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Started By
Message
How to find sewer cleanouts?
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:36 pm
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:36 pm
Any tips on how to find sewer cleanouts or lines coming out of the slab? I have dug up around where I would think the toilet is drained out the side of the house but have had no luck. Cleanouts are buried if they exist at all. Any other tricks or tips? TIA
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:46 pm to deanwelles
I'll follow this thread because I'd like to know as well. I can't find mine anywhere along my slab.
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:47 pm to deanwelles
Toilet is stopped up I am assuming?
Have you find the pipe in the ground, just not a clean out? If so, what kind of pipe?
Have you find the pipe in the ground, just not a clean out? If so, what kind of pipe?
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:56 pm to southern686
No blockages yet. Just trying to be proactive in case there ever are. House built in the late 50s maybe early 60s, on slab. Cast iron drain pipe
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:59 pm to deanwelles
quote:
Any other tricks or tips?
Probing rod is what the plumbers use. Sometimes, there is a PVC cap in the side of the slab that's used as a marker. I'm not sure if that was common in the 50's or 60's though.
This post was edited on 12/15/20 at 3:00 pm
Posted on 12/15/20 at 2:59 pm to southern686
Have not found any pipe in the ground. Just know it's cast iron from when I had pulled toilets a couple years ago
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:00 pm to deanwelles
quote:
cast iron
Metal detector then. :)
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:00 pm to FieldEngineer
quote:
Probing rod
Tried that. Tried a metal detector. No luck. Or I didn't know how to use the metal detector
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:02 pm to deanwelles
If it’s cast iron, metal detector. You also can try Dowsing
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:03 pm to deanwelles
When I did plumbing as a high school job all we had was a probe rod.
If we did not find a clean out but did find the pipe we drilled a hole in the pipe and ran our machine thru that.
If we did not find a clean out or the pipe we just ran our machine from the roof down a plumbing vent.
ETA:
What LSU999 said seems crazy but does work. We use to do that as well with metal coat hangers.
If we did not find a clean out but did find the pipe we drilled a hole in the pipe and ran our machine thru that.
If we did not find a clean out or the pipe we just ran our machine from the roof down a plumbing vent.
ETA:
What LSU999 said seems crazy but does work. We use to do that as well with metal coat hangers.
This post was edited on 12/15/20 at 3:05 pm
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:07 pm to southern686
Had thought dowsing might work, but no idea what I'm doing. Will give that a try too
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:29 pm to deanwelles
Probably in line with a bathtub or washing machine.
Posted on 12/15/20 at 3:35 pm to deanwelles
main line cleanout is usually within 3 ft of the house where the main 4" line exits the slab and at or below ground level
there will also be a cleanout on the other end of the house near the kitchen or laundry room right at the slab exterior edge
if you have a blockage or slow drainage you can try this to unclog the line. fill every sink to the top as well as every tub, then release them all at the same time as best you can while you simultaneously flush all your toilets
that will send a slug of water down the lines like a power flush and will usually push any clogs free. you may need to do it more then once but it has a good success rate to avoid calling a plumber
there will also be a cleanout on the other end of the house near the kitchen or laundry room right at the slab exterior edge
if you have a blockage or slow drainage you can try this to unclog the line. fill every sink to the top as well as every tub, then release them all at the same time as best you can while you simultaneously flush all your toilets
that will send a slug of water down the lines like a power flush and will usually push any clogs free. you may need to do it more then once but it has a good success rate to avoid calling a plumber
This post was edited on 12/15/20 at 3:41 pm
Posted on 12/15/20 at 4:42 pm to deanwelles
I paid a plumber in BR 300$ to video and locate all my clean outs.
Posted on 12/15/20 at 4:57 pm to deanwelles
I asked my BIL, who is a master plumber, this some years ago as I didn't know where my sewer clean out was - wasn’t having an issue just wanted to know should I have one. He said as general rule most plumbers will put the clean out on the outside of a wall of a bathroom/toilet towards the rear of the house, furthest from the street so I suppose that might a good place to start - but seems like you might have done that. Of course if a kitchen/laundry was at the rear of the house I would check there as well.
He suggested using a T-handled metal probing rod which I recall buying at HD.
He suggested using a T-handled metal probing rod which I recall buying at HD.
Posted on 12/15/20 at 5:14 pm to deanwelles
Any way to pull your property drawing?
Posted on 12/15/20 at 8:35 pm to FieldEngineer
quote:
50's or 60's
You may not have one
Posted on 12/15/20 at 8:44 pm to deanwelles
Usually it will line up with the 4" plumbing roof vent. Look at the front or back of the house and find the 4" roof vent and imagine a straight line going from it to the city sewer main line.
In this pic the 4" roof vent is on the left. The 2 vents on the right are 2" roof vents.
In this pic the 4" roof vent is on the left. The 2 vents on the right are 2" roof vents.
Posted on 12/15/20 at 9:32 pm to deanwelles
quote:
Just know it's cast iron from when I had pulled toilets a couple years ago
My experience has been cast iron is inside the house but transitions to clay tile pipe or maybe Orangeburg pipe outside. Often there were no clean outs installed. If you have clay tile or Orangeburg I would anticipate having to install an entirely new pvc line in the future as tree roots destroy those old pipes. A metal rod probe is what you use but it is a PIA as there are rocks and old brick and other things you will hit while probing. Once you find it you can dig down and install a pvc clean out using rubber couplers to connect pvc to clay tile. They make specific rubber couplers for this. Orangeburg is crap, has asbestos in it and luckily I have never had to deal with it.
Posted on 12/16/20 at 12:27 am to lazy
quote:
Orangeburg is crap,
Can confirm. I’d never heard of the stuff until two days ago.
I’m currently working on removing the last of this junk from my house. Most of my sewer line has been replaced with PVC save for a section about 15’ long inside my courtyard.
It just crumbled and collapsed underground from root penetration. I’ll be glad to get this junk out of here.
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