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Speedy Jim[_2_]

wrote:
On Nov 26, 5:17 pm, Speedy Jim wrote:

wrote:

I have the tiolet off of the floor and the flange exposed but I have a
lead bend in it (from the flange to the main line about 1 foot or so)
and I was told that an industrial snake will destroy that lead bend.
Do I just use a smaller snake but then it may not fully clear the
line?

I could go through the trap right before the line goes out to the
septic but then I will have to do it backwards and I am told that I
need the line to be near the machine so it doesn't go flailing around
the room (ideal would be a drain opening in the floor right next to
the machine.)

Yep. Excellent chance you will be replacing the lead bend.
Anyway, I doubt that the machine will be effective going that
distance with all those bends.

Are you *sure* that there is an actual clog in the house sewer
leading to the tank? Like tree roots? If tree roots, you'll
need a powerful cutter with minimum length of stout cable.

Is it possible that the drain field is saturated, rather than a clog?

Can you get the tank lid off to provide clues?

Could there simply be a paper clog right in the trap?

Give this project some thought before jumping in.

Jim

All those bends??? It's "one" bend. Down from the floor to 90 degree
to a Y fitting where it attaches to the cast iron line.

Am I sure??? I am not sure of anything. It's a little hard to be
sure without actually checking for things. However, I doubt there are
tree roots in the line as there aren't any trees around the house. If
the drain field was saturated I would expect to see this problem
during every shower, dishwasher load, etc. It's only from the washing
machine -and- I can run the washing machine over and over and over
again one run after the other with the same problem. If I had a
saturated field I would think that eventually I would reach a point
where it would not take anything more and I would get a complete
backup. Secondly, I can run the washing machine in the morning where
nobody has used any significant water for over 12 hours and it will
still do the same thing. My theory is that between the drain cycles
on two or more washer runs this main drain pipe has enough time to
discharge. Hence, "the thought" that I have given this.

If there were a paper clog right at the main trap then the other two
drain lines coming from the house would be having similar problems and
they are not - plus I took the two caps off of the septic trap and it
was clean.

What "clues" are you going to find by looking under the septic tank
cap? Besides the "scum" at the top of surface I doubt you will find
any clues.

Give it some thought??? I can think about it until I am blue in the
face. It's time to start "jumping in" and trying different things.
Yes, it could be A, B, C or D - now it's time to start eliminating
some of them. So far I have snaked the vent stack to the roof - clean
as a whistle, ran a small auger snake back from the septic trap
towards the area where the problem is - nothing significant came out -
but then again it was not an industrial snake.

One point that someone just made was to check the actual "vent" not
the "vent stack" that many people think is always the problem. Their
theory is that a large rush of water (from a washing machine) is not
venting at the front of the water rush due to a partial clog of the
main vent. This sounds plausible but I am skeptical - it's a four
inch copper vent line with a grate at the end. What could have gotten
in this past the grate (and want to stay in there.) Bugs perhaps. I
am going to check it but I don't have much hope.

Apologies for any perceived criticism. You have indeed
done the homework :-)

Removing the tank lid would allow you to see the amount
of flow *into* the tank. Would also vent pressure ahead of the
flow. If there is only a trickle of flow, then you know
a clog exists between house and tank.

Would it be practical to excavate the line leading into the
tank? Cut in a TEE for access?

Plan "B": Rent a sewer machine which mounts on a
tripod stand to get the auger up at the trap level.

Jim