Does anyone know anything about plumbing?

B-Line · #1 08-01-2007, 04:04 PM

Hey All,

Since there is an expert on X5world for everything, thought someone might be able to help answer some questions.

I have a three story house. Last year, the lowest bathroom bathtub and toilet, (maybe sink, I forgot) backed up and overflowed.
I called Roto Rooter, they came in, found the RETURN which was on the second floor of my house in a bathroom.
They snaked the line, said I had a root problem, suggested a preventative maintainence of twice a year and put me on a "contract"..

It's a year later, got a call from Roto, that it's time for my Preventative Maintainence. They sent a new guy because the last rooter is no longer with the company. He doesn't know what the last guy did, but says, he needs to do some "exploration" to determine, if there are roots, where there are roots, etc.

The new guy said, because it's been a year since the last snake, he thinks my root problem will be very bad and he wants to do a jet flush, camera inspection, etc.

Then he started to just to the normal snake and said it could not be done because there are two 90 degree turns in the plumbing and if he tries to push any harder, he might destroy the pipes in the walls.

Now he basically is telling me, that I should install another RETURN on the outside of the house, so they can do preventative maintainence easier in the future.. They won't even need to come in the house..

-- My bro is telling me, he has never heard of preventative maintainence for plumbing and he thinks the guys are just trying to B.S. me to create work. It makes sense to me that there might need to be some sort of preventative maintainence, but it also might just be the plumbing version of "underspray on a car".

Do you have any opinions.
B

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Bushman2 · #2 08-01-2007, 04:49 PM

Yes, you do have an option. I own a set of apartments in Florida and had the same problem. Normally, the company that is doing the root clearing work can identify the problem by location within the pipes. What I found was that it was a huge tree in the neighboring yard that was causing the problem (backup). We did not have to do anykind of preventative maintainence. We bascially cut the root from our side of the property line and then put a concrete underground barrier arounf the 6" pipe. I know it sound like a lot, but I can almost bet that there is a huge tree in your yard causing the problem. Good Luck.

Quicksilver · #3 08-01-2007, 07:22 PM

Agree to the Camera inspection but insist that you be there for the visual. But not the Jet flush.

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-Line

The new guy said, because it's been a year since the last snake, he thinks my root problem will be very bad and he wants to do a jet flush, camera inspection, etc.

Not necessary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-Line

They snaked the line, said I had a root problem, suggested a preventative maintainence

In all my years in my home one of the things i learned is that aside from roots in the line, if you know where the vent is ahead of the plugged drain (not a toilet) and you can plug the vent, you can use a 5 gallon wet dry vacumn and clear a line in about 5 minutes. Ask your brother about that.

My kitchen sink use to get plugged from the garbage disposal and a snake did no good. So i found the vent for that pipe, went on the roof, essentially put a cork in it, took apart the drain under the sink attached a vacumn hose to the drain under the sink that heads under the house. Turned it on and in 5 minutes evacuated everything in that drain to the vacumn. No plumber needed.

Goodman · #4 08-02-2007, 07:43 PM

Did you have any problems since they first cleared the line?

B-Line · #5 08-03-2007, 02:10 AM

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the info...

Goodman, no, no problems since they first cleared the line. I just wanted to take steps that might prevent it from happening again.

On another note, I fired Roto Rooter today. I found out their salesman are on commission.. I want a plumber, not a salesman.. I am going to bring in 3 subs for bids and get opinions..
An ounce or prevention will hopefully be worth a pound of cure.

B

AutoXer · #6 08-03-2007, 12:15 PM

I have never had good experiences with Roto Rooter. They hire new people who don't have any experience, don't know what they are doing, and then try to sell their services as much as they can! Think that's what happened to you.

Good luck and hopefully roots are not in your line. I had to replace a sewer line because roots were in it, not fun and very expensive.

Goodman · #7 08-04-2007, 10:48 AM

It might of been an one time blockage, when I purchased my house had a similar problem. 20 years latter I have never needed to do anything else. Unless the problem reoccurs you best course be doing nothing more.

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