Something struck in Toilet drain - Plumbing Forum

saivenkat45 · 12-30-2011, 09:14 PM

Hello Folks,

We recently renovated a property and rented it out and the tenant called us twice about backed up toilet, tub and sink..more so with the toilet.. So when we called Benjimin flankin plumbers they charged us $500 to run a snake along with a camera and found that something got struck in the 4inch cast iron drain which is causing this water backup problem.

This looks like a broken ceramic or a PVC part from old toilets flange or horn lodged in the drain pipe, the plumber jetteed it with water and tried to move it with snake but it wouldnt even move...

The plumber suggested that we have to did underneath the foundation to reach to this part of the pipe and remove it.. and costs upwards of $5000!!!!!

Is there any other way to get that piece out or break it into small pieces? like an attachment to a snake or auger or something..

here is the youtube link to the video...

something struck in drain pipe.3gp - YouTube

please advise.. cant really afford to dig up..

**LiQuId** · 12-30-2011, 09:57 PM

a auger with a retreval head may be able to spiral past the debris and hopefully catch it, its not an easy fish to catch but it could work. you likely would rather pull the debris up than send it further down imo. as it could potentially cause a blockage further down. I would be looking into having the lines jetted with high pressure steam, if it IS pvc then the steam should be enough heat to deform it and make it possiblle to flush, once it hits the sewer its problem solved. did your plumber jet it with hot or cold water?

saivenkat45 · 12-30-2011, 10:22 PM

Thanks for the suggestion....steam might work.. he just used cold water...
Sorry for the dumb question but isnt there like a plier attachment for auger which can be controlled from above which can hold this piece and shake it a little bit and probably pull it out

**LiQuId** · 12-31-2011, 12:27 AM

there are several types of heads, i;ve not heard of one like you imagine though.

a retrieval head looks essentially like a spring that gets wider at one end, it is used primarilly for retrieving heads or broken cables from a drain as the machiene spirals the cable the retreval head spirals around the object and ensnares it.

there are also cutter heads that are primarilly for roots but could be used to bore around the stuck piece thus making it smaller ( in theory ) I would tend to want to hit this problem from many angles but if it were my call and I had already seen the interior and the problem I may be inclined to try steam jetting followed quickly by a retrieval head hoping i could first make the plastic wedge softer and then wrap it with a retriever. failing this I might just break out the 1500 and push the lil bugger all the way to the building sewer... scoping it first to ensure that I was not about to push the debris into a backwater valve.

for good measure question.... do you have a backwater valve installed ?

**LiQuId** · 12-31-2011, 12:33 AM

how far down the line was the blockage also? ... this will determine additional resources

**phishfood** · 12-31-2011, 01:24 AM

I merged the two threads into one.

I would ask around and find a drain cleaning company with LOTS of reccomendations. Have them come out with a honkin' big sewer machine and see if they can tear that piece debris out of there. Even if they spend quite some time doing so, it would be cheaper than $5,000.

Where are you located?

**Plumber903** · 12-31-2011, 02:28 AM

Is there a clean out down stream? If not dig up Line outside, cut about three or feet out of sewer line in yard. Use a jet machine from commode bend, send jetter hose to where section of pipe is missing in front yard. Shut down jetter, then grab the hose. Wrap a towel around the jetter, hose using wire to secure it. Pull jetter hose back out and grab plastic piece. I figure this procedure can be done in 4-6 hours, if yard line is not real deep.

This what I would try First boil water and pour down commode bend. Then pour cold water down commode bend. Repeat this several times, should shock the PVC and weaken it. Then using a cable sewer machine try to break it up, and send it on it's way.

saivenkat45 · 12-31-2011, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phishfood

I merged the two threads into one.

I would ask around and find a drain cleaning company with LOTS of reccomendations. Have them come out with a honkin' big sewer machine and see if they can tear that piece debris out of there. Even if they spend quite some time doing so, it would be cheaper than $5,000.

Where are you located?

I am in Dallas TX

saivenkat45 · 12-31-2011, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiQuId

how far down the line was the blockage also? ... this will determine additional resources

Just 5 to 6 feet from above

**Caduceus** · 01-02-2012, 12:08 AM

Help me to understand this a little better. Is it correct that there is standing water in the pipe after water is introduced into the drain? The piece of pvc in the pipe doesn't appear to be part of the clog. It IS a problem and needs to be removed, but it looks like water is put into the drain and doesn't flow. This would lead me to believe that the problem is further down stream if the drain is still backing up.
I also would try a retrieval head or passing a jetter from down stream to past the object up stream to pull it back.