Misaligned 4" waste line

Just outside the house there is a connection made with a banded no-hub coupler that connects two slightly misaligned sections of pipe. Roots are able to get in and clog the line about every two years, basically because of the misalignment. There are too many bends, wye's and short pieces of pipe to do a re-pipe without a major overhaul of the area. I am considering installing a two inch PVC pipe with a screw cap directly over the new no-hub coupler I have just installed. It would not be connected but would be open at the bottom. This would enable me to periodically pour something down there that would keep roots away from the coupler. Does this sound like a workable idea, and if so, what would you suggest the product to be poured in might work best?

jerryinsocal said:

Just outside the house there is a connection made with a banded no-hub coupler that connects two slightly misaligned sections of pipe. Roots are able to get in and clog the line about every two years, basically because of the misalignment. There are too many bends, wye's and short pieces of pipe to do a re-pipe without a major overhaul of the area. I am considering installing a two inch PVC pipe with a screw cap directly over the new no-hub coupler I have just installed. It would not be connected but would be open at the bottom. This would enable me to periodically pour something down there that would keep roots away from the coupler. Does this sound like a workable idea, and if so, what would you suggest the product to be poured in might work best?

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post a picture of the problem. we will take a look and help out

It is difficult to get a good photo, but you can see the rubber band of the coupler in place for a temporary closure of the gap between the two pipes. That gap is about one inch. The hubs of the coupler at the top, above the band, and the hub of the wye below the band are about 8 inches apart, leaving very little room to do any repair.

looks like a hole in the pipe, right below the pvc line.

i would back up, cut the pipe off behind the pvc pipe and the roots
replace everything up to the wye

That's not a hole there, just a shadow. The roots were going in under the old banded coupler which I have removed along with the roots. The pipe is now clear. I think your suggestion is workable, but how would the final closure be made? Seems to me it would need another no-hub coupler to finish it up and the roots would find their way in again. Is it possible to somehow make it all ABS so roots would have no way in?

Ever thought about a liner or pipe patch. It's not cheap but will solve the problem

Thanks for the suggestion. I just read up on Fernco Pipe Patch, seems it requires putty to be pressed into the hole. In my case the one inch gap between the two pipes would not be workable for the putty. Perhaps the fiberglass wrapping could be used without the putty if it were absolutely water tight and did not provide a snag for collecting waste and creating yet another blockage.

As for a liner, that could be a possibility if it could be placed in exactly the right area and it adhered well to the inner surface of the ABS so no roots could get in. From the clean out to the gap between the pipes is only about 8 feet total and then another 4 feet to the septic tank. Worth exploring. I am more concerned about having a permanent fix than the expense at this point.

I think that a sealed all ABS line would make me the most comfortable as I have had this spot dug up four times in the last 8 years to the same problem, roots through the no-hub coupler. Three different plumbers have assured me that it would not happen again. Wrong. I suspect that the slight offset between the pipes is the problem. As Frodo says above, cut it out and replace - but how can it be done with all ABS?

A gap, between the 2 pipes is unacceptable, the pipes have to be within 1/4'' of each other or the **** will leak. and the band must be the correct band



are you using a proflex plastic x plastic shielded band? it has a yellow color sticker
or are you using a regular stainless cast iron no hub band?
their is a difference.
what you can do, is buy a small can of Black Swan Band sealant

A pipe patch is a push in place liner

Frodo, the band I just removed was a stainless steel band over the rubber like PVC inner seal with hose clamp style closures on either end. Sometimes called a "mission band" around here. The problem, in addition to the size of the gap is the slight offset. I think cutting it out and replacing the pipe as you suggested is the best bet, hopefully the pipes can be lined up so there is no misalignment and the gap made 1/4 inch. But with the limited working area and the restrictions on what bends are available, it will be difficult to achieve. I have heard that a "repair coupling" with no inner hub can sometimes be used, but I think it requires being able to move one of the pipes. Not possible here unless it could be slipped onto the pipe before the final section was glued in. Usually too tight a fit to do that. I suppose I will try the no-hub coupling with the Black Swan sealer if I can get it all lined up correctly.

get rid of tree?

along with the other suggestions I would cut in a clean out behind the root area so you have direct access to you drain....you want the messs to be outside rather than inside the house

this is how to install a band. set the ss jacket aside.

take the rubber, pull half of the rubber back onto itself, so that you have the inside of the rubber on the outside
slide the rubber onto the pipe, pull the rubber up onto the pipe,

Geofd said:

along with the other suggestions I would cut in a clean out behind the root area so you have direct access to you drain....you want the messs to be outside rather than inside the house

Click to expand...

[in my best cave man voice]
clean outs good, like cleanouts. cleanout,,,good

Thanks all. Yes, there is a clean out less than 5 feet from the band. As you can see in the photo, I have the rubber part of the new coupler in place, but I am sure it will end up full of roots again, and I would really like to get it all sealed ABS somehow. Even if torqued to the recommended 60 pounds, I think the roots can still get in because of the slight offset. I am not convinced that those couplers can ever really keep roots out. It has been suggested that I just call the Rooter once in a while preventatively, but is that really a proper solution?

yes....most times the roots enter thru lead joints and clay pipe joints but I snake and camera a guys drain on a yearly basis there is also a product called rootx I think you put it in your toilet let it foam up then flush

If I had clay or cast iron, I would definitely go with a yearly rooter, but since I am all plastic except for that one joint, I would like to get it permanently closed. With plastic. As for the Root-X, I understand it is not good for the tank bacteria, and the reviews on Amazon are not good. Doesn't seem to work for some people.

New idea: if I got the pipes lined up perfectly, could I cut a coupler in half and glue the two halves over the joint, with lots of glue to fill the crack? Or glue a strip of ABS onto the crack after? Seems possible.

no that wont work.....do what Frodo suggested....4 band no hub coupling made by husky.....very heavy duty 3/8 torqueing nuts then that stuff he suggested never used it but
with that stress on the pipes the glue wont hold

You need a proflex model # 3000-44 or a fernco model # CP-44 Band, NO other type of band will work, and the pipe has to be lined up and square face with each other with a MAXIMUM gap of 1/4'' between pipes, If you lack the skill to fit the pipes with that close a tolerance, call a plumber to do it for you. IF NOT, the joint will leak and the root will grow back, and you will dig it up again....if it takes backing up 5 more feet and replacing 8' of pipe. thats what it takes.

Okay, I'm convinced. Now all I need is someone with the ability to cut out that section and replace it at exactly the right angle so the two pipes line up. Very short run to work with, about 30 inches. Right now there is just one 1/8th bend used and it misses lining up both laterally and vertically. Perhaps adding another 1/8th would enable the pipes to meet but that kind of precision is beyond me.

use 2, 22,5 degree bends, one of them a street and the other regular