Sewer clean out installation

We recently had Roto-Rooter come out and snake out our sewer connection. Apparently tree roots were clogging the pipes so they were cleaned out. Getting rid of the roots is only a temporary problem and the Roto-Rooter guy told us that the root problem was on the city side of the sewer and they would be responsible for repairing it. Well, we gave the city (Roswell, Georgia) a call and they sent a guy out and he told us that they can't do anything because we don't have a sewer clean out in our yard. Our house is 30 years old so I guess they didn't put them in back then.

Does anyone know how much these cost to install? The city wants to charge $1400 but I think this is way too much. Anyone have a similar experience?

Reply to
Deuteros
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never heard of such a thing. Here we put the main clean-out in the basement right before it exits through the foundation. Typically the problem you describe is on the homeowner side of things; usually in the front yard. The town sewer is in the street and you tie into that. I am not saying it is impossible for what roto-router said to be true, but it sounds unlikely.

As for what the town said, I am shocked that not having a clean out in the front yard is their "out". What difference does it make if you use the one in basement or one a couple feet downstream out in the yard?

I would like to know myself how you make out and what the rules are exactly. Ask the town where exactly the clean-out needs to be. Ask them if you dig it up to install clean-out and they find the problem to be the city's problem will they reimburse you.

Sorry I can't be any help really. BTW the 1400 does not sound way out of wack.

Reply to
Ned Flanders

Here in SoCal we have what we call 'property line clean-outs. Usually 18" back from the side-walk. The City won't do anything without one. They don't want to be liable for coming onto your property.. But if you have one, and there are roots past it, this city will take care of replacing that section of line. And if the City will do it for $1400, sounds right to me.

Reply to
llump41

It's just a 'T' (more likely a 'Y' and a 45) installed in the lateral. Call a licensed plumber for another estimate. There's some digging involved, and maybe the plumber will let you do it. If it's too deep, it should be done with a back hoe and someone experienced in working down in a ditch.

Reply to
Bob

Reply to
Slim Bastard

Oh good grief. What goofy DIY wannabe book did you read that in? Road widths vary. Property lines vary. Utility easements vary. R.O.W. easements vary. That said, homeowners can be responsible to either their specific property line, the utility easement line, or the actual city main. This is a jurisdictional mandate that will vary from city to city. There is no "magic" measurement from the center of a road. There is also no "standard" code that requires a cleanout at the property line. But... any incorporated municipality is free to create their own specific codes whether other areas do so or not. As to the $1,400 price - If the line can be hand dug (less than 4' deep) - it's too much for almost anywhere in the USA. If it's 5' or deeper and/or requires excavation equipment - it is a fair price.

Bob Wheatley

Reply to
Bob Wheatley

There's a slice and dice home repair roto-rooter style attachment from available for rent from Home Depot that deals with the root thing fairly cheap ~$75. Then you have to follow-up with a root-killer poison to prevent the roots from growing again and it pretty much kills off all ground-life in it's path to the ocean.

Normally, it's not effective because the drainwater/poison runs at the bottom of the pipe and the roots come down from above, hence a big waste of money as the roots grow downward from the top fairly quickly. Flooding the drain will not work to reach the top roots with poison. There isn't enough pressure to fill the drain without blocking the other end and allowing the air out in order to allow the drainpipe to fill with poison.

$1400. to get a ditchwitch and lay a new and absolutely clean drainageway is a far more than reasonable price, and extremely cost-effective in the long run. Expect $3000. at jobs end unless you know the person. (Still a reasonable price in the long run).

Heavy equipment or hard labor and time. $1400 is real cheap for a major recurrent problem. Brother's a plumber, dad's a gardener, other brother runs heavy equipment. Run a new drain line.

*grin*

TheNIGHTCRAWLER (Me? I run data transfer.)

Reply to
TheNIGHTCRAWLER

TheNIGHTCRAWLER,

Ummm...I'm going to take a wild guess here. You're from the "alt.home.repair" and not the plumbing newsgroup, aren't you?

Reply to
Mike Grooms

TheNIGHTCRAWLER wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

$1400 is just to install a sewer cleanout. Not to replace pipes.

Reply to
Deuteros

posted: atl.general,alt.home.repair,pdaxs.services.plumbing

I'm from atl.general

Had a girlfriend who had to go through this exact same thing with her grandmothers house. Problems?

Took the roots about two months to clog things back up thoroughly using the slicer/dicer.

Someone sent you a genie in a bottle from the distance. Thanks would be nice but not necessary in my line of work.

NC (Life - Cut the resolution, pathetic, and indicative of current society.)

Reply to
TheNIGHTCRAWLER

Define sewer cleanout.

NC

Reply to
TheNIGHTCRAWLER

"TheNIGHTCRAWLER" wrote

A line sized opening (up to 4") to provide mechanical access to a sanitary sewer.

You're offering plumbing advice and you need this definition?

Bob Wheatley

Reply to
Bob Wheatley

TheNIGHTCRAWLER in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

time of reinvasion varies depending on the roots' species. sometimes there's a noninvasive tree who's just too close. (lots of mud in the line, but it washes downstream during the rooting)

Reply to
Choise76Smu

Yeah, that sums it up. Someone wanted to fix something?

Note: Brother's a 30yr ga certified plumber, I'm a 30yr pc tech. You should talk to your next door neighbor. "It's" likely they have the same problem. I'm thinking of going into psychology at this rate.

NC

Reply to
TheNIGHTCRAWLER

TheNIGHTCRAWLER,

If your brother read what you wrote, he'd be embarrassed for you. Have you noticed that we plumbers refrain from getting on a pc tech group and offering free advice?

Reply to
Mike Grooms

Hopefully no one ever gets hurt while you are pretending to be a plumber.......

What is "certified"? My uncle is a doctor, can I offer medical advice?

Bob Wheatley

Reply to
Bob Wheatley

a 30 year old gay plumber and a pc technician

Reply to
Ned Flanders

"Bob Wheatley" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Actually, that's the funny thing about "certification". If you offer medical advice, someone takes it and dies, you CAN'T be sued over it because you DON'T have a medical license. If your Uncle does the same thing, he can get the shit sued outta him.

Eric

Reply to
Eric G.

Found me here where PCs and Plumbing exist together.

Who's toe did I stand on?

You're talking to the PC and in the groups. There is NO distinction of neighbor. Pipes exist in Atlanta, posted to Atlanta, answered as best available from Atlanta.

Don't like it? Move out of Atlanta, or contribute and make it a sane place for posting. You're not doing that... Republican?

Hehehehe TheNIGHTCRAWLER (Words only hurt when they betray a person.)

Reply to
TheNIGHTCRAWLER

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