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Guide to Slow or Clogged Drains & Sewer Backups: When to Call the Plumber
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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
Questions & answers about hiring a licensed plumber to help diagnose & repair a slow or blocked building drain, septic, or sewer piping

When to call a plumber: this article describes when, in diagnosing a blocked drain, you need to call a plumber.

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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.

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When to call the plumber about a blocked building drain

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.

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:

first a main drain and cleanout were located in the house rear foundation wall, and
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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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

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.
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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When to call the plumber about a blocked building drain

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