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any plumbers out there? i need help

coz

coz

Active member
here's my problem. the trap in the floor drain in my basement has a slow leak. it will only hold water for an hour or so then it goes dry, letting sewer gas into the house. the house is ninety years old. the bottom of the trap is 16 inches below the concrete floor. is there some way to seal the interior of the clay pipe or reline it without digging it all up? could i use a check valve, or some type of backflow preventer in that 16 inch vertical section? help:popcorn:
 
It's possible the clay pipe is broken, if so it'll have to be replaced. I seem to recall seeing something on This Old House where they relined a below grade sewer line. Not sure if I can find that episode but I'll see. I'm not a plumber and I don't play one on tv.
 
Is your plumbing vented up through your roof ? If the vent on the roof is blocked that could cause sewer gas to seek an alternate route.
How fast is the leak? Are your sure there is a leak, or is it maybe evaporating because there is very little water draining into it?
Is the pipe terra cotta, or is it black iron and just coated?
 
bruiser said:
It's possible the clay pipe is broken, if so it'll have to be replaced. I seem to recall seeing something on This Old House where they relined a below grade sewer line. Not sure if I can find that episode but I'll see. I'm not a plumber and I don't play one on tv.
Click to expand...

I remember seeing something like this, too. The used a special machine that pushed a tube kinda like a fire hose that had been treated to keep it waterproof. It was like turning the tube inside out as it went. It was done by a seperate contractor, though, I think. It may get more expensive than the traditional methods of clearing or replacing a pipe.
 
:(This is hard without digging it out. Flex hose might work as suggested and you need to find a way to add sealant around the flex hose. Good luck. In the mean time use drain plug to prevent nasty odor coming in.
 
PrairieSpyder said:
I remember seeing something like this, too. The used a special machine that pushed a tube kinda like a fire hose that had been treated to keep it waterproof. It was like turning the tube inside out as it went. It was done by a seperate contractor, though, I think. It may get more expensive than the traditional methods of clearing or replacing a pipe.
Click to expand...

I think it is on the current show. However, our PBS station is in the throes of "Festival" and hasn't aired TOH since February. :cus:
 
Traps aren't made out of clay...at least I have never seen one. If it is a cast iron trap, it has probably rusted through and needs to be dug up and replaced. There could be additional problems, of course. Time to call a qualified plumber, IMO. This isn't really a good place for do-it-yourself.
 
If it was my drain I would get a plumber with a sewer camera to inspect the drain. Don't just look at the trap, get the line inspected all the way out to the (street? septic tank?). From that info you can make better decision on the best course of action. Maybe just a new trap is needed, maybe line under basement floor needs to be replaced. Remember the sewer is 90 years old it does not owe you anything anymore. To keep the cost down you can rent an electric jack hammer and hire a big muscled relative to dig it up.
 
:shocked: I'm getting sick just reading about all of this... :barf:
Drains and gasses??:yikes: Good Luck! Please let us know what has to happen in order to get this issue out of your life! :thumbup:
 
NancysToy said:
Traps aren't made out of clay...at least I have never seen one. If it is a cast iron trap, it has probably rusted through and needs to be dug up and replaced. There could be additional problems, of course. Time to call a qualified plumber, IMO. This isn't really a good place for do-it-yourself.
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Grey water lines in basements of older houses are often not made of black iron. Black Iron was expensive, and grey water can be run to daylight or the town waste water facility. It could be a leak, but it could be a number of other plumbing issues, we do not have enough information to say. IMHO waiting to hear back from coz before recommending he have someone come look at it, is the best course of action.

Just sayin'............
 
traps and clay pipe

i don't know if the actual trap is clay or cast iron, i'll check it with a magnet. the pipe coming up to the floor drain is definately clay. it only holds water for an hour. i'll post a picture shortly.
after researching this earlier i found a korean company that has the cure. problem is ,their website is 99% korean:roflblack:. i emailed them anyway.
 
It's probably a deteriorated cast trap. They rust from age. Your not going to sleeve it. Cost would be silly. Typically, you only see that method used on main waste lines that runs under a pricey paver driveway or other feature that isn't conducive to digging.
It's a pretty easy repair. Cut the concrete around the drain and hammer it out. I bet it's thin concrete typical for 90 years ago. Repair/replace and do a few bags of premix and your done. Few hours at most assuming the damage is only localized at the drain.

Now, let me ask this. Is the floor drain necessary? Most newer houses don't have floor drains tied into sewer lines anymore. You could also seal off the drain and be done with it.
Doug


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Long story short, I agree with drew. A one hour time frame is a leak. It should be cut out and replaced, or filled in if you are not going to need it. There will be some labor, but if the trap is the only problem it shouldn't be too big a project.
 
floor drain

not sure if the trap is metal or not. the magnet did not stick. it only stuck lightly to the new drain assembly. maybe cast iron is like that. what about trying to seal it with something like redguard? i would prefer to keep the drain, the laundry is nearby and there is always the possibility of equipment or plumbing malfunction.
 

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coz said:
not sure if the trap is metal or not. the magnet did not stick. it only stuck lightly to the new drain assembly. maybe cast iron is like that. what about trying to seal it with something like redguard? i would prefer to keep the drain, the laundry is nearby and there is always the possibility of equipment or plumbing malfunction.
Click to expand...

The trap could be made of copper, or lead. I have seen both. Looks like the terra cotta pipe might have been a repair done after the fact as a repair. The problem with the redguard, if I remember correctly, is that it is a masonry prep and may not adhere to the trap itself. It would be easier then digging it up an replacing, but I am not sure it would be effective.
 
the korean cure

WWW,GOSTOPGAS.COM is the sight if anyone is interested. their device is like a sleeve that goes in the top of the drain. it lets water go thru ( down the drain ) then the bottom of the sleeve closes to seal out gasses. very clever device. must be a lot of bad plumbing in asia. this is the fix. zero tearout.:thumbup: i would post a link if i knew how. check it out, it is interesting.
 

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Not a plumber..!!

While not a licensed plumber will chime in anyway. Working with clay, cast, black iron etc has no easy fix. If it is rusted then more than likely when you go to repair it you will create a new leak or worse. When I ran into cast or even galvanized pipes I would tell the folks get a plumber. You may go to all the trouble and time to patch and end up having to dig it up any way.. Here we have Drain Patrol and they come out within the hour and give free estimates.. Good luck which ever way you go...:thumbup:
 
www.GOSTOPGAS.com

I entered the address and can't come up with the site. I was going to have my gf check out the site. She's korean and speaks the language.

When you're on that site, can't you highlight the address and paste it? Just wondering b/c you said you can't link to it.
 
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