Sanitary Sewer Connections and Slants

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MaggieMae

Active Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
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Location
Pinellas County FL
Hey there,
Am happy to find this forum today. Hoping for some expertise on my current catastrophe (well, one of : ) . OKay, so in 2013-14, the city connected my neighborhood, with houses built mostly in the 1950's using septic tanks, to the city's system. City hired a contractor, and local plumbing company, and the county inspected on completion. Fast forward to 2019=20 when my bathroom tub started to drain slow, toilet would sometimes clog as well. I was fortunate to have a friend who'd been a plumber once who helped me diagnose what was causing this. We ended up digging up the connection the city had installed (about six feet or so from my house drain) and found what you see in the photo. The connection had warped, was leaking, and had no slope. Now I understand over six years, some wear and tear is inevitable, however using a level we found there was zero slope) The clog that we thought was only due to this city installed connection f'up was SIX FEET LONG!!! Took us several ideas between us til almost at the same time, we came up with "high pressure hot water", and for a few hours. It worked and so we made a much better connection (temporary) and all was well for a couple of months. So then, same thing happened. This time we dug up the connection from the pipe to the cleanout (another 12 feet or so) and found what I'll show you in the next photos....If you've read this far, let me know what you think or make a guess....then I'll post more photos. Much appreciation in advance.
 

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Hey there,
Am happy to find this forum today. Hoping for some expertise on my current catastrophe (well, one of : ) . OKay, so in 2013-14, the city connected my neighborhood, with houses built mostly in the 1950's using septic tanks, to the city's system. City hired a contractor, and local plumbing company, and the county inspected on completion. Fast forward to 2019=20 when my bathroom tub started to drain slow, toilet would sometimes clog as well. I was fortunate to have a friend who'd been a plumber once who helped me diagnose what was causing this. We ended up digging up the connection the city had installed (about six feet or so from my house drain) and found what you see in the photo. The connection had warped, was leaking, and had no slope. Now I understand over six years, some wear and tear is inevitable, however using a level we found there was zero slope) The clog that we thought was only due to this city installed connection f'up was SIX FEET LONG!!! Took us several ideas between us til almost at the same time, we came up with "high pressure hot water", and for a few hours. It worked and so we made a much better connection (temporary) and all was well for a couple of months. So then, same thing happened. This time we dug up the connection from the pipe to the cleanout (another 12 feet or so) and found what I'll show you in the next photos....If you've read this far, let me know what you think or make a guess....then I'll post more photos. Much appreciation in advance.

From your description are we waiting for more pics?????????????
Those pipes look like they are pitched at diffrent angles
 
You have to deal with it.
If the sewer department won't take responsibility then get your checkbook ready.
In most jurisdictions that know anything, those "unshielded" rubber couplings are totally not allowed. Specifically you can see why, because they don't help hold alignment. In fact, they contribute to dis-alignment.
 
You have to deal with it.
If the sewer department won't take responsibility then get your checkbook ready.
In most jurisdictions that know anything, those "unshielded" rubber couplings are totally not allowed. Specifically you can see why, because they don't help hold alignment. In fact, they contribute to dis-alignment.
Thank you. That's helpful to know! I am in Pinellas county, Florida and am hoping someone can also point me to the specific code (2013-14) that shows the requirements.
What's a "checkbook"? :(
 
It’s possible that if you use 1 22 1/2 degree fitting it might line up all you can do is try it if the pipe is flat out to the street that a whole different issue without some pitch thsolids will flow a little then stop
 
Okay, that's a thought. Here's the second connection that leads to clean out. When we unscrewed cleanout lid. barely a trickle of water was flowing, so the clog must be in same place as first time. Doubt if you can tell the slope is reversed from pic, but it's clear with a quick look that it is. Anyway, this was all very shoddy work, and it's led to a lot of grief, none of which is my fault. I've always been very careful what I put down drains, was taught that as a child by my parents! Alright then, have at it, and please don't be shy! Thanks!!!!
 

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Come on, folks, give me some more feedback, more "anal'yses"?! Are ya shy to call out "the city" publicly? If so, message me..I don't mind! Thank you all ...
 
Okay, that's a thought. Here's the second connection that leads to clean out. When we unscrewed cleanout lid. barely a trickle of water was flowing, so the clog must be in same place as first time. Doubt if you can tell the slope is reversed from pic, but it's clear with a quick look that it is. Anyway, this was all very shoddy work, and it's led to a lot of grief, none of which is my fault. I've always been very careful what I put down drains, was taught that as a child by my parents! Alright then, have at it, and please don't be shy! Thanks!!!!
Normally when sewer work is done the town gives you a list of bonded” qualified contractors that you can choose from at least that’s how it done in mass
 
Yeah. Seemed like there was a letter in the beginning that said something like that, then things went wacky. Thank you. Florida is ....challenging...
 

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