Drains and tools

[KnarlyCarl]

This was a call I was sent to on Thursday, to a trailer park that has seen better days, the old clay tile drains in the ground are one by one cracking and letting tree roots grow in, thereby making the sewer lines back up and spew waste out the shower drain while someone takes a shower and someone else flushes the toilet. The best part is there is no clean out pipe up to the ground to access the sewer pipes, so I have to take the toilet off if I want to try to clear the blockage.

Heres my attempt to run the auger through, it's made by Sparten, self feeding and retracting, or I can control the feed by hand if I want. Uses a dc motor for direct drive on the drum and is reversible.

I was unable to get the auger past a spot because they used a certain fitting where two 3" pipes dumped into a common drain, imagine a two way cleanout tee upside down and the auger kept going straight through instead of making the turn downward. I could see this fitting from under the trailer, by removing the skirting and poking my head under. To verify where I was and that my auger was going past the tee, I use the Ridgid Scout tracer device, it's a mighty fine instrument to track where a drain pipe goes.

The "pill" is attached to the end of an auger and shove it through the pipe, I taped the pill here and shoved it through.

It emits 512 Hz signal that is picked up by the receiver, I know exactly where it is and also tells me how deep it is, seen here where I tracked it going under the house. So I knew it was 2' 3" under the floor, right where I expected it to be.

But, I couldn't get the auger to go where I wanted it to, and with no cleanout, we're going to get the mini excavator and start digging. At least with this park, I know about where the sewer runs, since I've done several others here before. Just another day in the life.

Also if you have no cleanout pipe in your yard, just hope an auger can get through from your toilet. No pressure lol.

Another note from your friendly neighborhood plumber; only what comes out of you and toilet paper should ever be flushed down a toilet

[Logan]

With no cleanout it makes the job so much harder

[Stercorarius]

That sucks. I'm surprised those locaters workthough. My brother was an apprentice for a plumbing company and said the ones they used were only accurate within three feet. When I was 15 I did a septic line repair for a guy where the old cast iron line had sagged and was backing up so I had to cut the cast, fernco it, and put in ABS and a two way clean out. The part that sucked about that is that he had his plumber buddy show up and run their camera with an integrated lacator through the thing and find where it was so it could be dug up. I didn't know how inaccurate these things were though. So anyways they said it'll be about 4-5' down. I was fifteen and wasn't about to go rent a mini excavator so I grabbed a shovel. It was terrible digging. It was pretty much just 8" or bigger rocks with only enough dirt to fill in the cracks. So I dig an 8'x3' trench centered on the locater mark to have plenty of room to work. 6 hours later I'm 5' down and nothing. 2 more hours I'm down to 7' and still nothing. I get pissed off and ram my shovel into the side. Yeah the pipe was about six inches to the side of the trench. It wasnt even 5' deep. [emoji20]

[Fazzman]

That doesnt sound like fun fellas,im no plumber by any means but I understand how the stuff is supposed to work. 

 

Our county sewer lines run along the back fence line of our property. Recently had to have them come and get roots out of their section that feeds our house. That was kinda neat to watch with the super high pressure gun thingamajig. took them only several minutes.  

 

My dads neighborhood is only about a mile up the road all their cleanouts are out front near the side walk,im kinda glad mine isnt because we have a huge Sycamore tree in our front yard and the roots from that thing are pretty massive.

[KnarlyCarl]

Yeah, it's super accurate, love using it. Sounds like you dug yourself into a hole hehe

The majority of sewer lines around here are clay tile still, and they go out toward the street, usually go to the main which is in the middle of the street, we've been able to luck out by replacing the sewer up to the street, and not needing to any further. But if we did have to replace the sewer under the street that goes to the main, the homeowner is responsible for costs in tearing up the street, and replacing it, which gets pricey real quick!!

[james10million]

Looks like a "shit" job

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[KnarlyCarl]

Looks like a "shit" job

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Yes, but that's what I call job security

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[james10million]

Yes, but that's what I call job security

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Haha, no wonder u plumbers get paid so much.

I was about to hit send and auto correct had the word "laid" instead of "paid", I guess u win either way

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[JimboS1ice]

Sometimes you wonder why things are done, just to make life more difficult or tack on some over time for the guys in 30 years

Jimbo

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[KnarlyCarl]

Sometimes you wonder why things are done, just to make life more difficult or tack on some over time for the guys in 30 years

Jimbo

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All the time man all the friggin time

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[KnarlyCarl]

Yesterday I was clearing another sewer when James Mason pops up on periscope, says it's the sunrise over Sydney I believe it was. It had been raining here all day but let up for a few hours (it later turned to snow) so I open up periscope and it's a pretty view of a city outlined by the glowing of what will soon be the sun coming up over the city. Quite the contrast from my present scenery, feces spewed into the yard from the pressure of their sump pump pushing out from a clean out in the backyard..... It's common to have happen, so just deal with it. That's the mess the homeowner will have to deal with.

Mondo was on the scope too, and I mentioned about having good tools to work with so it wasn't all Mike Rowe dirty jobs style work.

I was using the usual auger we have and the Ridgid Scout as it's called. I believe this is from the other part of the Ridgid company that makes the pipe wrenches, pipe threaders, and utilities locators, and press tools, the part of the company we dont think about a lot because they're professional tools, you wont find them sitting on a shelf at Home Depot.

Anyways, that little bit of sunrise before James lost signal was a welcome change at the moment.

It turns out it was all backing up at the city, so they were notified and everything started flowing again yay happy ending. Except that it also backed up into the house.

Even if the drains are working in your house, I've still come across blockages that were only discovered when the neighbors complained of a bad smell, coming from the side of the house next to a cleanout. Eeks

This little guy is awesome and super fun to use. Accurate, and worth its weight in gold.

I know exactly where the pipe is and how deep underground. This paint line veers off to the right about 45deg. I do this whenever possible in case the old line needs to be excavated. Then the customer can take pics and keep them for their recordwin case of a SHTF scenario next time.

The space between the shrubs on either side shown here? Yeah I had to do that, thanks to my hackzall, no thanks to the homeowner. It's not terrible, really, just an inconvenience, but make sure you don't plant anything of consequence in front of a cleanout (the little stub of a pipe by the side of the house) because that's where I'm going, $1million rose bush or not.

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[JimboS1ice]

The non-HD pro line ridgid has awesome plumbing tools

Jimbo

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[Stercorarius]

Ridgid pipe wrenches for days.

[KnarlyCarl]

6 hours ago, Stercorarius said:

Ridgid pipe wrenches for days.

Makes sense this sentence I guess?

[Stercorarius]

3 hours ago, KnarlyCarl said:

Makes sense this sentence I guess?

I believe I was 10% awake when I wrote that.

[KnarlyCarl]

Another quick one about the bladder jetter I use sometimes on smaller drains such as this galvanized kitchen drain. Old school, just needs some tlc.I first ran the little auger through it, then flushed it out real good because it builds up in these pipes like plaque in arteries.

Shove it in and open the flow of water. The water pressure first expands the rubber to make a seal inside the pipe then it pushes the gunk out

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[KnarlyCarl]

So many variables that might affect what's going on. Old cast iron pipes that have build up inside, pipes not sloped the right way, bad drain venting.... One easy thing to check is pull the lid off the toilet tank. There is a pipe sticking up in the middle. Look at where the water level is and how far below the top of that pipe the water level sits. If it's within an inch to the top, then that's probably not the problem. But it's sometimes all it needs on occasion

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[Stercorarius]

Never seen a jetter like that before.

[KnarlyCarl]

[KnarlyCarl]

 

The Bosch Laser Level Spectacular!

 

I just thought I would put this here to add to what I started:

The laser level I use for plumbing was on a couple other threads, but I will elaborate a little more on the subject.

Above is the Bosch GPL3T laser level. See here for description and pricing. I bought mine for about $82 from Acme tools, on sale. I didn't realize it's full potential right away, but the longer I had it, the more useful it became. At first it became basically an extension of the level itself... think of a 12' level that I could put in my pocket, pretty sweet yes?

Anyways, I do a lot of rough in plumbing, which is all the plumbing that goes on beneath you feet, in your walls, and any drain pipes that you CAN'T see, the important stuff, yes, you're quite welcome. I do finish plumbing too, which is simply installing all the fixtures you wash your body, your hands, your clothes, your dishes with, along with those nice porcelain seats with the water inside that you sit on and feel better after you get up haha.

 

I had outlined a few specific tasks with this laser level that I thought I would now elaborate on. 

First is the usefulness of joining together runs of piping at 45 degree angles. This level does not have a 45 degree level bubble, so I use it in conjunction with my Ridgid plumbers level, and since both are magnetic, they hold on to each other quite nice. I can then lay the Ridgid level on the pipe at a 45 degree angle, according to the respective level bubble, shot a beam where I need to run and get a very accurate measurement without having to cut a piece of pipe multiple times, once to get a section to go at least the distance that I need it to, then several more times to get the correct length once I dry fit the pipe together, put my other fitting in and get it situated. It can become complicating writing this out instead of a visual aid, but it's very easy to get the hang of and such a better method.

 

Secondly, I can drill holes through joists or studs very accurately, and very fast, much faster than any other method. I will obtain my first hole (maybe a 2" size) and use a bit of plastic pipe strap to hold it to the joist, so that the laser shoots out through the hole I just drilled and onto the next joist. I take a piece of said plastic strap and slip it under one end of the level toward the top, which will bring the laser line up slightly, to create the correct slope in the drain line. In the instance of 1-1/2" PVC drain, I need 1/4" per foot fall. I would attach my laser level to the first joist, shim the topside of the level, then take my graduated Ridgid plumbers level (which show slope) and run the laser beam across the top of the Ridgid level, to make sure I was going to drill the correct holes to obtain correct fall (slope).

 

 

I needed to drill these joists all the way over to that wall, it was just so friggin easy and fast and effortless, didn't have to guess with measurements trying to obtain my 1/4" per foot fall. As each hole was cut, the laser then was displayed on the next joist, and so on.

 

For this example, the level is sitting at 1/8" per foot fall, which is perfect for the 4" PVC drain it was sitting on while I took this picture. You can see metal shavings building up above the vial, the magnets on the level are picking up those shavings from wherever little bits of iron are floating around....

 

 

This is when I needed to drill several holes in the studs of a wall to get a vent pipe over to the center of the bathroom. After a minute of setup, it was a breeze drilling each hole where they needed to go, without having to worry if I had correct fall or not. You notice the little pocket screwdriver I am using to obtain the correct fall for this application, the bottom of the laser is shimmed away from the stud, making the laser point down, which is exactly what this required. 

 

The rolling scaffolding that I used to install all the floor drains, I use the Sawzall for cuts to 3" and 4" pipes that are already in installed and need trimmed a little, as well as using it to cut out for running pipe through joists. My tool vest is hanging on the left of the scaffolding, a really nice Occidental Leather vest, I just recently purchased that from Acme tools for $120 on sale, love it. 

 

 

For most of the 3" and 4" PVC, I use a 12" miter saw, I think this one is the DW706. The cut cannot be made quickly, or there is chance of chipping and cracking the pipe. If I had a lot of pipe to install, I would have this puppy up on a miter saw stand, cutting pipe, then I would hire myself out to install the finish trim with it!!

 

 

Drain detail looking up from underside of first floor.

 

For drilling through concrete, I have this at my disposal: The 5340-21 Spline drive rotary hammer 

I have used diamond core bits with the large angle grinder and like using it, but that needs water, and this rotary hammer can also double as a jack hammer, and can do bit sizes from 3/8" up to 6" cores. So that's what we are invested in.

 

It is pretty important to keep the rotary hammer level as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to have the pipe coming through the wall square enough to glue a fitting onto. It has a 12' cord, which is quite nice, because of avoiding having an extension cord plug near where you are working, avoids the hassle of getting the plug dirty or unplugging it accidentally.

 

 

The pipe are through the other side, they will be the discharge and vent to a sewage pump pit. There are caps on the pipe so that we can pressure test the entire drain and vent system under 5 PSI to pass inspection. I haven't yet put mortar back up where my bit blew out the backside here, nor do I have clamps on the 2x4s yet

 

 

Of course, my SDS rotary hammer was there to help me drill into the concrete foundation for Tapcons, that thing just pulls itself through the material like nobody's business!

 

 

 

I'll try and update this from time to time, I'm fortunate I work for a great company and I like what I do.

[RickyMcGrath]

I'm the project manager for the remodel division of a large, privately held plumbing company in Houston. We run about 15 technicians just about 10 hours a day and I've seen some pretty crazy stuff. We don't run into too many homes that don't "have" a clean out. The problem is, most people don't realize that piece of PVC sticking out of the ground can be vitally important and they tend to cover them up with grass or even mulch.

I have two on my home. One I make sure stays uncovered. The other is 8' away from the house, 4' back from the front corner. My wife was trying to be nice one weekend and while I was working, decided to mow the yard. Well, you can figure out the rest of the story. Had to cut the top off and install a new cap and buried it.

[JimboS1ice]

1 hour ago, KnarlyCarl said:

 

The Bosch Laser Level Spectacular!

 

I just thought I would put this here to add to what I started:

The laser level I use for plumbing was on a couple other threads, but I will elaborate a little more on the subject.

Above is the Bosch GPL3T laser level. See here for description and pricing. I bought mine for about $82 from Acme tools, on sale. I didn't realize it's full potential right away, but the longer I had it, the more useful it became. At first it became basically an extension of the level itself... think of a 12' level that I could put in my pocket, pretty sweet yes?

Anyways, I do a lot of rough in plumbing, which is all the plumbing that goes on beneath you feet, in your walls, and any drain pipes that you CAN'T see, the important stuff, yes, you're quite welcome. I do finish plumbing too, which is simply installing all the fixtures you wash your body, your hands, your clothes, your dishes with, along with those nice porcelain seats with the water inside that you sit on and feel better after you get up haha.

 

I had outlined a few specific tasks with this laser level that I thought I would now elaborate on. 

First is the usefulness of joining together runs of piping at 45 degree angles. This level does not have a 45 degree level bubble, so I use it in conjunction with my Ridgid plumbers level, and since both are magnetic, they hold on to each other quite nice. I can then lay the Ridgid level on the pipe at a 45 degree angle, according to the respective level bubble, shot a beam where I need to run and get a very accurate measurement without having to cut a piece of pipe multiple times, once to get a section to go at least the distance that I need it to, then several more times to get the correct length once I dry fit the pipe together, put my other fitting in and get it situated. It can become complicating writing this out instead of a visual aid, but it's very easy to get the hang of and such a better method.

 

Secondly, I can drill holes through joists or studs very accurately, and very fast, much faster than any other method. I will obtain my first hole (maybe a 2" size) and use a bit of plastic pipe strap to hold it to the joist, so that the laser shoots out through the hole I just drilled and onto the next joist. I take a piece of said plastic strap and slip it under one end of the level toward the top, which will bring the laser line up slightly, to create the correct slope in the drain line. In the instance of 1-1/2" PVC drain, I need 1/4" per foot fall. I would attach my laser level to the first joist, shim the topside of the level, then take my graduated Ridgid plumbers level (which show slope) and run the laser beam across the top of the Ridgid level, to make sure I was going to drill the correct holes to obtain correct fall (slope).

 

 

I needed to drill these joists all the way over to that wall, it was just so friggin easy and fast and effortless, didn't have to guess with measurements trying to obtain my 1/4" per foot fall. As each hole was cut, the laser then was displayed on the next joist, and so on.

 

For this example, the level is sitting at 1/8" per foot fall, which is perfect for the 4" PVC drain it was sitting on while I took this picture. You can see metal shavings building up above the vial, the magnets on the level are picking up those shavings from wherever little bits of iron are floating around....

 

 

This is when I needed to drill several holes in the studs of a wall to get a vent pipe over to the center of the bathroom. After a minute of setup, it was a breeze drilling each hole where they needed to go, without having to worry if I had correct fall or not. You notice the little pocket screwdriver I am using to obtain the correct fall for this application, the bottom of the laser is shimmed away from the stud, making the laser point down, which is exactly what this required. 

 

The rolling scaffolding that I used to install all the floor drains, I use the Sawzall for cuts to 3" and 4" pipes that are already in installed and need trimmed a little, as well as using it to cut out for running pipe through joists. My tool vest is hanging on the left of the scaffolding, a really nice Occidental Leather vest, I just recently purchased that from Acme tools for $120 on sale, love it. 

 

 

For most of the 3" and 4" PVC, I use a 12" miter saw, I think this one is the DW706. The cut cannot be made quickly, or there is chance of chipping and cracking the pipe. If I had a lot of pipe to install, I would have this puppy up on a miter saw stand, cutting pipe, then I would hire myself out to install the finish trim with it!!

 

 

Drain detail looking up from underside of first floor.

 

For drilling through concrete, I have this at my disposal: The 5340-21 Spline drive rotary hammer 

I have used diamond core bits with the large angle grinder and like using it, but that needs water, and this rotary hammer can also double as a jack hammer, and can do bit sizes from 3/8" up to 6" cores. So that's what we are invested in.

 

It is pretty important to keep the rotary hammer level as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to have the pipe coming through the wall square enough to glue a fitting onto. It has a 12' cord, which is quite nice, because of avoiding having an extension cord plug near where you are working, avoids the hassle of getting the plug dirty or unplugging it accidentally.

 

 

The pipe are through the other side, they will be the discharge and vent to a sewage pump pit. There are caps on the pipe so that we can pressure test the entire drain and vent system under 5 PSI to pass inspection. I haven't yet put mortar back up where my bit blew out the backside here, nor do I have clamps on the 2x4s yet

 

 

Of course, my SDS rotary hammer was there to help me drill into the concrete foundation for Tapcons, that thing just pulls itself through the material like nobody's business!

 

 

 

I'll try and update this from time to time, I'm fortunate I work for a great company and I like what I do.

 

Sweet write up carl, love your technique with the laser level.

[james10million]

Awesome write up on the level and tools mate!

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[KnarlyCarl]

Just saw this at work after another guy destroyed it on a call Friday haha. 

I'll put this here, and stop distracting the other thread from its intended purpose!

 

.

Don't put kinks in this snake cable, we're constantly reminded, but it happens:

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 minutes ago, khariV said:

I can't imagine what that must be like to run that cable.  I was sore as hell from wrestling with the machine that I had for 4 hours running it in and out hunched over a hole in the floor.  I'm going to guess that doesn't go around corners so well 

 

3" pipe and elbows with the right tip and level of experience ha

 

6 minutes ago, JimboS1ice said:

That's a hell of a hair clog, someone flushing weaves down the toilet??

LOL Nah that's what a ball of roots look like

[jrsalas]

I see why your called knarly Carl. You have some skill and looks like your well set up for any battle. I enjoyed all the stories and tips you have given us and look forward for more. As my old boss would say "your only good as your tools" sometimes you need to spend that extra 100 bucks so you don't have to buy it twice. Awsome job, remember not to bite your nails.☺

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