DanG wrote:
How far are you going to tunnel?
Are you planning to break out the floor to make the plumbing
repair?
How deep is the line? Are you working where the line comes out
from under the house?


Hi,

Actually I found the break right after I sent the email, it was much
closer to the edge of the slab than I estimated.

The sewer line runs out to my backyard at nearly a right angle to the
outside wall, right where my kitchen and bathroom meet.

It runs at a slight angle out to my septic tank, so I won't be bugging
any neighbors with my work, everything is on my property.

The sewer line is 2 ft. down at the edge of the slab. The broken collar
(with root) is about 12" below the slab, maybe 32" from the edge of the
slab (under the house). I've now basically exposed all the plumbing up
to the main going out to the septic.

I've already cut/yanked the root out of the line, and everything is
draining great. Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to patch that
cast iron joint--it's a collar type join and a big chunk is torn off.

Maybe I can clear the soil around it, clean it up and strap something
over it? Not sure.

Someone has worked on this before, they just didn't go under the slab. I
found a rubber collar splicing the cast iron main to ABS, which runs out
to the septic. It looks new...I bought this place 4 yrs. ago.

I have no intention of breaking out concrete, but as you say I need an
effective way to deal with the void I've left below my slab...no idea
what to do. It's 32" wide by 32" deep right now, but it narrows under
the slab because I had a good idea where the problem was.

---
Flash