Weekly Unexplained Clogs

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dpost

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Hey Guys, I've been having sewer line clogs every 1-2 weeks for the last month and I'm about at the end of my rope.

Our home is over 100 years old so I expect some plumbing challenges, but I had our line scoped when we moved in and they confirmed that the main line was in good condition (no breaks/collapses/roots). Everything worked well for approximately a year after I moved in, but a couple months ago I found our basement utility sink full of water/sewage. I confirmed that the main line was clogged by running other sinks/toilets and watching the water line in the sink rise. The water does actually drain at approximately 3 gal per hour, but backs up again when more water is run.

The first time I had a plumber come out and auger from the main cleanout (for 100ft, well past the 60ft to our property line). He didn't find anything of note, but the sink drained after he was out and was good for about a month.

Likewise, the second plumber augered the line, didn't find anything of note, but the line drained for about a week after he was out.
The third plumber (this is turning into a bad joke) came out and ran a camera through the line and didn't see any roots or collapsed pipes but did find this gasket that he thought might be catching things:

Photo of the gasket: http://i.imgur.com/cAxVlbW.jpg

There was some paper/debris caught on that gasket, but to me it didn't look like enough to limit flow to 3gph. There was also water in the line as he started scoping and then at some point it seemed to release and all drained suddenly. His suggestion was to try and cut this gasket out, but I'm not totally sold on that explanation as it doesn't explain why I didn't have problems for a year. Could one of the previous plumbers dislodged the gasket while they were augering?

So ... when it backed up again today I called the city and had them check the main line in the alley. Unfortunately for me it came back clear and my sink is still backed up. I have a fourth plumber coming to take a look this afternoon, but I need to get this figured out! Please help me understand what's going on!
 
Make sure you mark the distance/length of cable use to clear the line. That will tell you if it's at the same location as the gasket. I personally have never seen a gasket like that just pop out of a joint like that.
I agree with John, locate and dig it up to repair properly, but a temporary solution maybe to grab it with a retriever head and pull it out. But be careful you don't under estimate the strength of the cable/equipment and get the cable stuck on the gasket.
 
I agree too get ur plumber to do a camera an locate the locater will tell you exactly where the gasket is and how deep it is as well it sounds like you have some grading issues too where as ur line
Is sagging in spots therefore relying on water pressure to move the waste instead of gravity IE grade . If I was you look at getting a new pipe installed from house to city if this is ur fourth plumber in a short time ur almost near the cost of what a line replacement would be
 
That looks like clay pipe to me clay pipe does not sag it shiftA causing off sets. It should be dug up and repaired. The plumber also needs to run the camera to the city tie in to make sure no other problems
 
No question your problem is the gasket. You need to get a sewer repair / replacment going. Make sure it is inspected carefuly for the full length to the main so that you take care of any other problems that might be there.
 

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