Questions tagged [sewer]
For questions regarding the underground pipes that carry foul or "black" water to a treatment works.
121
questions
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1answer
31 views
Does a fixture connected directly to the ground stack (vented) need to be vented separately?
I'm adding a shower in the basement (there was a half-bathroom already) and the new drain is literally right by the stack (probably few feet away, 3-4' max), so I would think the air coming from the ...
0
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1answer
96 views
Why do my bathroom sinks smell like death?
Whenever I turn on my bathroom sinks for more than 5 seconds, I can hear gurgling in the walls, and shortly after, a terrible smell fills the bathroom. Is this a problem with my vent lines?
0
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1answer
34 views
Ejector Tank Safe Cleaning Additives
Wondering if there are any suggestions for a safe additive that can be flushed into a sewage ejector tank that can help break down waste (even toilet paper). Getting some awful foul smells - going to ...
0
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2answers
53 views
Frozen drain line into septic from furnace
Last winter the condensation from our high efficiency furnace caused our line to freeze from the floor drain where the water was running into, all the way to the septic. No one was there to flush ...
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0answers
39 views
Cast iron sewer pipe leak? Or something else? Shower pan?
We have a concrete slab and it’s soaked. Water has been coming up through the grout of our ceramic tile. This may have been something that happened over time and we only noticed now. We had a few ...
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1answer
67 views
Is a slightly-deformed clay pipe a concern?
We're doing a buying inspection on a house, and the sewer inspector provided a video of the snake camera. Here's a still from where the house line (clay) connects to the city line:
The inspector didn'...
0
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1answer
69 views
Warm Weather Smell…Again
Trying to track down an odor that has once again shown up, now that weather is getting warmer. I believe it to be a sewer odor, but no water leaks in the sewer pipes. House was built in 1910...with ...
4
votes
2answers
430 views
What are these two Sewer Pipes Coming up Out the Ground?
We recently had the old terracotta sewer line replaced that comes out of our house to the main sewer line
There are now two pipes in addition to the sewer clean along where the guys dug up
I planned ...
0
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1answer
60 views
Stopping sewer smell
I have a sewer near the house where two sewer pipes meet. The problem is that it's been built badly and a lot of sewage remains there instead of going in the 3rd pipe. How could I make it go through ...
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1answer
36 views
How to connect 4” PVC to broken sewer line?
I have a piece of broken cast iron pipe with almost no overhang. Wondering what are my options here?
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1answer
24 views
What options for replacing a leaking soil pipe?
There are tree roots growing in the soil pipe leading from my home to the street. (The pipe is about 75 feet long.) When it is time to repair or replace the soil pipe, what are the options and their ...
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1answer
27 views
Replace soil pipe or continue cleaning it annually?
Tree roots grow into the house sewage drainage pipe some 6+ feet out of the house. Each year I have a company clean out the roots with a large drill. Replacing the pipe will be expensive. What ...
2
votes
2answers
36 views
Will I have a code problem attaching a 1.5“ grease interceptor to a 4” drain pipe?
I want to install a grease interceptor in my house. The problem is that it will not fit under the sink, so I plan to put it in the basement.
The problem is that the sink, laundry and dishwasher all ...
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2answers
73 views
How can I locate the drain plumbing in my old house?
I don't have plans for the house. I have had a plumber here but he's dug and he didn't find the pipes. We have had every kind leak imaginable for months. Now it's coming in under the concrete and ...
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vote
2answers
112 views
Sewer gas smell in replumbed old house
We bought a 1920 house about a year and a half ago and occasionally we can smell a sewer gas odor and I’ve been trying to figure out what the cause is. Whenever we smell it, it’s coming from either ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
Plumbing venting into apartment
I am a renter and my house often smells overbearing of sewers gas. I guess this is a two part question. The smell cures up from all the drains and I’ve made the landlord aware of this, she has not ...
0
votes
1answer
249 views
Low Frequency Noise inside my house [closed]
I do live next to a sewer lift station. The noise is through out my home. It seems to be worse late night to early morning and when it's colder out. Could the pump station noise be piped into my ...
3
votes
1answer
113 views
Move or remove a downspout inside brick wall
I just moved into 1912 townhouse in DC. It has cast iron drain lines for the gutter downspouts. One of the lines is clogged, but I assume it eventually connects to the sewer. At some point in the ...
2
votes
1answer
767 views
How do I fix a sewer snake cable that has kinked inside the spooler cage?
I had to snake out my sewer this weekend and rented a large sewer snake from the hardware store. When I hit the problem area the cutting tip on the end of the cable apparently got stuck and I didn't ...
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4answers
297 views
What to do for unused shower drain? (Prevent sewer vapors and mosquito larvae.)
I have a shower stall with a drain that is going unused. My first concern is that if the water evaporates out of the plumbing trap below, I could have sewer vapors coming up, so I pour in some water ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
How should I seal a drain waste line that I'm no longer using?
The waste line from my kitchen sink is plumbed directly into my side sewer via a dedicated pipe that travels along the exterior of my house before tee-ing into the side sewer line. Apparently this was ...
1
vote
2answers
96 views
Planting tree - hit sever line?
I was digging a hole to plant a tree in front of my house last night (it was still light but the sun was down). The home is only a year old and is in California.
When I got a bit over a foot down, I ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Sewer pipe cleanout
My house was built on a slab in1964 and has a walk out basement. There is a floor drain in my basement, along with a toilet & utility sink. Water from the main floor fixtures is backing up through ...
1
vote
1answer
435 views
Studs cut to fit the sewer pipe — is it ok?
I removed the drywall in a kitchen and found that studs are cut through to fit the sewer pipes. Is it OK to keep them as is or should I do something?
I am thinking about installing the stud shoes.
...
4
votes
2answers
449 views
Stinky dishes and cups from the dishwasher - but only after it rained
The house I live in is 14 years old and is connected to the municipal water and sewage system in the Toronto, Canada, suburbs. I am on my second dishwasher. The first one was a cheapo Whirlpool, the ...
0
votes
0answers
199 views
What is this huge hole in my back yard?? Can I fill it in?
I have a huge hole “ maybe 3 foot diameter and 8ft deep” I have noticed the ground sinking in around it. I would like to fill it in. I know that around 12 years ago we went from septic to public ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
Dishwasher causes terrible smell in disposal - why?
Our 15-year-old Asko dishwasher has its drain connected to the garbage disposal on our sink, and it in turns drains through a P-trap into a sewer pipe that has a "sure vent" (not vented to the roof or ...
1
vote
1answer
633 views
How to remove a cast iron pipe plug that has been soldered with lead
I'm adding a utility sink in my basement. I'd like to drain it into a cast iron pipe junction, but I'm having trouble removing the old plug. It appears to have been sealed with lead solder.
I'm ...
0
votes
3answers
644 views
How to Cover Giant Sewer Vent [closed]
Does anyone have a creative/safe way to hide this hideous sewer vent and manhole?
Thanks in advance!
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1answer
1k views
Sewer smell every time it rains
I've just moved into a newly build house a few months ago and every time it rains, it smells like sewer in a bathroom and the living room.
I'm using the municipal sewer and I checked in my own yard ...
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vote
3answers
95 views
What can cause a blockage in an otherwise decent main sewer pipe?
I purchased my first house (on city water and sewage system) about 6 months ago and the main sewer drain clogged and backed up through the basement drain within the first week being there. We're ...
0
votes
2answers
164 views
How to upgrade old sewer drain?
I have a 4" cast iron sewer pipe in a concrete floor basement dating to 1910.
I can't figure out how it is configured. Here is what is visible:
The connection to the house drains is cast iron pipe ...
1
vote
1answer
488 views
Can I run my sink & disposal into my basement's sewage pump?
Can I run my sink & disposal into my basement's sewage pump?
My basement has a bathroom in it that uses an ejector pump. It works great.
Meanwhile, my kitchen sink & disposal are in the ...
1
vote
0answers
3k views
Should my bathroom's plumbing vent be downstream of the toilet connection?
My wife and I just bought a house and have been smelling sewer gases from our tub. After taking a look at the piping, the tub doesn't have a p-trap. My original plan is to install a trap before the ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Is it a problem that a pipe in basement slopes upwards slightly for 9 feet?
A plumber I hired to rough in new plumbing installed the 3 inch pipe in the basement.
The pipe slopes downward nicely at the required pitch as it leaves the house.
There is a small section (a 9 ...
0
votes
3answers
4k views
Cesspool vs Septic system, what's the difference?
I own a home on Long Island, NY, which has an original block construction cesspool. These are known to collapse, and I'd like to replace it in the near future. I was given two options for replacement:
...
0
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1answer
104 views
Explosive Backup in Shower/Toilet in Small House & Clear Bubbles in Sink & Toilet of Main House
I have small main house and smaller unattached house-like mother-in-law dwelling. Both houses have shower, toilet, sink. Yesterday in main house I noticed clear water bubbles in the sink and ...
1
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1answer
46 views
Maximum toilet pipe width?
It looks like incorporating a wider toilet pipe "system" (everything from the u-shaped tube of the bathroom toilet down to the home pipe that finally connects to the greater "public" sewer system) ...
1
vote
1answer
85 views
Is the diameter of drain snake cable the bigger the better?
Is the diameter of drain snake cable on the drain snake machine the bigger the better?
If it is for the same price, what is the advantage or disadvantage to have the bigger-diameter cable machine?
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0answers
118 views
Where are vents required for bathroom drains?
Here is a diagram of the new drain plumbing we are installing for one and a half new bathrooms.
Where should I locate any required vents on these lines?
I live in Oakland County, MI and it looks they ...
0
votes
0answers
404 views
What is this open pipe below the basement floor?
We are doing our basement floor, and when we removed the old carpet I found the box depicted in the picture. The main pipe is clearly the main drain going to the sewer, so no worries there. But there ...
0
votes
0answers
64 views
Sewer Access Pipe
So I demolished my sewer access cap/pipe with the lawn mower. I was wondering exactly how to fix it. One choice would obviously be to dig down to it and replace the pipe and cap. I also thought about ...
0
votes
1answer
712 views
is there a way prevent backflow from my sink?
I have a downstairs condo with plumbing issues. I get re-occuring backflow out of my sink that looks to be my neighbors sewage from their kitchen sink (we share sink lines down to the main drain). ...
2
votes
1answer
332 views
Do you really need a pipe out for potential harmful gas for pump
I recently replaced a Laundry pump, the laundry pump has 2 connections out, one is a pvc pipe out to the drain, the other opening is for piping out gas/air from sewer system. Currently, I have the ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
What's causing the sewer to back into the tub?
We've lived in our house for several years with no sewage problems to speak of.
A few weeks ago, my wife was sick of the sinks not draining very well so she went online and learned about cleaning out ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
When is service connection completed for water / sewer for new construction?
Is it after Final Inspection that the lines are run from the house to the street? I'd like to hire a contractor for the service connection portion and need to know at what point in the process this is ...
0
votes
1answer
650 views
Sewage smell in my basement - Where is it coming from?
I have been randomly getting these periods of time(a day or so) where I enter my basement and I get hit by a strong wave of what I think is sewage gas. I recently replaced the wax ring underneath the ...
4
votes
2answers
286 views
Bathroom toilet install - path of least resistance
I want to install a toilet in my ugly old basement and am apprehensive about how to actually do it.
Here's what I have:
...and here's how my house is plumbed:
So I'm trying to put a toilet on this ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Sewer Line Clog suggests pipeline replacement
Our 1963 in-city home has occasional sewer line blockages. Renting a power snake for $30/half day has gotten old. The city has scoped the line and suggest the constriction in diameter occurs 40 feet ...
0
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2answers
508 views
How to stop rats from walking in plastic sewage pipe and damaging it?
A rat has scratched open a big hole in a plastic sewage pipe near the toilet. After closing the hole with a metal plate and taping it with power tape, the rat has started scratching again. How to stop ...
