done.. Don't worry It's not a biggie just make sure your contractor knows this before you hire or he might walk away from the job but trust me most know this already and It's not to be said but most times the whole drain has to be dug up and replaced from your clean out to the street one or two sidewalk slabs might have to be moved some inspectors se that and demand you have new poured though. I would go with 30/34 PVC only if you know what your doing as far as bedding with gravel and topping same goes for schedule 40 or 80 thicker wall but brittle if not bedded proper needs min of 1-1 1/2 inch pitch per 10 ft -20 ft I think....I would add a clean out before the main 30 ft from the house if more the overall span is greater then 90 ft of drain needs to be installed... you will thank me later If you need to snake the drain or now you can hydro jet if the drain ever clogs again just don't let them install cast iron what ever you do. Hope this helps.
Why would u install cast iron and not 30/34 pvc or at least sched. 40 ABS. That clog was toilet paper and grease, next time call a real professional with a jetter
Schedule 40 PVC all the way. This guys a fuckin moron. That line was fine other than where it necked down for some reason just another dumb plumber trying to take someone for a bunch of money
Thanks for your video. I am in Alberta Canada, Looks like after 10 years my septic tanks has settled and I have a drainage problem. Bringing in a camera on Monday to figure out what to do next. Your video was helpful and gave me a better understanding. Appreciate it- thank you .
You were running the cable backwards at the clog. I noticed when you cut back to it after 6 mins., you were running it clockwise and started breaking the clog up.
Our town sewers are originally clay pipe short sections,where streets are lined with elms lots of root intrusion even at ten ft. deep,going now with pvc no more problems.
Wow, that camera was fascinating. Makes me want to get one of my own and go visiting the neighborhood to see what everybody's been eating, maybe become a weekend scatologist. I see your camera had a microphone. I think I'd add a loud speaker for some late night spooking. This won't only open drains, it'll open doors to new crap! Ok, seriously, very informative. My house is approaching 60 years and most of the work I've seen was clearly weekender if not "weekender with bad attitude". Had to rebuild 1½ bath in this place. Set out to replace rotten flooring discovered vertical studs hollow from termites. One question, why are you still using cast iron these days? Everybody I've talked to pushes PVC. From what I've read the life expectancy is 40-50 years for PVC as opposed to 50-60 for cast iron. Considering the cost and weight I'm surprised to hear you're doing iron.
Pvc has a longer life span if not exposed to uv rays underground installations are approved for 75+ years my kids kids will fix it when that time comes but I agree on the cast iron it is only used in public areas such as hospitals jails court houses and libraries due to the fire code because when pvc is burn it makes a very bad gass but since they can't sell a lot of cast there saying it's more quiet and reliable phhhhhh lol
How does it NOT need replacing? The pipe Decreases in size! Solid debris will always hang up in that pipe transition. That being said, Cast iron will always rust and fall apart....Eventually. VSP pipe is in good shape except for the crack at the Alleged CO ( no way to tell for certain unless you have a pan and tilt push cam or can locate the clean out cap)
Exactly. I heard that and was like....."what did he just say? Did he say replace with cast??" Yep....he sure did. Why not throw in some Orangeburg too while you're at it? SMH.
Bad drain...hahahahaha! This is a very clean line other then joint to a small pipe...there is very little issues. That blob is just grease and although most clean out costs are a bit of rip off I would recommend the more expensive jet/cut. Once we had that done our problems were diminished greatly. These guys make an hourly as good as my dentist! You others saying the other guy is a dumb...he's clearly the "guy on the street" question or the homeowner like guy and his questions are comparable to what any non pro would ask. If you think the questions are dumb then you most likely are always the smartest guy in the room..even when you are not!
Other than the downside in pipe diameter, the overall condition of this pipe was good. The blockage was grease buildup and not root intrusion. Didn't see any reason for a costly dig up and repair. Snow job
I spoke to a plumber about that very thing, after he helped clean out our drain. He told me they're all junk and none of them eat through things like hair, which bind the grease.
As a plumber the problem was with the reduced pipe and then after that there was a cracked fitting behind the toilet paper build up all that was needed was a repair not a replacement of the drain line. But cast iron for replaceing clay you might as well put Orangeburg down there pvc is the way to go and no couplings sc 40 with the bigggggg bell ends no tree root is getting through that but that's just my 2 cents
@@mikehurtado3194 dang this was a long time ago but yea pvc pipe sch 40 I still don’t recommend foam core pvc pipe for underground work but if u can find sch 40 with the bell ends go with that
Also after looking over the video over again the pipe installed is clay. the Restriction was a 3in cast iorn pipe at the end of the restriction it upsizes to 4in clay. The toilet paper had some tree roots in it most likely from the improper repair. Probably from the clay pipe Collapsing and the quick fix was too shove a pipe In a pipe. I believe I made a snarky joke regarding to the cast iorn repair and took a jab at the old ww2 drain pipe that was installed that is what we know today as orangeburg. And I believe I made a rant about pvc pipe which I still say today but over all I was probably 1/2 asleep when I wrote this lol
Sewer lines are so unpredictable if you are called to cable or jet you need to put a camera in and see what caused the issue not come back every so often to fix it there’s obviously a damn problem get the spot fixed with excavation or trench less replacement. There’s so many companies boring now a days and they somehow manage to find your sewer line inspect your lines!!
@millwrightman99 Don't matter about the joints. Joints are just an easy early access point. Like i said the pipe sweats. like condensation on a glass. It doesn't matter what the pipes made out of. I've seen roots go through cast iron many cases. :) They were older buildings but still roots got in. -- Side question What camera are you using? -- Also I believe it's toilet paper or paper towels with your clog there... I wonder if the customer went on vacation or something and that sat in the
Granted the plumbing done was improper, but you are certainly not gonna stop tree roots. I don't know what that white plant was, but the pipe sweats and the roots of any plant will wrap around the pipe, and if strong enough will break into the pipe. No stainless steal or rubber coupling is going to stop that. Granted there are some ways to get around it, but rather expensive.
the video shows the clog at 32 feet , you can dig to replace that leaking root invaded joint with a Fernco flex seal. That will work but there was a few other joints starting to let roots in.
Customers don't want to pay for the camera to go down, it's their choice. I did the same drain within six months and I offered the camera but customer declined.
I had an eight unit apartment building mainline Camered . I shut the water off to the building for 15 minutes but the camera showed water running down the main line the entire time. Is that normal?
god I love macho sewer guys! "My sewer cleaner can beat up your sewer cleaner!" ;-) [do agree that that glob of stuff was pretty wimpy; the main problem was missing it with the hook thingie]
Randy Johnson Don’t blame the plumber. Maybe the homeowners didn’t want to pay extra for the camera service on the previous service visits. There are companies that promise to unclog the drain or it’s free.
why in the hell would you replace the line with cast iron????? Ive been doing this for over 15 years and thats the stupidest thing Ive ever heard!!!! DWV PVC is 1/3 of the cost and a much better way to go, and it would out last cast iron pipe 3 fold!! The only time I would ever replace cast iron with cast iron is in a commercial building due to fire ratings such as a hospital. And why do you have to replace the whole line? Have you not heard of spot repairs? If the customer still has a good amount of life left in the remaining pipe, then at least offer the guy options!
I agree. I am just reading this in 2020 because I have the same problem.That is my thought, why not just dig and repair . I have the same problem and I plan to install a back flow preventer near the house and spot repair where its needed. Thank you for this video though and several comments, it really helps.
I think rather than "saving the world one toilet at a time" the guy meant "ripping off 1 customer at a time." Like that drain with a few mm of roots growing in needs to be dug up, ripped out and replaced. I'm willing to bet that he was able to suck that guy into doing it though.
Great video! Can I BUY or RENT THIS CAMERA at Home Depot, Lowes or a Plumbing Store so I can do this myself? I have something clogging my Houses Sewer Later that runs between my Outside Clean Out and City’s Sewer in my front yard (about 10’ distance)
I will do a drain unblock and suggest a cctv at the end. If the customer declines a cctv inspection if it clogs again I say the next unblock cost will include a cctv as their is a potential problem. Better see what's going on sooner than later.
I've never been on a job where the plumbers went DOWN a pipe size downstream. That being said, the blockage was not at the reduction. I suspect that the plumber(s) NEVER did anything (until this video) but poke a hole in the blockage every six months. Before cameras,. it is a known fact that if you snake back and forth for an hour (on a pain in the rear jobsite)...chances are you will NOT be coming back in six months. But if you just clear the blockage (or in this case,..poke a hole in it so you can call it good) and leave,..you will be back sooner. If it was my house, I would dig it up and redo it,..but then, my labor and backhoe are free because I own them.
Picote Maxi Miller to descale that pipe, jetter to sweep it clean, and pull-in-place liner for that sectional sewer pipe repair. Would never fix that with cast iron!
Thanks for the video. I am curious-With the camera AND snake in the pipe at the same time, what was the state of the camera push cable after the procedure? Did all that thrashing about damage the camera cable? I'd be very nervous about putting my 3000 dollar camera in the waste line with my 1/2 in snake and cutter......Let me know. cheers
It was a combination of toilet paper grease and whatever else. It clearly got snagged up on the lip of the crappy line. It probably piles up at the first lip then chunks down and gets caught on the second. Anyone who says this is a good sewer line is crazy.
Please tell me about the new technology couplings you use on cast iron? Have you heard of High Density Polyethylene Pipe bursting? Where the pipe is fused and you have 2 transition areas? Cast iron rots on the bottom, trench-less HDPE pipe is forever.
