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SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECT DIAGNOSE REPAIR

SEPTIC CARE INSTRUCTIONS
SEPTIC CONSULTANTS
SEPTIC D-BOX INSPECTION
SEPTIC DRAINFIELD FAILURE DIAGNOSIS
SEPTIC DRAWINGS
SEPTIC DYE TEST PROCEDURE
SEPTIC FAILURE SIGNS
SEPTIC INSPECTION & TEST GUIDE
SEPTIC LIFE EXPECTANCY
SEPTIC ODORS
SEPTIC PUMPS
SEPTIC SUPPLIES & PARTS
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS
SEPTIC SYSTEMS, HOME BUYERS GUIDE to
SEPTIC SYSTEM SAFETY WARNINGS
SEPTIC TANKS
SEPTIC TREATMENTS & CHEMICALS
SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS
SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO
SEWAGE BACKUP TEST & CLEANUP
SEWAGE BACKUP PREVENTION
SEWAGE CONTAMINATION in buildings
SEWAGE CONTAMINANTS in FRUIT / VEGETABLES
SEWAGE EJECTOR / GRINDER PUMPS
SEWAGE LEVELS in SEPTIC TANKS
SEWAGE NITROGEN CONTAMINANTS
SEWAGE PATHOGENS in SEPTIC SLUDGE
SEWAGE PUMPS
SEWER BACKUP PREVENTION
SEWER GAS ODORS
SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT
SINKHOLES, WARNING SIGNS
SMELL PATCH TEST to Track Down Odors
SOAKAWAY BED FAILURE DIAGNOSIS
SULPHUR & SEWER GAS SMELL SOURCES
SUMP PUMPS

TOILETS, INSPECT, INSTALL, REPAIR
TOILET ALTERNATIVES
TOILETS, DON'T FLUSH LIST
TRAPS on PLUMBING FIXTURES
TREATMENTS & CHEMICALS, SEPTIC

VIDEO GUIDES: Septic Videos

WASHING MACHINES & SEPTIC SYSTEMS
WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS
WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING
WASTEWATER TREATMENT BASICS
WATER, WELLS, WATER TANKS: TESTING GUIDE
WINTERIZE A BUILDING

More Information

Guide to Slow or Clogged Drains & Sewer Backups: When to Call the Plumber
     

  • When to Call a Plumber - Homeowner steps to diagnose & repair or replace a blocked main building drain. When in the blocked drain diagnosis do you need to call a plumber; What to do when using a toilet plunger doesn't un-clog the drain
  • SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT
    • Diagnosing a Blocked Drain
    • When to Call a Plumber
    • How to Locate the Main Building Drain
    • How to Use a Power Snake on Building Drains
    • How to Find Distance to Drain Blockage
    • Determining Need for Replacement
    • Replacing the Sewer Line, Step by Step
    • Making Other Septic Repairs
    • Installing the new sewer line
    • Bedding the sewer line in Sand
    • Final Backfill of the Sewer Line Trench
    • Documenting Buried Components
    • Final seeding and soil restoration
    • Sewer or Septic Line Installation at Steep Sites
  • Questions & Answers about hiring a licensed plumber to help diagnose & repair a slow or blocked building drain, septic, or sewer piping
  • References

Click to Show or Hide Related Topics

  • SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECT DIAGNOSE REPAIR - home
  • BACKUP PREVENTION, SEPTIC
  • BACKUP PREVENTION, SEWER
  • CHEMICALS & TREATMENTS for SEPTICS
  • CLEARANCE DISTANCES, SEPTIC SYSTEM
  • CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
  • D BOX TROUBLESHOOTING
  • DRAIN CLEANOUTS
  • DRYWELL DESIGN & USES
  • EFFLUENT RETENTION TIME
  • FILTERS SEPTIC & GREYWATER
  • GARBAGE DISPOSAL vs SEPTICS
  • ODORS, PLUMBING SYSTEM
  • ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD INSPECTION & TEST - home
    • DISPOSAL CLOGGING FAILURES
    • ODORS INDICATING DRAINFIELD FAILURE
    • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD FAILURE CAUSES
    • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD FAILURE DIAGNOSIS
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD LIFE
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD LOCATION
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD RESTORERS?
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD SIZE
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD SHAPE
  • SEPTIC INSPECTION & TEST GUIDE
  • SEPTIC DRAINFIELD INSPECTION & TEST - home
  • SEPTIC LOADING & DYE TEST PROCEDURE - home
  • SEPTIC MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS
  • SEPTIC PUMPS
  • SEPTIC PUMPING REPAIR
  • SEPTIC SYSTEM REPAIR
  • SEPTIC TANK BAFFLES
  • SEPTIC TANK CLEANING
  • SEPTIC TANK, HOW TO FIND
  • SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE - home
  • SEPTIC TANK LEVELS of SEWAGE
  • SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE
  • SEPTIC TANK TEES
  • SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN - home
  • SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTION & TEST GUIDE - home
  • SEPTIC TESTS: DYE & LOADING TESTS
  • SEPTIC TREATMENTS & CHEMICALS
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

When to call a plumber: this article describes when, in diagnosing a blocked drain, you need to call a plumber. We present an actual case study, illustrated with photos of each step in the diagnosis and replacement of a blocked sewer pipe.Technical reviewers are welcome and are listed at "References." This is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems. Also see Backups and Clogged Drains diagnosing septic backups and septic system failures versus clogged drains.

Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.

When to call the plumber about a blocked building drain

Photograph of the waste line where opened in the basement during drain blockage diagnosis and cleaning.

When plunging the toilet made no difference, and because we already suspected a main drain or system problem (all drains were slow), we knew we needed a plumber to help with further diagnosis of the drain blockage.

We suspected a blockage between the house and the septic tank because the septic tank and seepage pits were pretty new and unlikely to be blocked themselves.

The plumber obliged with the next two steps in diagnosing our drain problem: first he opened a convenient coupling in the waste line in the basement. You can see where we made this opening in the photo at left.

This would give an easy access to the drain line nearest to the toilet itself in case the blockage was nearby in the home.

Opening this connection was diagnostic for a second reason as water spilled out of the coupling as it was disassembled. This told us that the waste line was blocked sufficiently to hold a large volume of water backing all the way up into the home.

Photograph of backup drain spillage clues on a washer drain.

That diagnostic fact explained why we saw evidence of drain backups coming out of the open top of the clothes washer drain line where it spilled onto and disturbed dust atop the main waste line nearby. You can see evidence of drain overflow on the washer drain piping in the photo just above.

By simple visual inspection, following the pipes in the home, we could see two interesting facts:

  1. first a main drain and cleanout were located in the house rear foundation wall, and
  2. second, the toilet drain passed separately through the same rear foundation wall just a few feet away.

While we never bet big on where buried drain lines run, the geometry of the basement of this home made for a small, cramped space.

It seemed likely to us from the angle of the pipes and the ultimate destination of the piping (a septic tank downhill in the rear yard), that the two lines joined outside the home, near the house rear wall, using a wye connector. (That later proved to be the case.)

...


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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

  • Thanks to Thomas Gleason, excavators, Poughkeepsie, NY 845-454-3730, for the excavating work at the project photo documented here in September 2006
  • Thanks to Cleveland Plumbing, the prime plumbing contractor, Staatsburgh, NY 845-485-7700 for the plumbing work and drain clog diagnosis work documented here in September 2006

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

    Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
    Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd
  • Inspecting Septic Systems: Online Book, Inspection, Test, Diagnosis, Repair, & Maintenance: our Online Septic Book: Septic Testing, Loading & Dye Tests, Septic Tank Pumping, Clearances, details of onsite waste disposal system inspection, testing, repair procedures.

  • Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Woodson, R. Dodge: $ 24.95; MCGRAW HILL B; TP; Quoting from Amazon's description: For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.
  • Country Plumbing: Living with a Septic System, Hartigan, Gerry: $ 9.95; ALAN C HOOD & TP; Quoting an Amazon reviewer's comment, with which we agree--DF:This book is informative as far as it goes and might be most useful for someone with an older system. But it was written in the early 1980s. A lot has changed since then. In particular, the book doesn't cover any of the newer systems that are used more and more nowadays in some parts of the country -- sand mounds, aeration systems, lagoons, etc.

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