Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sewer]

For questions regarding the underground pipes that carry foul or "black" water to a treatment works.

198 questions
17
votes
1 answer

Is abandoned sewage pit hazardous?

I own a family house that used to until about 20 years ago have a sewage collector pit in use. It has been abandoned for about 20 years now. It has concrete walls and roofing and gravel on the bottom. It was never disinfected or treated in any…
Benjamin Márkus
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13
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5 answers

Attempt to locate buried sewer line with melted snow?

I live in a housing addition (built 1965-1980) in the barren (no trees) Oklahoma panhandle. The first thing the new home owners in this area did was plant as many trees as possible. Over last several years in my neighborhood many of these house…
Oily Tex
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13
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4 answers

Plumber got his sewer jetter hose stuck. Whose fault is it?

On Wednesday, a service plumber came to my house to jet the drain for my kitchen sink. He came around 9 a.m. and by 9:30 had pushed his hose beyond the clog. Then he spent 3 hours trying to get his hose out. He went to lunch and came back with a…
B. Goddard
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13
votes
4 answers

Strange suction in toilet and sink, like a vacuum in the sewer pulling the water out

This is hard to explain.. But I was sitting in my bedroom when all of a sudden my toilet started draining, then the sinks in the bathroom started pulling air in, then when the water from the toilet drained, it started suctioning air down the toilet…
Matt
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10
votes
1 answer

When to replace a toilet's wax ring?

I just bought a new house that was built three months ago. I unfortunately flushed something big down the toilet and had to take the toilet apart, turn it upside down, and fish it out. When I was finished I simply placed the toilet back and bolted…
Kyle Bridenstine
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8
votes
3 answers

Do drain pipes (house to sewer) freeze?

My basement drain is backing up a bit recently. Before I call a plumber, or rent an electric sewer snake from Home Depot, can sewer pipes freeze? It is January after all (and my house is in Canada).
Rollo R
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8
votes
5 answers

Do I have to periodically pour water down my basement floor drain to maintain the p-trap water seal?

There is a sewer smell coming from my basement. There are only a couple entries to the sewer in the basement: A laundry sink that acts as the drain for a water softener (which regenerates every few days), and a floor drain. I suspect that the floor…
Steve
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8
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3 answers

Why is sewage backing up from this outdoor pipe?

I just recently moved into my first house this morning and when I went outside I noticed this: What happened? What should I do? I have no idea what that pipe even is. I don't believe there is a septic tank on my property because we use city…
Andrew
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7
votes
1 answer

How can I fix the sewer smell in my bathroom?

After several hours and no use, the bathroom accumulates some noticeable "sewer gas" smell, with kind of garlic. It is gone after a few minutes when the ventilating fan is turned on. The bathroom and house are new (circa 1990). There is a normal…
user2817
7
votes
6 answers

What do I use for backfilling septic pipe leaving my home?

I have a 4" PVC septic pipe leaving my house on the cinder block wall about 4 feet below my house. There was a crack inside of the part where it leaves the house and I need to replace it (from settling/35 years old). I am going to do the digging…
math314
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7
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5 answers

Can rock salt be used for sewer maintenance?

I have read that flushing a glass full of rock salt down your toilet every month is good practice if you have a cast iron sewer line. Reason being is that the salt will kill off any tree roots in the pipe and also prevent more roots from coming in…
Jared
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6
votes
1 answer

How is a septic system different from a cesspool?

Here in New England many towns do not have public sewer systems, so homeowners have either a septic system or a cesspool. What is the difference between the two?
Vebjorn Ljosa
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5
votes
1 answer

Restarting toilet line after 50 years

I have a sewer opening in my basement for a toilet. The flange looks just fine, but that sewer line has probably not been used in 50 years. Is there anything I should do before starting to use it? Or just pour some water down it and see what…
Ariel
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5
votes
3 answers

When snaking the main sewer line, how do you know when you've reached the street connection?

I've had good success clearing out a blockage but am wondering - how do I know when I hit the street line? What does it feel like? Right now I hit a seemingly impassable point (I didn't force it) about 5-6 feet past the obstruction I cleared - would…
Jason
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5
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2 answers

Should I use glue or o-ring joints on a buried PVC waste pipe?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of both systems of joints for "non-pressure" pipes that are buried? O-ring joints are more expensive, but easier to do on buried pipes. Glue on the other hand is permanent (that is a plus and a minus at…
Luiz Borges
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